ARLINGTON — Once a brother, always a brother.
There isn’t much that Alex Carbajal wouldn’t do for his friend and former firefighting partner Greg Garka. On Saturday, Carbajal and his wife Christina plan to spend the day raising money to help Garka’s family.
Greg and Kelsey Garka’s son, Mason, was born June 20 with a heart defect. Mason, now four months old, has undergone surgery to repair a heart valve and is scheduled for more open heart operations, Carbajal said.
Firefighters such as Carbajal have been involved in several fundraising events to support the Garka family with their out-of-pocket medical expenses and Mason’s care at Seattle Children’s hospital. Many people also have donated to the Garka Fund at Washington Mutual bank, Carbajal said.
“The costs this family faces are amazing,” Carbajal said. “But despite the tragedy of Mason’s illness, he has made exceptional progress.”
Greg and Kelsey (Burt) Garka are Arlington High School graduates, and Greg served as a volunteer firefighter in Arlington for many years. The family now lives in Stanwood. Support for the Garkas has come from across north Snohomish County, Carbajal said.
On Saturday, cookies and other baked goods from a network of churches and service clubs, along with volunteer firefighters and school district employees, will be for sale at the October Hunt sale in downtown Arlington. In addition, the Carbajals plan to have a silent auction of items donated by local businesses. All proceeds from the bake sale and auction will go to the Garka family, he said.
The October Hunt attracts street fair vendors and those with rummage sale items, said Norma Jean Syrie of the sponsoring organization, the Downtown Arlington Business Association. The highlight of the day is a scavenger hunt with a drawing for prizes at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Syrie said.
Fundraiser
A bake sale and silent auction to benefit the Garka family is set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday during the October Hunt sale in the City Hall parking lot along Olympic Avenue in downtown Arlington.
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