The ISU and Ames communities are opening their wallets to help people affected by the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C.

ISU Facilities Planning and Management staff held a pizza fund-raiser that brought in $1,600 for the E911 Fund – a fund set up by the New York City Fire Department to help families of firefighters who were killed in the line of duty.

The staff chose the E911 Fund because firefighters were entering the World Trade Center to rescue people while everyone else was evacuating, said Garry Riedemann, electrician and co-organizer of the event. Since the firefighters have been so busy, he said, they have not had time to deal with the stress.

“[The firefighters] are still at ground zero and they have to deal with it for the longest period of time,” Riedemann said. “They are heroes.”

The Ames Fire Department was on hand at the Facilities Planning and Management event and is helping funnel money from the Ames community to the E911 Fund, said Eric Facio, president of the local Firefighters Union #625.

The department is still accepting donations, he said. Donations can be dropped off at their stations, and 100 percent of the money will go to the families, Facio said.

Firstar Bank and Copyworks joined forces with the Army, Navy, Marine and Air Force ROTC programs to raise money for the Army Emergency Relief Fund, said Cadet Second Lt. Trista Boyenga, coordinator of the fund-raiser.

The Army Emergency Relief Fund, which brought in $1,250.24, will aid victims and families of the Pentagon tragedy, she said. Donations will still be collected this week and can be dropped off at any Firstar Bank location in Ames, said Boyenga, junior in sociology.

Two Ames businesses, Hickory Park Restaurant, 1404 South Duff Ave., and Professional Cosmetology Institute, 627 Main St., are raising money for the American Red Cross.

Sonja Plunkett, director of education for the cosmetology institute, said her students approached her with the idea of donating their tips to the Red Cross.

“The owners of the school decided they would match the funds raised by the students,” she said.

The cosmetology institute raised $470, and though the fund-raiser has ended, many of the students are still giving their tips, Plunkett said.

Wednesday, Hickory Park’s employees will donate their tips from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. to the Red Cross, said Tracy Tucker, general manager of Hickory Park.

“The potential they can raise in an evening is a lot. The owners were quite surprised and were happy to match their donation,” she said.

With several fund-raising events going on in the community, the Story County Sheriff’s Office is warning people of illegitimate organizations trying to solicit funds in the county.

The organizations are using names of law enforcement agencies, such as the National Law Enforcement Officers, Inc. and the National Law Enforcement Memorial, Inc., to make money off the tragedies, he said.

As of right now, it doesn’t appear these illegitimate organizations are calling anyone but law-enforcement personnel, Fitzgerald said. When law enforcement agencies do solicit donations in Iowa, they do it face to face – never over the phone, he said.

“If you have any suspicion at all, hang up and contact the Sheriff’s Office,” Fitzgerald said.