By Tracey Porpora Staten Island Advance
“I felt I had a lot of knowledge having been through a lot of trauma,” said Madeline Bergin, with Karen Keshecki and Dennis McKeon. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The 9/11 widow of John Bergin, a Rescue 5 firefighter, Madeline Bergin was introduced to Dennis McKeon from Where to Turn in the aftermath of the World Trade Center tragedy.
“I started volunteering with Dennis as a healing process. I felt I had a lot of knowledge having been through a lot of trauma,” said Ms. Bergin, a former school teacher.
“During these times, people did so much for me. So now, I felt it was my turn to give back,” she said.
She also wanted her children to realize “that there are people out there who are worse off. I want them to have compassion for people.”
Her most recent volunteer effort was running Where to Turn’s holiday toy store for Hurricane Sandy victims.
