fresno firefighter

Kids who collected 44,000 dimes visit burned firefighter

Maple Creek Elementary students learned the value of a dime Friday.

For collecting $4,402 — the equivalent of 44,020 dimes —for the Leon S. Peters Burn Center, they got a wave and a smile from Pete Dern, the Fresno fire captain who is recovering from severe burns he got while battling a blaze.

“It made his day,” said Dern’s wife, Kelly Dern, who accepted a check from the students for the burn center.

“His face lit up,” said Dern’s daughter, McKenzie Dern.

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