St. Isidore kindergartener rides to school in fire truck

How many kids can say they were given a ride to school in a fire truck?

St. Isidore School kindergartner Rayhaan Irani can, and has the pictures and memorabilia to prove it.

Rayhaan, a student at the Bloomingdale school, became the recipient of his special ride when his mom and dad, Khushnoor and Mahyar Irani of Carol Stream, won the fire truck ride at this year’s St. Isidore gala auction/dinner dance in February. The plan was to wait until the weather got a little better, so his ride was scheduled for spring.

Lt. Lou Lettenmair and firefighters Dave Haas and Tom Zarth of the Bloomingdale Fire Protection District picked Rayhaan up at 7:15 a.m. at his home, where he was safely strapped in the fire truck and wore special headphones so he could communicate with the other firefighters who were on the truck with him, and off to school he went.

Rayhaan was greeted by St. Isidore teachers Mary Kate Healy, Lindsay Bergen, Jessica Caputo and Mary Ellen Neal, all wearing firefighter hats. He had balloons and a poster at his desk to commemorate his special day. And in Rayhaan’s honor, all of his kindergarten classmates in his class were given stickers and a firefighter’s hat.

“He was so excited, we were surprised he slept at all the night before!” his mother said. “Thank you for this incredible opportunity!”

The Bloomingdale fire district donated the free ride to be auctioned at the St. Isidore gala, one of the school’s major fundraisers that annually generates more than $75,000 to help bridge the gap between what tuition covers and the actual cost of educating a student. The revenues also fund important priorities that the school’s annual operating budget cannot accommodate, and subsidize scholarship and improvement funds vital to the success of the more than 80-year-old school.