The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

November 23, 2007

Paragon Promotions denies accusations it is falsely soliciting for firefighters

By Monica Pryts

The attorney for the Erie company that two local fire departments accused of falsely soliciting donations on their behalf said the firefighters’ claims aren’t true.

Paragon Promotions Inc. is not soliciting donations for fire departments nor is it affiliated with any fire departments, said Elliott Ehrenreich of Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett, an Erie law firm.

Greenville and Sharon firefighters recently reported that Paragon was calling residents for donations to print a fire safety book and that Paragon said it was on behalf of local fire departments.

Paragon has been calling people to get donations to print its own fire safety book, but company employees have not been saying it’s for local fire departments, Ehrenreich said Wednesday.

“They are certainly not bogus,” he said of Paragon’s calls, adding the company is a registered charity and licensed to solicit donations.

People who have been receiving the calls may be getting confused and assume it’s their local fire department that is involved because firefighters have done similar fundraisers for fire safety books, he said.

Anyone who donates money is asked to write a check to Paragon’s fire safety book, not a local fire department, Ehrenreich said.

After The Herald ran stories Nov. 10 and 17 about local fire departments’ complaints about Paragon, the Mercer County Veterans Advisory Council contacted the newspaper.

Wayne Stratos, one of the group’s representatives, said that in September 2006, Paragon was trying to solicit donations to publish a book with information for veterans. The book cost $50 and contained information that veterans could get for free and those who paid for it never saw it, Stratos said.

Ehrenreich said he didn’t have specific information about that book but Paragon has published information for veterans, has supported veteran-sponsored programs and was recognized by Veterans of Foreign Wars.

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