Photo of New York Firefighters: FDNY Cycling team during the second annual Ride for Resilience, which took place in Ireland in 2025. © Courtesy of Friends of Firefighters
By Raye Mocioiu
Twenty-five years ago, just days after 9/11 shook the world, New Yorker Nancy Carbone set out to find a way to help.
In the days following the attacks, Carbone traveled from firehouse to firehouse asking what she could do to help firefighters who were simultaneously working at Ground Zero, attending funerals, grieving colleagues, and continuing to serve their communities. The requests ranged from funeral services to memorial supplies, but there was a dire need for counseling amongst the first responders to help process the tragedy, the loss, and the impact of the disaster—and it needed to be done in a way that firefighters, notorious for keeping their vulnerabilities hidden, would feel comfortable.
Although Carbone had no experience in counseling, she took the request seriously. Within months, she created a space where firefighters could seek help privately. Actor and former FDNY firefighter Steve Buscemi, a longtime supporter and Advisory Council member, has shared that for firefighters, those whose primary identity is one of a protector, seeking support can be very difficult. It’s important for them to have a place to go outside of the official fire department.
Friends of Firefighters eventually found a fitting home in an old Brooklyn firehouse, transformed by hundreds of active and retired firefighters into a familiar and welcoming place where members of the FDNY community could access support in the form of free, confidential counseling, peer support, and wellness services to active and retired FDNY firefighters and their families.
Ever since, that space has been a lifeline for thousands of firefighters and their families. Now, as Friends of Firefighters marks its 25th anniversary and prepares for a new chapter, its mission is being carried into the streets of New York City in a new way.
This fall, Friends of Firefighters will participate as an Official Charity Partner of the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon, with ten runners turning each of the race’s 26.2 miles into support for the FDNY community.
Taking place November 1, the race marks the 50th anniversary of the iconic five-borough course, which debuted in 1976. To celebrate, New York Road Runners (NYRR) is expanding its Official Charity Partner Program to more than 670 organizations, the largest group in the program’s history.
“We are so grateful to have these ten runners representing Friends of Firefighters in the TCS New York City Marathon,” said Julie Smith, Community & Donor Engagement Manager at Friends of Firefighters. “They each have their own connection to the fire service, first responder community, or military, and they understand the importance of showing up for the people who spend their lives showing up for others.”
Every Mile Has an Impact
The marathon offers a fitting stage for that work. Much like the fire service itself, distance running is built around endurance, community, and the willingness to keep moving when the road becomes difficult.
Every mile counts, and NYRR’s charity program has demonstrated how significant those miles can become. Since launching in 2006, the Official Charity Partner Program has raised nearly $700 million for more than 1,000 nonprofits worldwide. In 2025 alone, more than 14,000 charity runners raised a record-breaking $80 million for more than 600 organizations, causes, and missions. For 2026, NYRR has set its sights even higher, aiming to raise more than $100 million.
Ride for Resilience, an annual Friends of Firefighters event, takes a similar approach and puts it on two wheels. Held during the week leading up to September 11 to honor those who can no longer ride, the ride brings together approximately 150 first responders from across the United States and Ireland, raising funds for the organization in the process.
The Future of Friends of Firefighters
This year also represents a changing of the guard for Friends of Firefighters, with Carbone preparing to step away from its day-to-day leadership. She will transition to the role of Founder and Advisor while expanding her advisory work to support first-responder mental health organizations nationwide.
Stepping forward to lead Friends of Firefighters into its next era are FDNY couple Chrissy and Kevin Neafsey. Chrissy will serve as Executive Director, bringing 20 years of strategic business leadership to the role, while Kevin will serve as Director, Firefighter Culture & Operations, following a 20-year career as a New York City first responder, retiring as a UFA Delegate out of Engine 45 in the Bronx.
Peer-to-peer connection, of course, remains the anchor of the organization through the Aaron Clark Peer Support Team, named in honor of the Rescue 1 firefighter and Marine veteran who fiercely advocated for mental health within the firefighting and military communities before passing from cancer in 2025. The team keeps Clark’s legacy alive through peer-led services focused on suicide prevention, sober recovery, grief support, and equine-assisted wellness.
To safeguard this mission for the future, the organization is also establishing the Friends of Firefighters’ Legacy Endowment, designed to secure resources for a projected 10,000 counseling sessions annually by 2030 without impacting its core operating budget.
It is a future built on the same principle that inspired Carbone to walk into New York City firehouses 25 years ago: the people who show up for everyone else need someone willing to show up for them. On November 1, ten runners will carry that promise for 26.2 miles, helping Friends of Firefighters sustain the mission Carbone began and carry her legacy forward for generations to come.
