Living Life “beyond the burns.”
That is the mindset of Mitch Harrington as he makes an effort to take the worst situation and turn it to hope and healing.
Harrington worked for the Cookeville Police Department as a police officer and lieutenant. In 2016, Harrington responded to a house fire, and upon arrival, he got word from dispatch that a bedridden elderly lady was trapped inside. Harrington said he made the decision to go inside the burning house to try and rescue the lady, which would be a decision that would change his life forever.
“As soon as I went into the residence, there was an oxygen tank that apparently was defective in some way that exploded, which caused me to catch on fire and also caused part of the roof to collapse in front of the door, which essentially trapped me inside also,” Harrington said.
Harrington is the Executive Director of Harrington For Hope, a non-profit that provides free summer camp opportunities for children who are burn survivors. Harrington For Hope is hosting a Golf tournament at the White Plains Golf Course in Cookeville this Saturday to raise funds so children can attend Camp Hope for free.
Harrington said serving as the executive director has really led to him having more blessings than tribulations from the incident that almost took his life.
“It is amazing to see how these kids transform from not even wanting to get out of the house because they are so ashamed of their scars, scared that other kids or people will make fun of them or stare at them, or whatever, to really coming out of their shell because everybody at that camp has the same scars that they do and they see how I function, the other kids function. You know, it changes their life in such a positive way that you know, I can’t help but be a part of it every year.”
Harrington said imagine touching a hot frying pan and how bad that burns, but it being three times worse and on a large percentage of your body. Harrington said he holds a special place in his heart for burn survivors, especially those who are children.
“I know what they are going through, I know how painful it is, and I know what it does to them mentally,” Harrington said. “If myself and the rest of our team at Harrington For Hope, if we can spend just a few weeks raising money the way that we do and working to set up our events that we have each year. If that helps these kids get to camp, and it helps them to heal mentally, physically, and emotionally, then it’s worth every minute of it to us.”
The tournament will also feature different contests and a $10,000 cash prize for anyone who hits a hole-in-one. Golfers can register for the tournament online at the Harrington For Hope Website or the Harrington For Hope Facebook page.
