The Glenwood Gives Back

At first glance, firefighting and the restaurant business don't seem to have too much in common.

But both are about being in the service business.

It explains many of the fundraising and community service-oriented initiatives at the , the East Atlanta Village restaurant.

Three of its four owners are current or former DeKalb County firefighters with a philosophy of giving back.

Last year, the restaurant raised money toward a Sept. 11 memorial in Tucker, and has an upcoming fundraiser for an Atlanta Fire Rescue Department .

Most recently, the Glenwood — owned by DeKalb firefighters Kyle Bosdell and Mark Sherman, former fireman Ben Miller and Daniel Simpson — raised $2,228 for the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation.

The Atlanta-based foundation, organized in 1982 by a group of DeKalb firefighters, aims to educate the public on fire safety and education.

But its main goal is to help burn survivors — particularly teens and children — and those organizations that help them work through the physical and psychological scars after a fire.

The main vehicle for that is its annual burn camp, said Don W. Williams, the foundation's firefighter outreach liaison.

The weeklong camp, run by DeKalb firefighter Cathy White, hosts about 100 kids a year, Williams said, explaining the survivors are either Georgia residents or were treated at hospitals in Georgia, he said.

"Being a burn survivor is a lifelong journey to recovery," Williams said. "This is an opportunity for these children meet with other children and a lot of them have not had the opportunity to see another burn survivor.

"Camp is an opportunity for them to realize they're not the only ones."

For the owners of the Glenwood, the fundraisers are all about a philosophy that they want to more than just an eatery in the EAV, but an integral part of the neighborhood.

"It all part of the Glenwood's efforts to help out the community," Miller said.

Added Sherman: "We want to give back to the people who give to us."