Back in April, we told you the story of Alli Marois. After her father, Bill Collins, retired from service after 38 years with the Des Moines Fire Department in September 2021, she took to TikTok to ask for a very special gift for her Dad. She wanted as many fire department t-shirts from as many states as she could collect. Her ideal goal was to get at least one from every state.

According to a recent segment on KCCI, she not only achieved that goal but exceeded it. 175 t-shirts came her way but rather than just give Bill a stack of t-shirts, she had a special quilt made.

KCCI says she and her mother hired an actual quilt-maker, who did it free and had it ready just in time to present to Bill for his birthday this past weekend. The result of the super-thoughtful project can be seen below.

YouTube via KCCI
YouTube via KCCI
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Bill was, needless to say, incredibly moved by the gesture.

It was very heartfelt because I know all the work that went through to get it to me. And I wasn't really surprised of how many shirts they ended up with because across the nation when a firefighter or someone wants something, they just respond.

Among the 175 shirts received included some from overseas, including from firefighters who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

All indications say that Captain Bill Collins enjoyed a very happy birthday as well as retirement send-off, with a gift ensuring that his lifetime of heroism will never be forgotten or unappreciated.

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