NEIL GRAVES
New York Post Online

July 3, 2001 -- The Rockettes high-kicked their way into the spirit of things yesterday, helping their parent company make a $5,000 contribution to The Astoria Fire: Post Heroes Fund.

The donation, by Radio City Entertainment, was matched by a $5,000 check from Cablevision.

The $10,000, added to checks that arrived at the Uniformed Firefighters Association's offices over the weekend, lifted the Heroes Fund to $550,000, union officials said.

Courtesy Jennifer Weisbord/NY Post

"We got $72,000 over the weekend, including the Don Imus check [for $25,000]," the UFA's comptroller, Sheila Pettit, said yesterday. Imus pledged the donation last week on his radio show.

"Going over $500,000 is surprising. We're doing real good," Pettit said.

A quartet of Rockettes presented a check to The Post at a Midtown Wiz.

The dancers said the deaths of the three firefighters in the Father's Day blaze at an Astoria hardware store made them reflect on the jobs our Bravest perform.

"We all feel the same. We feel very sorry for the families," said Susan Henderson, who's been a Rockette since 1995.

"The sacrifices our firefighters go through make you think. You realize you can't take them for granted.