ROANOKE, Va. – Even though the game is over, Roanoke Valley Guns and Hoses had one last important task.
The group wrote up a check for $35,000 that was donated to Carilion Children’s Hematology & Oncology.
Toby Martin, President of Roanoke Valley Guns and Hoses, says it’s all about the moment when they get to donate all the money they raised.
“For me moments like this, because I don’t play hockey. The guys, that’s totally up against them. They have a good time. Again it started out as fun and it’s very competitive but there is local law enforcement and firefighter games across the country. To have this to be able to sustain itself for as long as it has is great,” Martin said.
The annual Guns and Hoses hockey game started back in 2004, pitting local Law Enforcement against local IAFF Firefighters in a competitive hockey game to raise money for a local charity.
This year the charity chosen was Carilion Children’s Hematology & Oncology after the teams were introduced to Makayla who is diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma. After meeting the young girl, there was no question about where the money should go.
“Whenever we found out that Makayla was a local hockey player, a young lady who is unfortunately having to suffer through the cancer process — the best part was she was getting all her treatment here locally so we wanted this money to stay local,” Martin said.
This year’s game was one of the largest, with a sell-out crowd of over 8,000 fans and the organization was able to raise just over $40,000. Since the beginning of Guns and Hoses, the event has raised more than $500,000 for charities and organizations both local and national.