ST. LOUIS — Guns 'N Hoses set a record on Tuesday with a $1 million donation to The BackStoppers.
The donation was a result of proceeds from the 34th annual Budweiser Guns 'N Hoses boxing event held at Enterprise Center on Nov. 24, 2021. The event featured boxing and mixed martial arts matches between police officers, firefighters and emergency medical workers from Missouri and Illinois.
There wasn't a Guns 'N Hoses event in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the group was still able to donate $500,000 to BackStoppers last year.
“The past two years have certainly been challenging for everybody,” said David Stokes, president of the Guns ‘N Hoses Boxing Association, in a release. “We didn’t know what to expect this year after canceling the year before, making significant changes to the show and how COVID was still impacting our lives. But everyone made adjustments - and we succeeded!”
“I can’t thank Guns ‘N Hoses enough for the work they do on behalf of The BackStoppers,” said Chief Ron Battelle, executive director of The BackStoppers. “I wish I could tell you the need for our assistance has decreased. That not as many first responders are being injured or losing their lives in the line of duty. But that is not the case. Since Guns ‘N Hoses in November 2021 we have already added five more families with five dependent kids to our roster.”
BackStoppers is a nonprofit organization that helps families of first responders who die or suffer serious injuries in the line of duty.
With the $1 million donation on Tuesday, Guns 'N Hoses has now raised $10 million for BackStoppers since 1987.
“The single mission of Guns ‘N Hoses from the very beginning was to raise the necessary funds to support the survivor families of fallen first responders,” said Steve Holley, executive director of Guns ‘N Hoses. “Unfortunately, as we have seen recently, this need never goes away. We are dedicated to helping these families. That was the case in 1987 when we were founded and the same is true today in 2022.”
For more information on BackStoppers, you can visit their website by clicking here.