Muskegon Guns and Hoses! Where our local police and firefighters and maybe an EMT or two get together once a year to play a hockey game with a little bigger twist than the usually friendly drop in games they play is happening at the Lakeshore Sports Center on April 16th. Puck drop is at 5pm if you just want the hockey game, but...if you want the whole big event....well, listen up!
It's 20 years strong now, this battle of the first responders. With the humble beginnings way back when of a couple of guys trying to raise a few bucks to help some folks out and as things grew, so did who wanted to pitch in and who wanted to come and see. One look at the purpose too, will show you in a big hurry why so many hold this game and this event so very near and dear to their hearts. Muskegon Guns and Hoses looks to find individuals and families who need the hand more often than not. Kids with rare diseases, families caught off guard by a sudden illness, friends and colleagues that have had a struggle. What makes it even more special is that if you know much about police or fire people, they are remarkably fraternal and once they gather up with the "beneficiaries" they become more of a family, not just a cause. Knowing the organization over the years, not only have we seen the finds and awareness raised, but we've seen groups of individuals from the teams going outside of their work hours to help the families with more than just money.
The "game" has been a struggle like anything for the last couple years. Well, things are lightening up for not only the players and those who benefit, but all of us and getting back to it in 2022 is what it's all about. At the game, all of the fun stuff you hope to find. 50/50. Raffles, silent auctions, chuck a puck and more. As Lacey Koens will describe in a minute...."competitive" hockey, but the purpose is SO much more than the play. Take a listen as she joins Nancy Rath from Scherdel Sales and Technology....who by the way is ramping up for Summer interns in their engineering department, and I for a chat. Shon Cook had a scheduling conflict at the last minute so she's unable to join us on this chat.
Visit Muskegon Guns and Hoses online and see some of the past recipients of the funding or, better yet...come to the game and be a part of it! It's going to be a lot of fun for the entire family and the early start time makes it easy for the kids to enjoy it, meet some of the police and fire people and support a great cause. This is one of the things that makes us so very fortunate to see grass roots efforts like this grow in our area. The organic growth too, via word of mouth and community willingness to buy in is why Shon Cook chose Muskegon Guns and Hoses for Step it Up Muskegon!
