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EAST ALTON – Area first responders faced off on the ice Saturday in East Alton, raising money for the Madison County Fallen Officers Memorial Fund during an annual charity hockey game at the East Alton Ice Arena.
Firefighters and police officers played in the Metro East First Responders Hockey Club’s Guns and Hoses competition, an event organizer Zach Dellamano, a Troy police officer, said combines a shared interest in hockey with fundraising.
“We all like to get together and play hockey. So if we like to get together and play hockey, we might as well raise some money for good causes,” Dellamano said. “Not only is it a blast, but then we get to reward the community as well.”
The club hosts the game every year, though the beneficiary changes. In past years, the group has donated to individual first responders and their families who are in need, as well as causes such as the Madison County Fallen Officers Memorial Fund.
The money raised Saturday went to the Madison County Fallen Officers Memorial Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The fund emphasized the importance of honoring law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice and said its mission is to create a lasting legacy of remembrance without government assistance.
The ice arena was packed for the game.
