By FireRescue1 Staff
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Organizers of the annual charity boxing event Guns ‘N Hoses donated a record-breaking check for $700,000 to The Backstoppers, Inc. during a ceremony at the Scottrade Center Tuesday.
The Backstoppers financially supports the families of fallen first responders who have died in the line of duty. This year’s donation brings the total amount that the event has raised to about $6.8 million, according to organizers.
This is the second consecutive year that the event, a Thanksgiving Eve tradition in St. Louis, has set a record donation. In November 2016, the 30th annual event raised $653,000.
Organizers estimated that more than 18,000 people attended this year’s event — also a record — which pits firefighters against police officers in the ring.
For the fourth year in a row, the blue team defeated the red team, 10 to 6, and there was professional fighting at the event for the first time.
St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson and St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger attended the press conference along with St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden, St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson and St. Louis County Police Lt. Col. Kenneth Cox.
Newly appointed Backstoppers board member Elizabeth Snyder also attended the check presentation. Her husband, St. Louis County Officer Blake Snyder, was killed in the line of duty in October 2016.