ST. LOUIS - We're only a month away from the annual Backstopper’s Guns N' Hoses event. The boxing match pits police officers against firefighters to raise money for the families of fallen first responders.
One of the families still being helped today is the Ballman's. Tom Ballman was one of the officers killed in the Kirkwood City Hall shooting in 2008. Nine years have passed and the voice on the Ballman's answering machine is still Tom's. His widow Cindy, will play it every once and a while just to hear his voice.
Cindy recalls the night her husband Tom was killed, he was one of five who lost their life that night in February.
"It wasn't until I heard other people crying that the shock set in. That it wasn't just my husband. There were four other people who had lost a spouse that night and there were dozens of others who had lost a part of their own humanity in witnessing that scene and I think about those people every day," she said through tears.
It was Cindy's new reality. Her husband was gone and her children, only three and five years old at the time, needed their mom.
"So, it was a Thursday night when the Kirkwood City Hall shooting happened. The next morning, amidst the buzz of family and friends coming here, there was Ron," smiled Cindy.
She went on, "A couple of the board members telling me here's a check for $5,000 to take care of any immediate needs that we had."
Backstoppers has been by Cindy’s side ever since.
"If we could bring them back, we would. But unfortunately, we can't," Ron Battelle, the Executive Director of Backstoppers, said.
Battelle explained, "We've assisted 160 families since 1959. We're currently taking care of 82, which includes 66 kids. Last year, we paid out over $3 million in benefits to the families. We absolutely could not do this without the support of the community."
"The fact that Backstoppers even has to exist is sad. But it’s amazing at the same time," Cindy said.
Last year’s Guns N’ Hoses event raised a record breaking $650,000. Organizers hope to beat that number at this year’s event, which will be the night before Thanksgiving.
You can also support Backstoppers year-round by becoming a member. Membership dues raised $600,000 in 2016. Click here to learn more.
