The Roanoker - May/June 2014 - 39

A GA

ME F

thought it would be fun to have a match between the two groups. It was in the fourth
year that, without any pro hockey team in
town, police officers and firefighters began
playing on the ice themselves.
Hostetter's work begins in August, when
he starts planning the large fundraising
event. With a budget of $5,700 (for things
like t-shirts, pucks, cups, and renting the
ice), he also relies on sponsorships from
local businesses. Every penny they raise is
able to go to the MDA thanks to the sponsors paying for operational costs.
Law enforcement and firefighters of
Roanoke Valley come together each year
in hopes of claiming victory. Hostetter no
longer has to ask anyone to play. In fact,
there's a waiting list of men clamoring to
get on the ice for a good cause.

OR A

CAU

Hostetter is a paramedic, firefighter,
and field training educator. He's been a
preceptor/mentor for 15 years, passing his
knowledge on thanks to in-house paramedic programs at Jefferson College of
Health Sciences and American National
University.
Hostetter began volunteering when he
was just 16 years old. He liked it so much
he knew right then he wanted to make it
his career.
"I love helping people. When someone's
having a bad day and you can help them
through it or at least turn it around a bit,
that's pretty rewarding," Hostetter says.
In his free time - when he's not heading
up the Guns and Hoses event, that is - he
spends time with his wife and daughter.
They enjoy water skiing in the summer,
and he spends most of his time helping his
daughter with her band activities. He's the
"Band Boosters Director of Operations" (a
title more often known as "transportation")
and travels to her competitions.
THE

R OANOKER.COM

KATIE LARRINGTON

Hostetter began volunteering when he was just 16 years
old. He liked it so much he
knew right then he wanted
to make it his career.

Guns 'n' Hoses: A Growing Tradition
In 2004, Gary Hostetter had an idea: Buy game jerseys for Roanoke
Express hockey players and then auction them off right after the
game, to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
The result? Some 1,500 more people in attendance than average on a Sunday and raising $6,500. And the beginnings of a tradition
now about to enter its 12th year.
The growth has been steady:
* With Express gone the second year, they
moved the location to the Ice Station, bringing in 600 people.
* In its third year, Hostetter bought and
raised money for jerseys with the pro hockey
Vipers. Auctioning the items brought in 1,500

more people than average, with $6,500 raised.
* After the fourth year, when police and
firemen began playing, attendance and donations rose.
* By the 10th year, the event brought in
6,400 people with $28,000 raised for MDA.
* In 2013 (the 11th year), they had nearly
7,000 people; $33,500 went to MDA.
All in all, some 40,000 people have attended the games with $170,150 raised for
MDA. -LL
MAY/JUNE 2014

http://www.THEROANOKER.COM

The Roanoker - May/June 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Roanoker - May/June 2014