Fire and police go head-to-head for charity
Published 7:27 pm Saturday, December 22, 2007
By Amy Moore
The News staff writer
They may not be young bucks anymore, but they sure were hustling.
It was the battle of Fire versus Five-0 Saturday as Port Arthur’s finest competed in the name of charity.
Police officers faced off with fire fighters at the James Gable Auditorium at Memorial’s Ninth Grade Center to raise money for Cody Schroeder, a Beaumont fire fighter who was injured Monday in a house fire.
Schroeder received burns to 40 percent of his body while putting out the flames billowing out of a house at 2180 Neches in Beaumont.
“Cody needs all the help he can get, he’s a good guy,” basketball game organizer Tomie Gipson said.
Gipson understands the hardships associated with being injured in the line of duty. The Port Arthur police officer was shot in the leg in April by a gunman who lead police on a chase through Nederland and Port Arthur.
“I went to businesses, law firms, credit unions, convenient stores and asked them to make donations,” he said. “We’ll take every thing we get and bring it to his wife to help with expenses.”
This is the second year that the two teams of heroes have battled on the court for charity. Last year the men played to benefit Blue Santa, the police department’s charity organization.