Police, Firefighters to Play Hockey to Support Paint Chelsea Pink

Firefighters from the Chelsea Area Fire Authority (CAFA) will shed their uniforms for jerseys to play against the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office in the first "Guns vs. Hoses” charity hockey game Sept.8 at the Arctic Coliseum. 

"I’ve played hockey all my life, and a lot of us play together in adult leagues," said Chelsea firefighter A.J. Ellwein. "We all have played together before, and most of the cops have played together before."

All of the money raised from the hockey game will fund the Paint Chelsea Pink event on Sept. 29, when the fire authority and Chelsea businesses will team up to support Susan G. Komen Mid-Michigan.

"No one makes a dime or dollar on this," CAFA Lt. Scott Basar said. "The money we get goes toward the foundation."

Chris Pearson, executive director of Susan G. Komen Mid-Michigan, said this is the first time the nonprofit is working with CAFA for a large scale fundraiser.

Proceeds will benefit education programs, free mammograms, support services and wellness retreats for breast cancer survivors and diagnostic services for people with no insurance.

Basar said the hockey game will feature six players from Chelsea and the rest from Washtenaw County.

Ellwein said it's hard to predict which team will walk away victors, though there is already some friendly competition going on between the two departments.

"We're not too worried about who’s rooting for who," he said. "Whoever wins and whoever loses, the real winners are the foundation that's getting the money."

The puck drops at 5 p.m. Sept. 8 at the Arctic Coliseum. Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for children ages 3 through 12 and free for children 4 years old and under.

Paint Chelsea Pink takes place on Sept. 29 and features a day-long event of shopping and visiting stores and restaurants along Main Street.

Customers can purchase $25 passports online, which are cards that can be punched at any of the 95 participating businesses that are visited that day to qualify for entering the evening raffle, Basar said.

"We’ll be selling passports, teddy bears and T-shirts," Basar said about the event.

Teddy bears from the Chelsea Teddy Bear Company will be sold to help pay for the costs of Paint Chelsea Pink, he said.

For more information, visit www.paintchelseapink.org/