FINDLAY, Ohio — At the Cube Ice Arena in Findlay, northwest Ohio came together to honor a fallen hero.
Members of the Toledo Police Hockey team faced off against Wood County's police team, all in an effort to raise money for fallen officer Dom Francis' family.
"Every dollar we can raise for the Francis family, that's what we want to do, but we also want to support a small Ohio community that has just suffered a tremendous loss," the First Responder Face-off Foundation's director, Don Zender, said. "Hopefully, with today's event, we can bring a sense of hope and healing to the folks of Bluffton. That's what we want to do."
The foundation is a group that organizes charity hockey games for fallen police officers. Zender says the turnout is a reflection of a community ready to get out and show support.
"Obviously after [Officer Anthony] Dia and [Officer Brandon] Stalker, we wanted to do games, but with COVID, arenas were closed," Zender said. "We couldn't host fans."
This time fans are here, and helping with the event is the local Fraternal Order of Police.
They say the event is about enjoying hockey and also helping a family without a father.
"I'm hoping the community gets the sense that we are all family. You hear about the thin blue line that surrounds law enforcement. That's what we are," Findlay Fraternal Order of Police Development Director Teresa White said. "In a sense like this, Officer Francis gave his life for his community, so for his family to see the community step out and support them just means the world."
A community came together to remember Dom Francis as a hero and heroes are not forgotten.
If you want to find out more information about the First Responder Face-Off Foundation, visit FirstResponderFaceOff.com.