GRANVILLE, Ohio — The puck for the annual Columbus Police and Fire hockey game drops Saturday night at the Schottenstein Center. The annual match-up is competitive, but also charitable.
The Hockey Helping Heroes First Responders Face-Off Foundation raises money for scholarships to give to families of medically retired first responders. It also provides financial assistance to children and spouses of a first responder killed in the line of duty.
Gavin Smith is a seventh-grader from Granville Middle School who started playing hockey a year ago. He designed a hockey stick for a classroom project with images and quotes from his father, a medically retired Lieutenant from the Basil Joint Fire District.
“I couldn't be more proud of who he's become as a student [and] as a young man,” said Tim Smith, Gavin’s father. “And just all the advocating he does and taking a scary, bad situation and turning it into something good.”
“We've pushed through a tough time,” said Gavin. “I think it's made us better. And he made us understand that this isn't really a curse, but more of an uplifting thing to push us and make us better as a human.”
Tim Smith was diagnosed with stage 4 nonsmall lung cancer, also known as ALK Positive.
“It was definitely shocking. One of those you know, you don't think it could be you. And when we found out the reality of it, we knew we would make the best of it as a family,” said Smith.
When the Ohio State Men’s Hockey team learned of Gavin’s story, they invited him, his brother and his dad out to practice. Hockey Helping Heroes lined the Smiths up with a custom stick, and Gavin was able to design a new twig for the charity hockey game, which will be raffled off.
The raffle and stick will benefit the non-profit ALK Positive. Gavin Smith wants the winner to know it is much more than a stick. “It’s a story.”