DeKalb charity game, toy drive to benefit children in need

DeKALB – The rivalry that’s become the Guns and Hoses versus DeKalb School District 428 employees, featuring police officers, firefighters, district faculty and staff, will meet once again on the hardwood for a good cause.

Huntley Middle School, 1515 S. Fourth St., DeKalb, will host the annual charity basketball game between the two teams.

The game will tip off at 7 p.m. Dec. 2 in the middle school gymnasium. Doors open to the public at 6 p.m.

Ray Hernandez, team captain for Guns and Hoses and a DeKalb police sergeant, said his end goal is simple.

“We hope to drum up some friendly competition but also a great deal of support from the community,” Hernandez said. “Basically, we want to get people excited about giving. The season itself is not all about gifts, but it is about giving and also helping those in need and also giving to those that are less fortunate than ourselves. So, we’re hoping to get good community support, good community outreach and be able to elicit a lot of support for less fortunate children in our community.”

The cost of admission is $5 or one new, unwrapped toy. And new this year are even more ways for people to support the cause, Hernandez said. World Famous Pizza in DeKalb will sell pizza by the slice. Any proceeds from sales will go to support the DeKalb County Marines toy drive.

Hernandez said spectators are urged to make a donation to support the cause, whether it be a toy or monetary donation.

“It’s a good opportunity for parents to get children involved,” Hernandez said. “I know me myself, my kids take great pride in going to the toy store, selecting a toy. They feel good about depositing that toy into those toy boxes prior to entering the gym.”

Hernandez said he hopes everyone who attends the charity basketball game has a good time.

DeKalb police and fire were victorious in last year’s charity basketball game against school district employees.

The annual Guns and Hoses charity basketball game got its start in 2015 as an exhibition between first responders from DeKalb County and DeKalb School District 428 faculty and staff, Hernandez said.

For him, supporting the event has long meant a great deal, he said. He first began overseeing the event planning in 2021.

“Basketball is near and dear to me,” Hernandez said. “I still play frequently as an adult as a hobby. Whenever I can couple my passion with my profession, that’s something that is extremely meaningful and heartfelt to me. Seeing not only people that I work with on a regular basis that I’m very close to come together for a charitable cause, for a community event encouraging others to partake in the good spirited nature of this event, that, to me, kind of culminates in a very magical moment of the season in which everything comes together for one specific and one special purpose.”

Hernandez said while the night’s mission is to help others, there’s no denying a fun rivalry has formed.

“It takes on somewhat of a competitive tone and feel in some of the years past, but at the end of the day, we always take the time to remind everyone that the real ‘W’ comes in the form of community outreach and support for the less fortunate, and to me, that’s everything,” he said.

Hernandez gave kudos to school district staff, including Principal Treveda Shah and Andrew Sperry, who helped make the event a reality.

“I will judge it based off of how many people show up, how full the gym is, also how many boxes that we fill up with new unwrapped toys and how much cash we’re able to raise towards this cause,” Hernandez said. “I want to reiterate that we know that the season isn’t all about gift giving, but we have in the years past seen a decent or respectable turnout. ... We definitely want to pack the house and pack those boxes. You know, tenfold.”