The Waterford Regional Fire Department will be holding a video game tournament inside a fire station next month in hopes of engaging the community in its fundraising efforts for the Great Lakes Burn Camp.
Each year, the department raises thousands of dollars for the Mattawan-based camp, which offers child survivors of severe burn injuries a safe summer camp environment to play and heal in. Traditionally, the fundraisers have been either charity basketball or hockey games. Michael Lemons, firefighter and paramedic engineer, organized the first video game tournament last year in an attempt to break the mold and bring in a younger audience.
“I wanted to get the community involved. Instead of you watching us, instead of me pretending I’m Wayne Gretzky, we want you to come out and play with us to raise this money,” Lemons said. “We’re just looking to help put some kids into this camp.”