Worcester police, firefighters face off in inaugural baseball classic honoring Officer Manny Familia
WORCESTER – It was a face-off of first responders at Polar Park on Monday evening as Worcester police officers and firefighters competed in an inaugural event honoring fallen Officer Manny Familia.
All proceeds from the event went to the Manny 267 Foundation, with a mission to provide flotation devices to police officers and teach kids how to swim.
Familia, a Worcester police officer, drowned last summer trying to rescue a teenager from a pond.
"This is just another testament of everyone coming together and just being supportive and just having our backs, and it's amazing to see," Officer Familia's brother Eric said at the game.
The game also honored fallen members of the Worcester Fire Department including the Worcester Six, and three other firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty in recent years.
"It makes me feel very honored to be able to represent him with all these people to really just show who he was and how caring and relaxed he was," said Ava Roy, who lost her father, Firefighter Christopher Roy in 2018.