By Chris OrletRecord Managing EditorThough final numbers are not yet in, organizers of the fourth annual BackStoppers Dinner, Dance and Auction say they raised between $55,000-$60,000, according to Jeff Backhaus, event chairman and fire chief of the Marthasville Volunteer Fire Department.“The response continues to be amazing,” Backhaus said. “We couldn’t ask for anything better.”“It’s amazing how well the community supports the Warren County BackStoppers, more and more each year,” said Frank Stuermann, who is a member of the committee which organizes the annual event.“Maybe more people are learning about it every year,” he added.The event, held Saturday, Feb. 15, at the St. Ignatius Community Center in Concord Hill, was a sell-out.Money raised by the event is still being collected, but Stuermann said enough money was raised to make a $60,000 donation to the St. Louis BackStoppers organization and to fund expenses associated with next year’s event.On behalf of the Warren County BackStoppers, Backhaus expressed appreciation to the individuals and businesses who donated items which were sold during the silent and oral auctions, and to the people who participated in the auctions and the event itself.Throughout the four-year history of the event, organized by the Warren County BackStoppers, donations have increased each year, according to Backhaus.The first year, a donation of $30,000 was made. The following year, the event raised enough for a $40,000 contribution to the St. Louis BackStoppers. Last year $50,000 was raised.“If we could maintain this level of giving that would be outstanding,” Backhaus said.The St. Louis BackStoppers distributes the funds to assist families of first responders — firefighters, law enforcement officers or ambulance personnel — who are killed in the line of duty.Stuermann noted that 85 percent of the donations made to BackStoppers are used to benefit surviving spouses and children of deceased first responders.Currently, there are three families in Warren County receiving assistance from the St. Louis BackStoppers.All three individuals who died in the performance of their duties were law enforcement officers.BackStoppers serves the city of St. Louis and 11 Missouri counties, including Warren, Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, Perry, Pike, St. Charles, St. Francois, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve and Washington.The organization also serves five counties in Illinois, including Bond, Clinton, Madison, Monroe and St. Clair.BackStoppers event achieves goals