The second annual STARS Rescue on the Prairie managed to surpass the lofty expectations that Tina Bird had for the event.
Bird, who resides just outside of Estevan and works as a safety advisor at AECOM, was one of five community leaders who participated in the fundraiser on Sept. 15. The quintet was flown by a STARS helicopter from the STARS base in Saskatoon to a remote field near St. Denis, and each person was assigned the task of raising $50,000 before everyone could return to civilization.
Not only did they phone their family, friends and colleagues, looking for donations so they could escape the field, but they participated in challenges that helped boost their fundraising totals.
“There were lots of great people and great experiences, and things you normally wouldn’t get to do during the day,” Bird said in an interview with Lifestyles.
The final totals were still being tallied early this week, but Bird raised an estimated $72,000 for STARS. And she had 227 donors, which was the most of any participants.
Bird had reached her $50,000 goal before the fundraiser. She was relieved when she cleared the mark.
“I knew I had reached the goal,” said Bird. “Then I set the goal for $60,000, and I reached that while we were out in the field. And then I just kept going.
“I had people send me screenshots of my fundraising page, telling me ‘You’ve made it. Congratulations.’ And I said ‘I’m not stopping now. I have to keep going.’”
Thanks to the number of donors, Bird was awarded a model STARS helicopter. She was the only one to receive the model, and the presentation came as a surprise to her.
“It wasn’t based on the most funds raised,” said Bird. “It was based on effort … and fundraisers.”
Rescue on the Prairie started with a readiness challenge, in which the participants put on their flight suits and helmets, picked up some gear and strapped themselves into the helicopter.
When they landed, they did a fundraising challenge, in which they had 30 minutes to see who could raise the most money. Denise Kendrick, a development officer with the STARS Foundation and organizer for Rescue on the Prairie, noted they raised about $50,000 in that 30-minute span.
Then there were medical challenges, in which they did some of the things the air medical crew does on a daily basis. Mannequins, chicken bones and chicken breasts were used for the tests.
“One of them was called an infusion, where you actually have to drill into the bone and put an IV into the bone and push the fluids through,” said Bird. “That’s what they use when a patient is too dehydrated and they can’t get a line in. They go right for the bone.”
Each participant had a partner who helped them with the medical challenges.
“It was interesting to learn the medical stuff, because basically what they did was the flight nurses showed us once how to do each of the procedures, and then you were ranked on your style, speed and skill,” said Bird.
Bird did win one challenge: a western-theme test that involved roping a plastic cow’s head.
Kendrick said this year’s event raised more than $516,000, which surpassed last year’s total of $440,000. She didn’t expect they would top last year.
“I thought we had an amazing year last year with amazing participants,” said Kendrick. “I just thought with the economy not as good as it was last year, maybe we wouldn’t do as well, but these guys were amazing. They were the fantastic five.”
Ron Carson, who also works at AECOM and who founded Carson Welding and Maintenance, accounted for more than $200,000 when he participated last year. Kendrick noted it was Carson who recommended Bird to STARS for this year’s event, and he cited her work ethic and determination as reasons why Bird would thrive.
“Tina really worked to get that money,” said Kendrick.
Rescue on the Prairie is a vital event because STARS has to raise more than $10.5 million of their $22 million operating cost in Saskatchewan. When an event generates more than half a million dollars in revenues, it makes their job easier.
Bird said she knew the people of southeast Saskatchewan would help her out with her fundraising efforts. And she hopes that STARS will turn to another person from this region to participate in Rescue on the Prairie next year.
“It’s a very worthwhile cause, and we definitely need to keep this service in Saskatchewan,” said Bird.
