The Campbell River Search and Rescue crew wants to expand their hall, but need help to do it.
CRSAR is appealing to donors both locally and throughout the province to help raise the $200,000 necessary for their hall expansion renovation.
“Unfortunately the grant funding for this project was received at the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic and we have encountered numerous incredible hurdles that were not anticipated during the project planning phase” said CRSAR President Tonya Crawford “This has resulted in a renovation project that is only three quarters completed and no funding left to finish the rest of the plan. This is not our traditional way of soliciting donations, however with a half-finished project, and the winter months slowly creeping up leaving the unfinished renovation exposed, we find ourselves in a desperate state to try and bring this project to fruition.”
Campbell River SAR has one of the largest response areas in the province, covering from the Oyster River to Port Hardy, and Bute Inlet to Nootka Island. In addition to covering that 35,000 square kilometre area, the crew also assists other SAR groups on the Island. The B.C. SAR system is set up so all groups can provide mutual aid to any other group in B.C. CRSAR has traveled as far north as Terrace and Haida Gwaii and numerous times to the lower mainland to assist other search groups.
The crew’s goals are to add another vehicle bay to help store additional response equipment that is currently stored outside, to upgrade the HVAC system to decrease costs and provide better cooling through the summer, and to build an accessible washroom in their public training room.
“Every little bit would go a long way” said Crawford. “Each year our team puts in thousands of more volunteer hours so others may live, and this hall expansion renovation is crucial towards helping us to continue to achieve this level of service.”
Visit www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/25211 to donate, or contact Crawford at tonya.crawford@crsar.ca.
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marc.kitteringham@campbellrivermirror.com
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