IT’S HARD TO BE A VOLUNTEER

With Covid-19; Pictou County Volunteer Ground Search And Rescue like many non-profit volunteer entities has had difficulty in raising money.

We have a spring fundraising campaign, for ‘Lobster and Lotto Tickets’ and we are selling tickets. The high point of the campaign was to be a weekend event at our local Wal Mart; with our team vehicles there, with members selling tickets, and also maybe recruiting some new members.

On Friday evening, April 23, 2021 we were called out by the RCMP to take part in a search for a missing person in Pictou County. Twenty-one of our members responded and we searched throughout the night. We were supported in this by the Alma Fire Department Drone Team, and Colchester Ground Search And Rescue team. The following morning Saturday, we handed over the search to East Hants Ground Search And Rescue and Strait Area Ground Search And Rescue. This is normal protocol for a search, with a team running for one operational period of about 12 hours, and then being relieved by one or more other provincial teams. Before all of our members had left the Search Base; the report came in that the lost person had been found alive and safe. This is wonderful for the family…that the lost person is home and safe. This is the goal for all 23 GSAR teams in Nova Scotia.

You will note that the Alma Fire Department Drone Team took part in the search operations. It is also normal at a search to have support from numerous local and provincial agencies. Not all of them paid, but like us volunteers. The fire departments in Pictou County have always supported us and we appreciate it very much…Alma Fire Dept has provided us with a meeting location for decades! It was great to also have them take part in this search operationally. Other local support for this search came from Trenton Rink allowing us to set up our search base in their parking lot and the use their facilities as well as a second base at Glen Lovat Golf Club. Pictou County works well together.

Unfortunately, our participation in the search meant that we could not do our planned fundraiser on Saturday, April 24.

No problem! When a call for a search comes in…we respond…period!

So, obviously tired Saturday night, we continued with our plans for the second day of our fundraising campaign on Sunday, April 25. However, we soon realized that with the dramatic increase in numbers for COVID-19 in our province, that we could not in good conscious, with care and concern for our members, and the general public hold such an event. So, we cancelled it.

This decision means that we will be lucky to break even on the event, as the patrons of Wal Mart and the people of Pictou County have always supported us at these events, and we were depending on that event to be a success for our Spring fundraiser.

No problem! We will continue to struggle to raise funds, but you should know that there will continue to be a GSAR team in Pictou County. This is our 25th anniversary of operations! We need support, not only financially but with the involvement of more good people who wish to help.

No regrets when you do the right things for the right reasons.

But, it’s hard to be a volunteer!

Charlie Strickland Search Director Pictou County Volunteer Ground Search And Rescue