In addition to individual and corporate donations, Arrowsmith Search and Rescue (ASAR) has regularly been the grateful recipient of ‘tribute gifts’ – donations made by family and friends to honour or celebrate loved ones.
In recent months, ASAR has received two such tribute gifts; one to honour and celebrate the life of a dear husband; and one to celebrate the birthday of an avid local hiker.
In the celebration of a dear husband, Kurt Hans Sterlinger’s wife, Shirley, donated a total of $1,500.
Upon his passing in December 2020, his friends and family celebrated this “larger than life man” by supporting organizations he loved, including the donation of more than $500 to ASAR. Shirley added an additional $1,000.
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More recently, a woman created a tribute gift through a Facebook birthday fundraiser. This avid hiker was walking along a narrow trail along Nile Creek when the ground gave way, causing her to tumble down a steep embankment.
ASAR found and rescued her, hoisting her in a stretcher to a helicopter for transport to BC Ambulance Service. Happily, she is recovering well and, in May, her family and friends celebrated her birthday by donating $1,745 to ASAR through her Facebook fundraiser. Friends added another $100, and the woman herself matched the donations, totalling $3,590 as a tribute gift.
Tribute gifts are particularly special as they are donated in the name of a loved one who has an interest in the organization, or who has benefited from its services. Those gifts are carried with the organization as they continue their lifesaving mission in the Parksville Qualicum Beach and Arrowsmith area.
For information on how to support ASAR through the donation of tribute gifts, they can be reached by email at asar.donations@gmail.com, or at www.arrowsmithsar.ca.
— NEWS Staff, submitted