Community leaders raise more than $240,000 for STARS

Edmonton, AB, March 28, 2022 — Four Edmonton business and community leaders raised more than $240,000 at the inaugural Rescue on the River fundraising event for STARS, held on March 24.

This year’s brave participants were David Leeworthy, Director, First Truck; Sine Chadi, CEO – Imperial Equities Inc.; Shane Chrapko, Owner – Birds & Bees Distillery; Danielle Woo, General Manager – West Edmonton Mall.

Rescue participants were airlifted by helicopter to a remote location outside of Edmonton Thursday morning. To secure their ‘rescue’ and return to civilization, they needed to raise at least $50,000 each using their mobile phones and personal networks. The public was encouraged to support the participants by donating online.

“Participating in the STARS Rescue on the River Challenge was absolutely one of the best experiences of my life,” said Woo. “Having my own personal connection to STARS, it was such an honour to be able to see the STARS team in action and be part of this event.”

“It was an incredible hands-on experience spending the day with world-class emergency medical personnel,” agreed Leeworthy. “It was an honour to participate in the event and take an active role in generating support for a much-needed medical service.”

The opportunity to learn more about STARS’ operations enabled the participants to gain a deeper appreciation for the organization and its importance to the safety and well-being of communities across Western Canada.

“STARS was built by the community for the community, and this amazing event certainly demonstrated that,” said Terri Strunk, Chief Fundraising and Brand Officer, STARS. “A heartfelt thank you to the people of Alberta for their incredibly generous support.”

For more information contact: Deborah Tetley, STARS | mediainfo@stars.ca | rescueontheriver.ca

ABOUT STARS

Simply put, STARS fights for life. Since we embarked on our first mission in 1985, we’ve been driven by the goal of providing people the vital care they need when they need it the most. Whether it’s offering hands-on training to rural medical providers or providing rapid, emergency medical transportation for the critically ill and injured, we operate 24/7 from bases in Calgary, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Regina, Saskatoon and Winnipeg, anticipating and acting when people need our help. Learn more at stars.ca.