We’ve not had the online store operating for long – just five weeks! – but we’ve been blessed to have some great support from the outdoors community. So today, we’d like to share a little bit about the first organizations we’re supporting – two in the United States and two in Canada. As we’ve said all along, our goal is to work with good organizations on both sides of our shared border, so we’re pleased to let you know about these nonprofits.
For this first year, we decided to focus on Search And Rescue (SAR) groups, given the interests of our customers and supporters. Next year, we’ll be supporting numerous types of organizations and likely some first responder educational groups/students as well. So without further ado, here they are, in alphabetical order:
Bay Area Mountain Rescue
While this wilderness SAR group is based in Palo Alto, California, it works all over the Golden State state – and from the coastline up to high altitude locations. Given the horrific wildfires and weather events that California experienced this year, BAMU and other first responders have had their work cut out for them. This busy group comes highly recommended by wilderness first responder trainers, too, and we’re happy to lend them a hand given how much they’ve done for California residents and visitors.
Sauvetage Bénévole Outaouais – Ottawa Volunteer Search and Rescue
This nonprofit supports SAR operations in eastern Ontario and western Quebec. Because ground search and rescue activities in Canada are the responsibility of the local police force, this group’s 130+ members assist whenever they are called upon by law enforcement agencies. In addition to providing a variety of SAR functions, the group also offers a course in Basic Search and Rescue for prospective members so they can take exams offered by Ontario, Quebec and the Emergency Response Institute. We’re pleased to help this great organization.
Search and Rescue Alberta
Based in Edmonton, this nonprofit organization works with SAR groups and personnel throughout Alberta. In fact, SAR Alberta provides over $2.5 million annually in infrastructure support functions throughout the entire province, which is much larger and more geographically diverse than most people generally realize. This support is provided by some 1,200 unpaid volunteer professionals working as part of 38 teams. Alberta has suffered some horrific wildfires in the past several years, too, so we’re pleased to contribute.
