Sara Stadem | Editor
After the uncertainty of what the COVID-19 pandemic would do for their annual fundraiser, the Humboldt Fire and Ambulance (HFA) decided to change things up this year while raising money for their new ambulance.
In previous years, their annual fundraiser included prize drawings and dinner, according to HFA volunteer Susan Shumaker. However, this year, they decided to bypass the dinner for safety reasons with COVID-19 and have the fundraiser as a cash drawing.
The focus of the fundraiser this year was for a new ambulance, according to Fire Chief Tim Even, as the last one they received was back in 2014.
“We like to stay fairly current with our ambulances. It gets fairly spending to do so but we like to stay current and trade them when they still have some value to them to help save that way,” Chief Even said. He further explained they will look to sell their former ambulance to someone looking to purchase a used ambulance.
Shumaker explained tickets for the fundraiser were sold for $100 per ticket and there was a count of 603 tickets sold. She further explained that not everyone that gave to the cause actually purchased a ticket. “Some community members didn’t buy a ticket, they just gave a donation and we got a lot of those as well,” Shumaker said.
The drawing for the fundraiser took place on April 18 and the winners of the cash prizes were:
$1,000 – Steve and Cindy Becker
$2,000 – Tim and Karma Kelly
$5,000 – Bonne Spisak
According to Schumaker, although they didn’t raise money to cover the entire cost of the ambulance, they were able to raise funds for a large part of it. “We were able to raise a lot which really helps out. We have a lot of other costs as well that we take into consideration so it’s very appreciated when people give and donate,” Shumaker said.
The HFA received their new ambulance on Monday, April 26. This ambulance includes a power load cot system which Chief Even explained they are very excited about for several reasons. Chief Even explained the power load cot system loads the patient from the ground to the ambulance. First and foremost, this is for the safety of their patients and second, there is less chance for an EMT to get a back injury while loading patients in and out of an ambulance.
If it wasn’t for the support of the community, Chief Even explained, HFA wouldn’t have their new ambulance. “The community support since we have started back in about 1965 has always been great. This year has been a little different compared to past years,” Chief Even said. He continued, “We didn’t have our traditional supper because of COVID, we just did our cash raffle and we had tremendous support from our community and businesses. We had businesses giving to our fundraisers as well, not just community members.”
Chief Even recalls speaking to the county commission back in March when discussing the need for the new ambulance, the fact that the Humboldt community saw a need for an ambulance service back in the day. He explained it takes a great community to be able to decide an ambulance service is needed and start it from scratch and that’s just what the community did.
“I want to thank the volunteers. Volunteers of the department is what makes HFA a go. We have a dedicated group of volunteers that is ready to go on call no matter when, day or night,” Chief Even said. He continued, “And I do think that’s why the community supports us the way they do. They know they aren’t just buying an ambulance; they aren’t just buying equipment; they are supporting the volunteers that are putting in time away from their families to support their community.”
“We want to thank everyone for the support. We have support from the townships of Humboldt and Hartford, the municipalities, and the community and businesses, and Minnehaha county as well,” Chief Even said. He continued, “It was up in the air. We didn’t know what to do. We thought we would lose half the crowd if we did it like we did in the past with COVID and we had overwhelming support. It was amazing to see the support we had still despite everything and you see how many people support you when things like this are going on. It’s amazing.”