Despite the heavy rains that fell over Westlock and area late last week and into the weekend, the third annual Ride for STARS fundraiser carried on its tradition, albeit with smaller numbers.
While in the past the ride drew close to 50 riders, this year only 17 came out to ride through the northwestern Alberta countryside to raise money for the air ambulance service, said organizer Ted Brooks.
However, the weather did not stop people from donating to the cause, he said.
“Lots of people actually showed up and submitted their pledge forms and so on, but didn’t go riding,” he said.
In terms of how much the ride raised for STARS this year, he said they’re still counting the donations, and will not know the final tally until later this week. Over the past two years, he said the ride has raised more than $30,000 in total for the service.
Not only did the weather have an impact on the number of riders, Brooks said, it also resulted in the route being changed.
In the Whitecourt and Swan Hills area, some stretches of highway were closed because of flooding, which necessitated a change in the route, and held up several riders for some time, he said.
Regardless of the weather, Brooks said all those who actually came out had a good time.
“All in all, those of us who did go for a ride had a great day,” he said.
As they rode west out of Westlock, Brooks said the group ended up riding right out of the storm and into some nice weather in the Mayerthorpe and Whitecourt areas.
Those riders who came out did so for different reasons, including wanting to support a service that has assisted loved ones in the past.
For Rob Kroetsch, this was the second time he had participated in the Ride of STARS, after having missed the first ride two years ago.
He said he wanted to take part because his aunt had been flown to hospital in a STARS helicopter last year, and it would be a good cause to support because it’s so close to home.
Brooks said he’s already looking forward to next year, and hoping it will be a warm, sunny day that will draw out a lot of people.
The event is a good local event for Westlock, he said, and he’s quite happy with the community response.
Krista Cloutier, a flight nurse with STARS, said the organization appreciates all the help it gets from communities around the province in the 25 years since they opened their first base in Calgary.
She also said there are plans in the works to expand the service east, into Saskatchewan and Manitoba in the coming years.
The first base is slated for Regina in the spring of 2012, she said, followed by Saskatoon in the fall. A base is also planned for Winnipeg, but the specific timeline for that location is still a work in progress, she said.
