Emergency services charity ball surpasses previous year in fundraising

The totals have been tallied and the figures counted. The Humboldt Emergency Services charity ball raised just over $10,000.

“We had a sellout crowd, which was really nice to see,” said Mike Kwasnica, fire chief of the Humboldt Fire Department. “We sold more (tickets) than we had in previous years and we had a good turnout from the EMS and RCMP. It was really nice to have everyone together.”

Staff Sergeant Phil Wilson of the RCMP echoed Kwasnica’s statements:

“I think it was a good turnout and everyone had a good time,” he said. “Normally we have people on shift and then we cut down, but we got people to cover and brought people in from other areas. (Attendance) can be a problem for us, but we do the best we can.”

The RCMP isn’t the only organization that has to find workers from other areas to cover its shifts. The Humboldt Emergency Medical Services (EMS) struggle with the same difficulty, but still managed to make it out to the event.

“It was a good time had by all and it was well attended,” said Dave Mortensen, ICP/supervisor for the Humboldt EMS. Mortensen is also one of the members of the Humboldt Emergency Services board that organizes this event. “The amount we raised was higher than last year by about $500. We’re looking forward to next year.”

After divvying up the funds, the RCMP and the fire department said they’ll be donating a portion of their funds to the elementary school playground for new equipment. The RCMP will some of the leftover funds towards the safety patrol program and the fire department will be putting the rest towards their equipment fund. The Humboldt EMS will be donating their entire share to the playground.