When Killarney resident, Al Babiuk, started planning for the STARS Air Ambulance fundraiser that was also to raise funds for the local Tri-Lake Health Centre to purchase a ventilator, he shared that he didn’t really have a solid goal, more of a soft goal to raise $50,000.
Babiuk’s infectious enthusiasm got the community, business leaders and organizations involved in the fundraise and the date was set for early October.
When Al was suddenly involved in a vehicle collision that took his life in mid-September the entire community was in shock.
The Fire Department had partnered with the Killarney Foundation and multiple organizations were involved, but in conversation with Al’s wife, Cindy, she assured them that Al would want the event to continue.
The event was renamed, The Al Babiuk Memorial Fundraiser for STARS and the Tri-Lake Hospital.
Hundreds of people from across Manitoba came together at the Killarney Fire Hall on Thursday evening to pay their respects to Al, and to support something he was so very passionate about; STARS and his community.
“Before we even had the event, we'd almost reached that goal of $50,000,” shares Killarney Fire Chief, Troy Cuvelier. “It was so close and then Al's wife Cindy and the family decided that they were going to donate Al’s jet ski.
“And then all the donations of the people who have walked in today,” adds Cuvelier. “One guy comes up to me and says, ‘I’ve got a $5000 donation, where do I bring it?’ But whether it’s a thousand dollars or $10 or $20, it all matters!”
Babiuk participated in the STARS Rescue on the Island in 2020 and got a better understanding of what it is that the STARS team does, the critical care they provide especially to rural communities. That fanned the flames for Al to be an advocate for STARS.
Cuvelier says when they get called to an accident, they don’t know how long that person has been in that situation and they know time is crucial to get their patient out of a disastrous situation safely, and then to critical care. That’s where STARS helps to bring that patient to a critical care facility like Brandon or Winnipeg as soon as possible to have the greatest chance of recovery.
"And that's why we do events like this fundraising or STARS,” adds Cuvelier, “and that's why Al came up with this idea. I thought it was just the most wonderful idea! We combined it with the open house here today and I think Al would be proud.”
Please listen to more with Troy Cuvelier below.
(photos below: Killarney Foundation member and neighbor, Matt Nichol, mc'd the event that brought many together from across the province during the Al Babiuk memorial at the Killarney-Turtle Mountain Fire Hall Thursday afternoon / and Al Babiuk (left in the red uniform) participates in the STARS Rescue on the Island fundraiser 2020)
Related Article: A Legacy of Care: Supporting STARS in Memory of Al Babiuk