A $100,000 legacy gift from Dr. Andre Marais has lifted the Saskatchewan Critical Care on the Air Radiothon for STARS to new heights.
About $350,000 of the $400,000 goal has been raised, as of late Wednesday morning.
The two-day radiothon is playing on 39 stations across Saskatchewan, including on all of Golden West Radio's, as the province supports STARS' bases in Regina and Saskatoon.
The radiothon runs until 6 p.m. You can tune in to hear stories from people impacted by, working for, and supporting STARS by clicking the 'listen' button on the top right of this webpage or by streaming the station on your app.
The Saskatchewan government covers about half the bill for STARS to operate in Saskatchewan. The STARS Foundation raised the remaining $10 million each year through fundraisers such as this radiothon.
"We need your help to continue fighting for the lives of patients when they need us most, in communities across the province," said Terri Strunk, STARS’ chief fundraising and brand officer. "Please join us on the air to learn more about the work we do and how your support matters."
Four of STARS' Very Important Patients - Kirk Wall, Peggy Benko, Caiden Hendry, and Karen Roberts - have been raising funds as a way to give back to STARS. You can read their stories here.
STARS carries out about 10 missions per day across western Canada. It flew 1,075 missions in Saskatchewan during the 2021-22 fiscal year.
"People may not realize that STARS is more than a helicopter," said Strunk. "Through our Emergency Link Centre, we field roughly 99 emergency calls for service every day across Saskatchewan and Western Canada. We contribute to critical care virtually, every day, thousands of times in a year."