This year’s Search and
Rescue fundraiser is its 50th
Mar. 29, 2018
MANTI—For a change of pace, the annual Radio Days fundraiser for Sanpete County Search and Rescue will be on Monday, April 2, this year instead of on Sunday, April 1. No joke.
And the fundraiser is also a celebration of a half-century of search and rescue in the county.
Yes, for 50 years, members of Sanpete County Search and Rescue “have been ready to grab their personal gear, jump in their own vehicles and donate their time to help those in dire circumstances,” states the search and rescue press release. “It is estimated that in half a century, volunteers from this organization have responded to more than 2,000 emergencies.”
To commemorate the 50th anniversary, search and rescue is hosting the annual Radio Days event on Monday, April 2, with a goal of raising $50,000.
Traditionally, Radio Days (aka Jeep Posse Days) has been held on April 1, and the fun of fooling around on April Fools’ Day has regularly come through in the radio broadcast where members of the search and rescue team take the microphone for the day.
This year’s fundraiser will be broadcast at KMTI AM 650 or 95.1 FM on Monday, April 2, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Information is also at the Sanpete County Search and Rescue Facebook page.
As part of the festivities, people around the county can be put in “Coke Jails” (Coca-Cola trailers). Those who are thus incarcerated stay “locked in” until they have posted bail by either donating or having other people donate on their behalf.
Donations can be made by purchasing Coca-Cola products from the Coke Jail between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. at Maverik in Mt. Pleasant, Silver Eagle in Moroni, Maverik in Ephraim, Top Stop in Manti or Gunnison Market in Gunnison.
To donate directly year round, visit SanpetePosse.org.
Currently, search and rescue has 40 members “dedicated to helping those who are lost or in danger in the most rugged parts of Sanpete County,” states the press release. “None of these volunteers are compensated for their time or expertise but are happy to serve their community. In order to provide this lifesaving service, professional equipment and training are needed.”
Thus the donations go toward saving lives and rescuing lost and stranded ones.
Beau Lund, a search and rescue member, said, “Most of these volunteers participate here in search and rescue on top of other things, like being a member of an ambulance crew or volunteer fire department. It is amazing to see how much service they offer.”
“For the past 50 years, people in danger have relied on the volunteers of the Sanpete County Search and Rescue to be there in moments of crisis,” states the press release.
According to Neil Johnson, the current commander of search and rescue in the county, the mission of Sanpete County Search and Rescue is to serve the residents of Sanpete County, assist the sheriff’s office, provide members with first aid and specialty trainings and promote fellowship and goodwill within the organization.
Radio Days is one time when fooling around can have some truly serious consequences for good.
