Community Visionaries: Camrose Friends of STARS

Tragedy is a powerful catalyst for change. Western Canada’s Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (STARS) knows this all too well, as their origin story is a sombre one. In the 1980s, the founders of STARS were moved to action after a pregnant woman in a rural community died of blood loss during childbirth. They believed this was a preventable loss – that no one should go without critical care, no matter where they live.   

Today, there’s no mistaking a red helicopter when it’s flying across rural Alberta skies. STARS is on a life-saving mission, a beacon of hope even in the most remote areas. But that wasn’t always the case. In the first few years of operation, STARS missions were limited due to a lack of funding from the province. This sparked a desire for local community members to get involved and help more missions get off the ground. 

And no one does community quite like rural Alberta. That’s why Camrose residents took matters into their own hands in the early 1990s. They created the Camrose Friends of STARS, a local fundraising group with representatives from the local police, fire and EMS departments.

“People in the community saw how hard it was for STARS to be funded and how important it is that people have the opportunity for emergency health care,” says Bob Grant, chairman of the Camrose Friends of STARS and committee member since 1998. “People found that STARS was a good and worthy cause back then, and the organization has continued.”

"It's nice to know that STARS is there for us if we need it."

Over the years, Camrose Friends of STARS has raised roughly $1.4 million in donations to STARS from community members alone through their annual Dine and Dance and silent auction fundraisers. “In Camrose, we don’t have big donation partners like they do in Calgary and Edmonton; our success comes from people who buy a calendar or donate a quilt for the silent auction,” says Bob. “Pretty much everybody is familiar with Camrose Friends of STARS and wants to support it.”

Photos from the Dine and Dance fundraising events held by the Camrose Friends of STARS over the years.

Bob is a retired police officer who’s had many personal connections to emergency services over the years but says the life-saving stories have kept him involved with the organization year after year. “I have neighbours who’ve had to use STARS because of a quadding accident or a motor vehicle collision,” he says. “It’s nice to know that STARS is there for us if we need it.”



As for the future, Bob is hopeful that the Camrose Friends of STARS will live on and continue fundraising for STARS on many levels. “I wish we had endless amounts of money to support STARS to be able to maintain and increase its services, and training to provide that emergency care fast,” he says.

“I’ll always be part of the group because it’s a very worthwhile cause we’re raising funds for. The STARS helicopter flies right over my house to the hospital, so it’s a good reminder that it's one of those things that I might need tomorrow or the next day and contributing to that makes me feel good.”