CALGARY

Gala raises nearly $1.1 million for STARS Air Ambulance

Ryan White CTV Calgary
Published Sunday, January 26, 2014 12:08PM MST

A STARS helicopter is prominently displayed during Saturday night's festivities at the STARS and Spurs gala at Stampede Park

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The 20^th annual STARS & Spurs gala, held Saturday night at the BMO Centre, brought together members of the petroleum industry to raise funds for STARS Air Ambulance.

All money raised at the event, hosted by the Petroleum Services Association of Canada (PSAC), supports the STARS organization. Saturday’s gala raised in excess of $1 million, helping the total contributions from the 20 years of the gala to surpass the $10 million mark.

The event included silent and live auctions, raffles, and live entertainment.

Officials with PSAC say STARS ensures emergency medical treatment and transport is available to workers in the field.

Petroleum Services (Association of Canada) has over 250 member companies and 70,000 employees, the bulk of which work in the field in remote locations,” said Mark Salkeld, President and CEO of PSAC. “Knowing STARS is out there for us…it’s a very, very significant relationship.”

STARS annual operating budget of approximately $30 million relies heavily on fundraising. According to Andrea Robertson,President and CEO of STARS Air Ambulance, the cost of operating a single helicopter can be staggering.

“Staffing with nurses, paramedics, two pilots, engineers to keep it going,” explains Robertson. “It takes a lot of time and effort, so the money is extraordinarily well spent.”