Five Manitobans are spending a good part of Thursday on a remote island raising money for STARS Air Ambulance.

Rescue on the Island is the flagship fundraising event for STARS in Manitoba and with the support of colleagues, businesses, friends and family, our participants has helped to bring several millions of dollars to support the work of STARS.

Roberta Galbraith of Minnedosa is one of the five people participating in this year’s program.

In addition to being a mother of five adult children, wife and Member Relations Manager for Manitoba Canola Growers. She is also a managing partner in RNR Galbraith Farms a family run grain, oilseed and pulse Farm. Roberta is a passionate advocate for agriculture and believes strongly that farming and the Ag industry is an integral part of the backbone of Manitoba.  Farming near Minnedosa, which is close to 3 hours outside of Winnipeg she is very aware of why STARS air ambulance is so important to rural residents.

“As far as the fund raising is concerned I’ve been pounding the pavement and trying to get the word out. I want to make people aware STARS and certainly they need our support. I need to raise $50,000 and I’m sure I will reach that goal and even surpass it.”

Each participant is required to raise $50,000 and the rescue only happens when that goal has been reached or exceeded. The participants are equipped with a cell phone and have access to friends and family for morale support in the form of donations.

“We will spend time on the island learning survival type training and some paramedic type work and finding out more about what STARS does when they respond to an emergency call and I’m sure we will learn lots.”

On September 6 the community leaders will trade in their work clothes for flight suits. Each participant will compete to raise as much money as possible to earn a flight back to civilization, using the only tool they’ll have – their cell phones.

More than $325,000 was raised last year during Rescue on the Island to fund services provided by STARS Air Ambulance