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<P><B><FONT face=Arial>Hi All:</B> </P>
<P>SARA Happenings is issued to foster communication within the Search and
Rescue community in Alberta. It is going to 226 e-mail addresses that are listed
as the primary contact of SAR Alberta member groups or which were requested to
be added to the mailing list.</P>
<P>Subscription and unsubscription information is at the end of the newsletter.
</P>
<P>On Behalf of the SAR Alberta Executive, Board of Directors and Deputy
Directors, we would like to wish all a very</P>
<P><BR><B>Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe New Year.</P>
<DIR>
<DIR>
<DIR>
<DIR></B>
<P>President<BR>Monica Ahlstrom</P></DIR></DIR></DIR></DIR>
<P>(Note: The Xmas song that Monica sent to be included could not be opened; the
file was in .docx)</P>
<P>
<HR>
</P><B>
<P>Happy Holidays</B><BR><BR>It is that time of year when many reflect on the
old year coming to an<BR>end and how we can all do better in the upcoming new
year. The Search<BR>and Rescue community in Alberta should be very proud of the
past year<BR>and their desire and commitment to help ours in time of need. On
behalf<BR>of the RCMP in Alberta "Thank You" for being there and for
your<BR>assistance. All the best of the holiday season and in 2010!<BR><BR>Sgt.
Mike Self and Cpl. Al Fraser</P>
<P><BR>
<HR>
</P></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=4><FONT face=Arial
size=4></FONT></FONT><B><FONT face=Arial>
<P>CALGARY SEARCH AND RESCUE REVIEW OF 2009</B><BR><BR>Calgary Search and Rescue
started 2009 with the recruitment and training <BR>of 27 new members. The summer
was initially fairly quiet with no <BR>searches, but we were involved with
various public relations and fund <BR>raising events around the city: Canada Day
festivities, the Stampede and <BR>the Lions’ Golf Tournament.<BR>Suddenly,
things got very busy, starting with the Rocky Mountain House <BR>missing person
search in the heat of August, with thanks to Rocky SAR <BR>for calling us up
there. We were then called in for evidence searches <BR>within the city. At one
point we had 5 searches within 9 days.<BR><BR>This year, our training team ran
three All Members’ Days, as a great way <BR>to combine administrative, training
and social functions for the group. </P>
<P>We also ran a mock search in Kananaskis in October which coincided with
<BR>the first snow of the year. Guy Latour has trained a Rope Rescue team
<BR>and congratulations to the 15 members who now form the CALSARA Rope
<BR>Team. We also have an operational Bike Team. The new provincial
<BR>insurance coverage is very welcome, and the consistent coverage across
<BR>all SAR Alberta groups will make it easier to invite other SAR teams to
<BR>our training events in the future.<BR><BR>We are currently planning next
year’s recruitment program, and some <BR>preventative SAR events with "Hug a
Tree and Survive" presentations at <BR>local schools. CALSARA is organizing a 24
hour run in the fall of 2010, <BR>something like an urban version of the Grande
Cache Death Race, but <BR>hopefully with a name that is more fitting with the
principles of Search <BR>and Rescue. So we’ll keep you all posted and if you
want to help out, or <BR>you want to enter a team, we look forward to hearing
from you.<BR><BR>Jim Wilson – Public Relations Coordinator, Calgary Search and
Rescue <BR>Association </FONT><A
href="mailto:pr-coordinator@calsara.com"><U><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT
face="Times New Roman">pr-coordinator@calsara.com</FONT></U></FONT></A><FONT
face=Arial><BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial>
<HR>
</P>
<P><STRONG>CALLING ALL TRACKERS</STRONG>Michelle Hebert (UTS Sign-cutter) and
Les Brace (Canadian Tracking Technologies) invite you to join us in a tracking
exercise.</P>
<P>We supply the location, scenario to work out, meeting room for briefing and
debriefing, help for novice trackers and interested people, snacks and
lunch.</P>
<P>You supply tracking stick (some extra available), notepad and pencil, and
enthusiasm.</P>
<P>All trackers are welcome., </P>
<P>Purpose: To get the tracking community together for practice and
socializing.</P>
<P>Where: Mulhurst Lutheran Camp, </FONT><A
href="http://www.mulhurstlutherancamp.ca/"><U><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff>www.mulhurstlutherancamp.ca</U></FONT></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial>
</P>
<P>When: April 17th, 2010, 9:00am to 5:00pm</P>
<P>Note: (hours for this practice can be claimed as UTS tracking hours)</P>
<P>If you are interested in coming or have any questions, please contact
Michelle.</P></FONT>
<P><A href="mailto:mhebert@airsurfer.ca"><U><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><FONT
face=Arial color=#0000ff>mhebert@airsurfer.ca</U></FONT></FONT></A><FONT
face=Arial> </P>
<P>780-445-9022 </P>
<P>
<HR>
</P><B>
<P>FUNDRAISING CONSULTANT</P></B>
<P>SAR Alberta received a grant this year to hire a consultant to help develop
the financial capacity and strategic direction of the organization. Interviews
for the position were held in November and Tamara Alexander was offered the five
month contract position. Along with working to raise funds for SAR Alberta
Tamara will also be working on a toolkit to help teams with their fundraising
efforts. </P>
<P>Tamara Alexander – Bio</P>
<P>Tamara has been professional in fund development and nonprofit management for
almost 20 years. In that time she has held senior positions with non-profit
organizations that range in size from a one person shop to large hospital
foundation. She has stewarded donor programs from those just starting out, to
those receiving over $10m annually in revenue. Tamara brings experience in
building and stewarding major gifts programs, cultivating corporate support,
grant writing, planned giving strategies, managing large and complex annual
giving programs, DRTV, direct mail internet communications and building monthly
donor programs. </P>
<P>Her area of specialty is building broad based, grass roots community support
through direct response vehicles. In her most recent position Tamara was the
Senior Strategist with Touchworks Communications, a Calgary based company that
provided consulting to the non-profit sector on direct response, communication,
monthly donor files, donor database analysis and strategic planning.</P>
<P>Accredited as a Certified Fundraising Professional (CFRE) in 1994, Tamara was
one of the first development professionals in Canada to receive professional
certification. Believing strongly in volunteerism, she sits on the board of
several non-profits as well as volunteering on the front lines in both a
personal and professional capacity. </P>
<P>Some of the many organizations Tamara has worked with in either a
professional or volunteer capacity include the Canadian Parks and Wilderness
Society (CPAWS), Calgary Zoo, Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, Edmonton
Mustard Seed, Calgary Humane Society, Cochrane Humane Society, Boys and Girls
Clubs, Scouts Canada - Chinook Council, Calgary and Area United Way, Variety
Club, Toronto Humane Society and Toronto Rehabilitation Institute
Foundation.</P>
<P>On the personal side Tamara’s interests include travel, wildlife photography,
skiing, hiking and spending time in her garden.</P>
<P>Activities</P>
<P>Tamara has joined the SAR Alberta team bringing her expertise in a broad
range of fund development programs to help build financial capacity and allow
SAR Alberta to take the next step in its organizational development. Over the
next 5 months, Tamara will be creating both a short term and a long term fund
development strategy that will begin to build a diverse donorbase of
individuals, businesses, foundations, service clubs and other interested
organizations in order to build a sustainable funding base. </P>
<P>Other projects that Tamara will take on are to help re-develop the current
website to one that is user friendly, information driven, and helpful to both
current SAR volunteers and the community. As well, Tamara will be developing a
tool-kit to help SAR volunteer teams who are fundraising in their own
communities. </P>
<P>Submitted by Monica Ahlstrom, <A
href="mailto:mavada@cruzinternet.com">mavada@cruzinternet.com</A> </P>
<P>
<HR>
</P>
<P></P>
<P></P><B>
<P>DONATION FOR HINTON SAR </P></B>
<P><IMG alt="" hspace=0
src="cid:0EBA1E171D6049A39F7BCF52E18917B1@user978bb393cd" align=baseline
border=0></P>
<P> </P></FONT>
<P><FONT face=Arial>On November 25 Glenn Cook Area 4 Operations Leader for
Conoco Phillips presented HSAR with a cheque for $5,000 in recognition and
support of their service to the general public. The funds were used to procure
all weather jackets for HSAR members. From left to right the attached picture
(courtesy The Hinton Voice) shows Marc Symbaluk President HSAR, Glen Cook and
Rob Lehne of Conoco Phillips and Ed Geoffrey Comms Director HSAR holding one of
the new jackets.</P>
<P>(Note: This insertion is something of a test, since recipients of the
newsletter use just about every e-mail program known to man (and women and
nerds). If you see the copy of the picture – good for you – if you have a blank
or some annoying image obliterating part of the newsletter, please let the
editor know, and he won’t do it again.)</P>
<P>
<HR>
</P><B>
<P>SEARCH AND RESCUE GROUPS TEST SKILLS</P></B>
<P>By Stacy O'Brien - Red Deer Advocate</P>
<P>Published: November 16, 2009 6:29 AM </P>
<P>Updated: November 16, 2009 8:58 AM </P>
<P>A cracked lower leg bone protruded through Ron Morrison’s khaki pants and
blood-red stains spilled around the slash in his slacks. From the look of the
wound you’d expect Morrison would be screaming in agony, but he was all smiles
on Saturday. </P>
<P>The gruesome wound was merely stage make-up, created to help test the skills
of nine volunteers for Red Deer and Didsbury Search and Rescue groups this past
Saturday at Heritage Ranch in Red Deer. The testing was the culmination of an
80-hour course of basic skills training that every search and rescue person must
undergo. </P>
<P>Tyler Landon, of Red Deer, decided to take the course because he wanted to
start volunteering and he wants to be a firefighter in the future. </P>
<P>"It’s a good way to get experience and help out," said the 20-year-old. He
plans to train as a firefighter in British Columbia in January. </P>
<P>"I like the outdoors. I haven’t done a ton of it before so it’s a good way to
gain knowledge about it." </P>
<P>During Saturday’s test, the new search and rescue volunteers had to start a
fire from scratch in 15 minutes, hike three kilometres, have 10 critical items
in their packs, build a shelter, give first aid, navigate, search for evidence
in a field and finally — once nighfall hit — search for someone in the woods.
The activities started at around 1 p.m. and continued into the evening. </P>
<P>"I think I should be OK as long as I didn’t forget too much stuff," said
Landon, early in the day. </P>
<P>The activities felt a little like watching the television show Survivorman up
close. "We like to challenge them," said Randi Butler, logistics manager for Red
Deer Search and Rescue. </P>
<P>She said the challenge for the new volunteers is for them to remember what
they’ve learned and not get nervous. Organizers had the site set up as any
search operation would be, with the Red Deer Search and Rescue’s command post on
site. </P>
<P>The command post, created out of a travel trailer, is set up with
wall-to-wall whiteboard space and high-tech computer equipment that allows
searchers to track on a digital map what areas have been searched through GPS.
</P>
<P>Red Deer Search and Rescue volunteers can print out profiles based on the
kind of person who is lost to help them determine how to best use their
resources in a search. For instance, a hunter from Alberta moves in a much
different way through the woods then a child, someone with Alzheimer’s or a
person with developmental disabilities who is lost. </P>
<P>Red Deer Search and Rescue volunteers help the RCMP search for people and
evidence around 30 times a year, said Ric Henderson, one of the Red Deer Search
and Rescue trainers. </P>
<P>Henderson said the organization is always looking for new recruits. "It is
like any volunteer organization, the more people the better," he said. </P>
<P>For more information go to </FONT><A
href="http://www.reddeersar.com/"><U><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><FONT
face=Arial color=#0000ff>www.reddeersar.com</U></FONT></FONT></A><FONT
face=Arial> . </P>
<P>(Ed. Note: this submission came too late for last month’s newsletter.)</P>
<P>
<HR>
</P>
<P><B>SARA HAPPENINGS SUBMISSIONS </P></B>
<P>Our regular publication date for mailings of SARA Happenings is the middle of
each month. Please note that the deadline for material is the 14<SUP>th</SUP> of
each month. </P>
<P align=center></P>
<P>Does your group have an event posting for the SARA Happenings mailing? If so,
please send information 1-1/2 months prior to the dates you wish advertised. It
will then give ample time for those reading it to respond. </P>
<P>Please send all material to the editor; Chris Hoare at </FONT><A
href=""><U><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff>choare@shaw.ca</U></FONT></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial> PLEASE DO
include contact information for members to gain further information.</P>
<P> </P>
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