'A generational investment': $1.2M donation from AltaLink helping STARS reach fundraising goal

A STARS helicopter makes one of the first landings on the top of the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital. (Laura Woodward/CTV Saskatoon)

Officials behind STARS Air Ambulance's Keep the Fight in Flight campaign had more than a million reasons to smile this week.

A $1.2 million donation from AltaLink announced Thursday is helping the lifesaving organization reach its goal for the multi-year campaign to renew its fleet of air ambulance helicopters.

The effort was launched in 2018 with the goal of acquiring nine, Airbus H145 helicopters at a cost of $13 million each.

"There is nothing more important to us at AltaLink than safety. Our teams work 24/7, often in remote areas, to deliver the energy that Albertans need, when they need it most," said AltaLink president and CEO Gary Hart.

"STARS can turn a tragic event into a life-saving one, so we’re incredibly proud to support the important work they do and ensure that STARS can continue to deliver critical care that communities need for many years to come."

As a non-profit charity, STARS relies on donors to help achieve excellence and drive innovation in critical care.

"With this generous gift to our fleet renewal initiative, AltaLink is truly making a generational investment in the health and safety of the communities we serve, helping us deliver critical care to patients living, working or playing in rural and remote areas for decades to come," said STARS president and CEO Andrea Robertson.

The first new H145 was received in 2019 and has been used on "hundreds" of missions, STARS said.

"Our supporters ride along with us on every mission, and now they are helping us build the next STARS fleet,” said Robertson. "We’re incredibly grateful to AltaLink for their financial support to help us reach our goal."