Communities bid on financial support for HALO

HALO air ambulance has been receiving an outpouring of community support ever since they announced that they were in danger of being completely shut down due to a lack of funding.

Lethbridge, Alta. — HALO Air Ambulance has been receiving an outpouring of community support ever since their announcement earlier in May about the program being completely shut down due to a lack of funding.

Since they aren’t able to do their traditional fundraising events because of COVID-19, HALO Fundraiser an auction page created by Nicole Viste, is trying to prevent the program from being grounded.

Viste said since she had products she could sell, she figured so would other small businesses and that’s how she started the auction page.

“My goal was $5,000 and I thought it would just stick within the people I knew that are kind of in the HALO range," she said.

However, word spread and so did the amount raised.

"We are just shy of  $14,000 I believe right now," she said.

Viste said she was planning to contact HALO once the auction was closed but that was before the page blew up after only two days and many more southern Albertans wanted to join the cause.

“Everybody is just so thankful and generous and I hope it highlights to the government [what]  HALO is," Viste said. "They are needed in this province and hopefully some funding comes through for them.”

Viste said after receiving around 716 items for the auction, she decided to close donations. That’s when a second auction page called Border Communities Fundraiser was created by Denise Graham.

Graham said she thought it would only raise a couple thousand dollars. She said people are bidding way over the starting prices.

“We have a welcome sign plant hanger and the retail value was $50 and this morning when I checked... some bids were at $300," Graham said, "so we’re going to bring in way more than $30,000."

Graham added that when it came to helping HALO it was a no brainer that she wanted to do something to help with its financial situation. HALO covers some of the areas that are outside of range STARS covers, which is why Graham says it’s crucial to have HALO in southern Alberta.

“If something happened here, and it was a matter of even a few minutes to get me or one of my family members to the hospita.l you’d want that chance - you’d want... those extra few minutes," she said.

Graham said HALO plays a really important role in the community and both her and Viste hope the program make it through this hardship.

Bids close for the Border Communities Auction on June 13th and bids for the HALO fundraiser auction close on June 18th.

Donations can be made at https://www.haloairambulance.com/