SF Fire Protection District receives GSFCF grant

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By Lyndsie Ferrell
SOUTH FORK— The South Fork Fire Protection District was awarded the Greater South Fork Community Foundation’s (GSFCF) annual grant donation at their annual meeting Saturday, Aug. 11 at the Rio Grande Club.
“We were pleased to be able to present a check for $3,392 to the South Fork Fire Protection District to help purchase a heart monitor for the ambulance service here in South Fork,” said GSFCF President Mari Hathorn.
Hathorn explained that the heart monitor costs upwards of $35,000 and is a piece of equipment that would be beneficial to the people in South Fork. “If our district had a heart monitor they could use it to gain pertinent information on patients while transporting them to the hospital, where doctors could relay instructions to EMTs that could save someone’s life. We felt this was something that directly benefits the community and was a worthwhile cause,” stated Hathorn.
The South Fork Fire Protection District stated that they were honored to receive a generous donation from the Greater South Fork Community Foundation that will be applied towards the future purchase of a new Zoll Cardiac Monitor.
“As new medical technology advances, old equipment wears out, and call for service volume continues to grow, it is incredibly important to continually update critical equipment for the well-being of our small community. As an Advance Life Support Ambulance service, having a cardiac monitor is a required and very important piece of equipment that allows staff to quickly identify and treat cardiac life threats. The Greater South Fork Community Foundation continues to identify the needs of the community and work to fill them through donations such as this and the district is incredibly grateful for the donation,” the district commented.
During the meeting and after the awarding the grant, board members listened to ideas presented by both the public and fellow board members on where the organization could go from this point forward. “It was a really nice meeting and we had a wonderful turnout. We were able to explain the changes that are happening in the organization and how people could donate funds for future projects,” said Hathorn.
Due to policy changes within their umbrella company, the Pikes Peak Foundation, the GSFCF had to switch from being a fundraising organization to an endowment organization that will rely on donations from the community. “There are several ways to donate to the organization that will provide tax write offs like transferring stock or just making an outright donation. We have hope for the future of this organization and the places we will be able to go,” said Hathorn.
After the meeting, the organization, members of the community and town officials gathered at the South Fork Visitor Center for a flag-raising ceremony. Earlier this summer, the organization donated funds collected from past fundraising events like the Tour of Homes to the Town of South Fork to purchase American flags that would be placed along the poles that surround the visitor center.
“We wanted to use the funding for something that would help beautify the town, and after deliberation decided to help purchase two years’ worth of American flags for the town,” said Hathorn.
The organization also welcomed new members this year, along with Hathorn: Vice-President Mark Coldiron, Secretary Kazie Hayes, Treasurer Suzan Ginani, Director Russell Calman and board member Patricia Hendrix.
“We feel that we will be able to make this work and continue to donate to projects in the South Fork area for many years to come. Though our donation is only a portion of the costs needed to purchase the heart monitor, we feel that it was a step in the right direction. People do not have to donate through GSFCF to help purchase the heart monitor and can go directly through the fire department. We encourage everyone to help if they can,” finished Hathorn.