One set of everyday heroes are going above and beyond to help others like them on the other side of the world.
As of January 14th, St. John Ambulance BC & Yukon is collecting donations that will go directly towards the disaster relief efforts of the Country Fire Authority & Brigades Donations Fund (CFA) in Victoria, Australia.
The 900-year-old humanitarian organization has operated in British Columbia since 1911 with a mission to improve people’s health, safety, and quality of life. The charity trains over 65,000 students in BC and Yukon each year in first aid and CPR. Its volunteers also provide hundreds of thousands of hours of community service in BC and Yukon
They’re hoping to raise $10,000 to go straight to the affected areas down under.
“Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the tragedy of the Australia bushfires,” said Karen Macpherson, CEO of St. John Ambulance BC & Yukon, in a statement.
“We’re inspired by the passion and bravery of all the volunteer firefighters that are helping aid their communities and we hope everyone will join us in showing support for them and the victims of these fires.”
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Donations will help support the over 1,000 volunteer firefighters that have been deployed, by equipping them with the tools, vehicles and safety equipment they need to continue fighting against the bushfires.
As of January 5th, 2020, 95 Canadians from fire services across the country were in Australia helping to tackle the fires. According to the National Post, the first deployment returned home on January 9th after over a month of work in Australia.
Donations go directly to the Country Fire Authority & Brigades Fund disaster relief efforts for the bushfires, and can be made at https://www.supportsja.ca/australia.
