By Jessie Weisner

HALO trying to expand outreach

Mar 27, 2019 | 5:08 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — HALO Air Rescue is gaining more support across Southeastern Alberta through volunteers and ambassadors.

The organization saw more than double the typical turnout at their annual general meeting last night.

“We had 26 people at the AGM, that’s double what we’ve ever had in the past,” says Paul Carolan, director of fundraising for HALO “It just goes to show you that while the program has always been really well known in Medicine Hat, it’s starting to really get well known well outside, so we have board members from all across the southwest.”

HALO has been growing significantly over the last year, with a new twin-engine helicopter and more than 50 volunteers and a new ambassador program.

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“A HALO ambassador is exactly what it sounds like, you just have all the information, you can let us know when things are going on in your community and you can be our representative in that community as well,” says Carolan. “So we want to make sure that the people who believe in the program and want to part of HALO have an opportunity to serve in their communities by becoming HALO ambassadors.”

During the AGM, HALO elected a new board and appointed Allen Kuizenga in the new position of co-chair.

“We actually added a co-chair position,” says Carolan. “So HALO’s been around a long time and there’s been a lot of people that really believe in the program but the workload with the program becoming more popular has gotten bigger so we’ve added a co-chair so they have support in each other and so they can get that workload done.”

HALO started operations in Medicine Hat 12 years ago, but since they operate in the majority of Southeastern Alberta, they’ve been focusing on outreach.

Just last week they were at the Lethbridge Home and Garden Show, but Carolan says it doesn’t stop there.

“It’s really been a popular program in Medicine Hat, everyone in Medicine Hat seems to know who HALO is but getting that word out to the rest of the Southwest part of the province, Lethbridge, Taber, Milk River, Cardston, all of those areas, is really important,” says Carolan. “We need that additional support and we want people to know HALO exists as well.”

Since January 1, HALO has had 55 activations in its brand new twin engine helicopter.