Despite temperatures around minus 30 degrees Celsius, men and women from Stettler's RCMP, Fire and Rescue, EMS, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement and Heartland Victim Services took part in the Emergency Services Charity CheckStop on Sunday, Dec. 11, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The annual event once again took place near the lights on the west end of town, near Walmart. People had the option of pulling over to donate their change or drop off a cheque, with the money raised going to emergency services.
According to Sarah Eads, the assistant program manager with Heartland Victim Services, the charity event brought in $6,448.84.
This was Stettler RCMP Const. Jon McNickle's first time taking part in the Stettler Charity CheckStop, he said he was both impressed by the amount raised and by the fact that the event raises about the same amount each year. McNickle transferred to Stettler RCMP earlier this year.
"I'm told this is pretty standard, which is pretty awesome," he said.
Everyone bundled up against the cold, but the event had enough volunteers from Stettler's emergency services to allow people to rotate in shifts, with someone always inside Commercial Vehicle Enforcement's mobile command unit to warm up. The command unit was set up along with firetrucks, police cruisers and EMS vehicles.
What was truly warming, McNickle said, was people's generosity. People not only donated to the cause, but also came with coffee, hot chocolate, and food for the volunteers.
"We eventually had to go to Tim Hortons and McDonalds and tell them to stop selling people coffee and hot chocolate for us," McNickle said.
When the volunteers put in the request to stop the sales for the check stop folk in the cold, they had 12 portable boxes of coffee on hand, some of which eventually were taken to the hospital for doctors and nurses to enjoy.
"We simply couldn't drink it all," McNickle said – though he noted that everyone appreciated the gesture, as the warm drinks helped fight off the cold.