(L-R) Carol Lessmeister, Corteva’s District Leader for Northern Alberta, and Shannon Paquette, STARS Community Engagement Officer for Edmonton, at the Agri-Trade Equipment Expo on Thursday for the cheque presentation. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

By Alessia Proietti

Corteva Agriscience

STARS ambulance receives $100,000 donation at 39th Agri-Trade Equipment Expo

Nov 10, 2023 | 2:33 PM

At this year’s Agri-Trade Equipment Expo, STARS ambulance was presented with a grand cheque of $100,000.

On Thursday at Westerner Park (4847A 19 St.), Corteva Agriscience, an American-based agricultural chemical and seed company, made the donation after a fund-raising campaign where $10 from every bag of Optimum GLY canola sold in central and northern Alberta was given to the cause.

Shannon Paquette, STARS Community Engagement Officer for Edmonton, says donations are so important to keep the non-profit running as it costs $10 million per year to run each of their bases, with three being in Alberta (Calgary, Edmonton, and Grande Prairie).

She says they have completed 55,000 missions to date since 1985, with many taking place in farming communities.

“I can just tell you the impact from being at events in rural communities how many VIPs I meet in person, which is our ‘Very Important Patients’, quite a few of them [are] from farms and just so appreciative that we’re there,” she said.

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Paquette added that the funds will go where there is a need in their general operations and towards new innovative processes. For example, she says STARS ambulances now carry blood on board and have a stock at their bases.

“Our crew are highly skilled; it’s basically like a flying ICU, so it brings all the skills and knowledge to the patient, and then of course the time; it cuts down someone being an hour and a half from a hospital to 10 minutes in the helicopter,” she said about the benefits of STARS.

Carol Lessmeister, Corteva’s District Leader for Northern Alberta, said as a celebration of their new canola trait’s registration, the company wanted to find a way to launch the product while supporting an important cause.

Officials with the company say the STARS non-profit organization provides critical care for patients in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities across western Canada.

Lessmeister says the team and clients were all excited and supportive of the idea.

“We hear so many stories, when we’re out talking with farmers, about how STARS has impacted them either personally or someone they know, that it just felt like the right thing to do,” she said.

Raising $100,000 through the sale of their first 10,000 bags of canola, Corteva says their donation will help fund around 18 life-saving missions.

Lessmeister added, they will consider continuing these types of initiatives in the future.

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