Kamloops Search and Rescue receives gift from local school

Kamloops Search and Rescue is now the proud owner of three brand new sleeping bags, thanks to a group of enterprising young students.

On Thursday, they presented KSAR with three sleeping bags, two of which they purchased with the money they raised and one that was donated by the Atmosphere Store.

"This will be a big help," said KSAR member Mike Ritcey.

The sleeping bags will be put into KSAR's drop bag, and can then be used if members go into an area where they have to spend the night.

Beattie Elementary School's Junior Achievement Business students held a school dance to raise money for KSAR. The event raised $625.45 in total.

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Students were asked to come up with a business plan that would garner a profit. They then had to decide what to do with that profit: keep it, donate it, or split it.

They decided to split the profit with a local charity.

But, how did they decide what organization was most worthy?

They felt KSAR was the obvious choice for a variety of reasons; it's local, they do important work, and any one of these students or someone they care about could be in need of KSAR support.

In addition, students felt this would help support a classmate's family: the mother and pet dog of one student both work with KSAR.

"They thought it would be unique and something that wouldn't be thought about during the Christmas season," said Beattie Elementary School teacher Beth Morgan.

"It's really interesting to see the kids all getting together and doing this," said Ritcey. "It's a big step in public education and and we really appreciate it."

With files from Tara Copeland.

To hear the audio, click the left-hand linkKamloops Search and Rescue receives gift from local school