Fundraiser for saving lives - please read
 

Diesel Truck Resource would like to announce a fundraiser in progress for the North Carolina Canine Emergency Response Team, Inc. (NC CERT). NC CERT is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to saving lives. See more at http://www.nccert.org/donate1.php

Our team responds to many types of incidents in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. We respond to Disaster, Cadaver, Water and Wilderness searches. One of the unique things about our team is that it's a true volunteer organization. Our members pay 100% of the expense for training and incident response. Some of those things include training courses, seminar courses, uniforms, packs, radios, boats, dry suits, ropes, rigging, pagers, cellphones, workmans comp, insurance.

NC CERT is asking for donations from DTR members to handle some of our expenses for the next fiscal year. We're also in need of equipment and vehicles.

NC CERT is in need of a team van to use for communications and towing. The van would need to be a 3/4 ton van to handle our equipment trailer with air conditioning for the dogs. Dealers or folks who are willing to donate this van will be added as a permanent sponsor of our site, and your logo will appear on our vehicle in large letters.

Other equipment needed:

Zodiac type Boat - preferably 13 or 14ft rigid hole inflatable

Personal Watercraft trailer (2 position trailer for sonar search equipped watercraft etc.)

Cellphones or cellphone service for use on incidents only

LoranC model 104C SONAR / GPS receiver

Kesytrol weather instrument. Keystrol 3000 or 4000.

Money only Donations can be sent to:

NC CERT
400 Evans Lane
Wendell, NC 27591

You can also donate via paypal. Send payment to swoodk9@carolina.rr.com.

If you have any questions, please let us know and we'll get back to you. Also remember that your donations are tax deductable, and we will send you the appropriate paperwork to file your donations during tax season.

Thanks guys. Your help and donations will save lives, and we appreciate anything you can give.

Re:Fundraiser for saving lives - please read
 

Jack you are working with the system also, you should be able to get a donation of a single wheel ambulance for the purpose. In this case you need to make up a request for the donation and send it to different municipalities and fire departments. Volunteer Fire Departments regularly do this with good results. I don't currently have any source for you but they are out there.

Re:Fundraiser for saving lives - please read
 

Haulin, thanks for the info. We're definately trying to work with the system. There are a number of grants we're working on getting etc. Thanks for the info. If we did get an ambulance, we'd gut it and make it into a k9 vehicle, which would probably be the perfect size.

Re:Fundraiser for saving lives - please read
 

If your interested in ideas, our agency uses either Jeep Cherokees or Tahoes. They are divided between the driver/passenger compartment (dog sits behind the driver), and equipped with the roof top cooler. There should be a lot of support organizations, our dogs are donated I believe, as well as ballistic vests. I'll ask around.

Re:Fundraiser for saving lives - please read
 

The truck would be nice, but it's not going to kill us if we don't get it. What we really need at this point is cash donations to cover expenses for training etc. Any help in this area is always appreciated. ;D

Re:Fundraiser for saving lives - please read
 

This sounds like a really terrific charity for us to get behind here at DTR.

Most of us will luckily never know the pain of a lost child or missing family member, but those unfortunate few who experience this heartbreaking tragedy, know well the importance of these trained dogs and the role they provide.

How many of us can forget the chilling pictures that came from the 9 11 tragedy, as these wonderful volunteers put their own lives in danger to try and locate buried survivors.

The hope one of these animals can bring to a mother and father, who's child has wandered off is completely above a monetary value of any kind.

These animals routinely give us a much needed service and taking the time now to send in a few dollars, can easily mean life or death for some poor soul.

Please take a moment to help in any way you can, that child or loved one you save, could be your own.

I hope the DTR chapters will get behind this as well, this is a cause that helps make a better future for everyone :)

Re:Fundraiser for saving lives - please read
 

For a short time we joined with the next town and ran a dog and I can tell you that it is an intensive and expensive situation. And like the rest of volunteer work it is somewhat thankless.

Re:Fundraiser for saving lives - please read
 

Thanks to those who've donated so far, we appreciate it. I'll have a dollar number up in a few days, but we've got a couple of small donations so far. Anything helps, so again, we appreciate it.