A legacy fund has been set up to honour the memory of a local first responder. With the help of the Community Foundation, the family of Grande Prairie EMT and EMS Operation Supervisor Dustin Sieker created the fund in his memory.
Sieker committed suicide in May at the age of 36. Friend Danielle Joly says the fund was created to bring awareness to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and suicide rates in first responders.
“After Dustin’s passing, I found strength and peace in the idea of building this legacy. Meeting his friends and family from all over the world and seeing the community support for such a great man was inspiration to me. I knew that I wanted to increase the awareness of suicide prevention and PTSD.”
Money collected by the legacy fund will go towards student awards for advanced care paramedics and will also contribute to mental health programs in the community. Sieker’s mother Belinda hopes that this fund can be used to help others.
“Dustin was very dedicated to helping people and was passionate about his career as a paramedic and first responder. Even though Dustin has passed, the fact that his name and fund will continue to give back and support the community is massive to us. We have all been learning from Dustin’s passing and we want to continue to learn from this experience and help others who could be struggling.”
Donations to the Dustin Sieker Legacy Fund can be made online or by calling the Community Foundation at 780-538-2820.