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GPPA Hangar Dance hoped to return in 2022

The Grande Prairie Petroleum Association’s Hangar Dance in Support of STARS scheduled for January 2021 has been cancelled. STARS Air Ambulance Business Development Officer Jessica Schoepp says there is hope for the event to return in 2022, but with ongoing risks associated with COVID-19, the team felt it was better and safer to pull the plug on the event.

“We talked over all of the obstacles that come with COVID-19 and trying to plan a fundraising event, and in order to do so, we would have had to drastically change the look and feel of our event,” says Schoepp.

“We really wanted to keep everyone safe, first and foremost, and keep the integrity of the event,” Schoepp adds. “We felt it was in the best interest of our guests and our sponsors who are also struggling in the oil and gas industry with the effects of COVID and beyond.”

Schoepp notes STARS has been attempting to adapt and alter the ways in which it is able to fundraise during the pandemic.

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“Across STARS we’ve had to cancel hundreds of events; these include our external events. People usually do golf tournaments, people who do little fundraisers or bake sales or other events, as well as our two main events in Grande Prairie, have also been cancelled.”

“There’s also the Birchcliff [Energy] golf tournament,” she adds. “They’ve done wonderful things for us over the last 13 years and theirs is cancelled as well. We’re pivoting as best we can.”

The full extent of the impacts and changes to STARS’ fundraising efforts has yet to be determined. For the time being, the organization is taking the process one step and one mission at a time.

Schoepp says there are some events scheduled and ongoing, including “Golf Fore STARS,” running until September 15th, and a radiothon which will take place on October 7th.

“We’ve decided to move to events that are really safe. We are a health care organization so it is at the front of our mind,” she says. “Literally every single dollar helps. It all makes a difference in keeping our mission flying, keeping our base running and keeping the training going. There’s no illusion that we weren’t impacted like everyone else. We have to keep things moving.”

Details and donation info is available on the STARS website.

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