Humboldtstrong aids communities as crash anniversary draws near
NIPAWIN The Humboldtstrong Foundation presented cheques to the communities of Nipawin, Zenon Park, Tisdale and Melfort for the role they played in the aftermath of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash almost one year ago on April 6, 2018.
Nipawin Mayor Rennie Harper accepted a $100,000 cheque on March 27. She said the two communities will be forever linked by the circumstances of that day.
“We are truly overwhelmed by your recognition,” she said. “Please know that you can always count on us to be there for you, as I would never doubt that you would be there for us if we needed something also.”
Tasked with dividing up donations, members of the Humboldtstrong Foundation first took care of the crash victims and their families, but knew they had to do more than that, the group said in a letter to the communities.
“From your emergency services personnel who raced into devastation, to your hospital who cared for our injured, to your church where hundreds waited, to your Hawks who showed we’re all on one team — Nipawin, you wrapped your arms around our Broncos family,” wrote the foundation’s chair, Darrin Duell.
Players from the bus were taken to Nipawin, Tisdale and Melfort hospitals; emergency medical staff from those communities and nearby Zenon Park responded to the scene. Some of the firefighters staffed the detour barricades in shifts until they were removed almost 48 hours after the collision.
“Our mandate was to support more than just the players involved,” said board member Kent Flavel. “It was to include the people that really supported us. It was the communities, the first responders and other organizations. How do you calculate an amount of money or anything that’s going to assist? But we tried to benefit as many different locations as we could.”
One possible use for the money that has been floated in Nipawin is construction of a helicopter landing pad at the Nipawin hospital emblazoned with the Humboldtstrong logo. Nipawin does not currently have a landing pad, so air ambulances touch down in a grassy area near the hospital.
The money dispersed by the Humboldtstrong Foundation came from donations outside the Gofundme campaign. Some has been put to use already.
“We looked after some immediate needs for the support of the families and now we’re going into supporting organizations,” Flavel said. “We will be moving into planning to see what the timeline of the organization is, whether it’s a long-term or a short-term organization. We do feel that there could be a lasting benefit to carrying this on to support further initiatives down the road.”
Melfort and Tisdale each also received $100,000; Zenon Park was given $50,000 as a home community of first responders. The City of Humboldt received $800,000.
The Nipawin Hawks players from that season have also been given scholarships from the foundation.
Nipawin Journal