Another local marine search and rescue team member has earned a provincial award for her efforts as a volunteer.
On Thursday, Aug. 25, Heidi Specht was presented with the New Member of the Year award from the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCM-SAR). The award honours an outstanding member of RCM-SAR who has spent three years or fewer with the organization.
Specht was nominated by the RCM-SAR Station 4 Squamish team, in part, for her commitment to the community and chosen for the award by officials with RCM-SAR’s headquarters.
Specht recalled having no clue that the presentation was about her, but she started to have a suspicion when her husband showed up out of the blue.
“Then they did the announcement,” she said. “I was floored. … I was overwhelmed with gratitude.”
The Squamish RCM-SAR responds to marine emergencies up and down Howe Sound and has helped numerous ocean travellers over the last few years.
Specht said she’s been a volunteer for about two years now. She was actually recruited a couple of years ago by her neighbour and another Squamish RCM-SAR award winner, Calum Davidson, who earned the Volunteer of the Year award just about a year ago.
“This is an amazing crew of people, and they inspire me on a daily basis,” she said of the local team. “Just everybody really does a great job, really cares. And it's so easy to be motivated to give more, to do more, when you work with such an amazing group of people.”
On top of her membership with the crew, Spect also serves as the president of the Howe Sound Marine Rescue Society, which is the charitable branch of the organization.
When it comes to the future of Squamish’s RCM-SAR, Specht told The Squamish Chief that they are in need of a new boat by 2030. Given the price tag of about $1 million, they are already starting to fundraise for it.
“That’s our biggest priority,” she said.
Specht said they will soon launch a capital campaign, but people can also donate now to the Howe Sound Marine Rescue Society through its page on canadahelps.org.
For other information about RCM-SAR, visit rcmsar.com.
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