Squamish Search and Rescue is grateful for the pledge made by the families of two of the men who died in Garibaldi Provincial Park to donate funds to the organization.
A GoFundMe campaign, "Remembering Chris Gulka and Jon Büchner," set up by a friend of the men, Lukas Mann, aims to raise funds for celebrations of life for the men and support for Squamish SAR.
The campaign is signed on behalf of the men's families and friends.
On May 31, climbers Gulka and Büchner, both of Langley, and a third man who has not been publicly identified, summited Atwell Peak, “but were caught in a catastrophic avalanche on their descent," the campaign page reads.
A search, led by Squamish SAR, ended with the recovery of the men's bodies on July 8.
"Our total goal is to raise $10,000 with a minimum of $5,000 going directly to SSAR," reads the campaign page.
As of July 26, the goal had been exceeded, with close to $15,773 raised.
While the 80-member strong volunteer organization, Squamish SAR, never charges for rescues, it does appreciate donations.
"The team is very appreciative of all donations," said SAR's Christy Allan, director of communications.
"We rely on the generosity of donors to pay for continued operations, equipment and training. A capital campaign is also being planned to help fund a new compound as the team is moving to the airport in April 2026."
The lease for the current location of the organization, near Brennan Park Recreation Centre, is set to expire, thus the move.
Allan noted that call volume for SAR is up so far this season over 2023. The team has responded to 65 calls, year-to-date, compared with 54 calls for the same time period last year.
Donations can be made directly to Squamish Search and Rescue on its website.
Please note that The Squamish Chief did not disclose the men's names, at the families' request, until this public campaign named them. We continue to keep the identity of the third man confidential.
The Squamish Chief reached out to the organizer of the GoFundMe for comment, but did not hear back.
*Please note that we updated this story after it was first posted to reflect the most recent amount of money raised by the campaign.
