Giving Tuesday Non-Profit Spotlight: Superior Search and Rescue

As the Keweenaw peninsula profile of outdoor activities grows, so does the number of visitors coming to visit the region. With more visitors to the copper country also means more chances that someone will get lost or hurt in the backcountry. This past year, Superior Search and Rescue responded to 20 incidents. Three times more than the group’s average of five searches per year. SSAR President Darian Reed says that because the region’s tourism industry continues to grow, the search and rescue crew requires new first responders, new equipment, and regular training to make sure search teams are prepared for when they are called into action.

“There’s a lot of involvement we have with the mission of the Copper Shore Community Health Foundation. Their big goal is the health of the community. And for us, we are there working on the prevention side, but we are also there for the reaction, right then and there the direct individual that needs help. And that’s one of the things that we’ve connected with Copper Shores on. Not only do we need to worry about health from a prevention side, but also the proactive and reactive to the health of individuals.” – Darian Reed, President, Superior Search and Rescue

Superior Search and Rescue operates the largest team in the western Upper Peninsula and has collaborated on search incidents with other teams from the region and Wisconsin. Reed says that the group has become a default in the western region, due to their ability to mobilize quickly and work in tandem with law enforcement and other search teams.

“For a long time we existed in the background, not a lot of people knew about us in the area. And especially with the help of Giving Tuesday and the incidents we’ve been involved with. People are starting to feel good that there is a group of people out there who are willing to assist when something goes wrong. And it’s shown when we’ve had incidents in like the porcupine mountains for example. And it’s been great for us because we’ve been able to connect with teams we didn’t know were out there before. And be able to better coordinate and come together.” – Darian Reed, President, Superior Search and Rescue

Over the next year, Reed says that Superior Search and Rescue hopes to begin allowing high school students interested in public service, opportunities to train with Superior Search and Rescue. As well as put some of the Giving Tuesday funds toward maintaining licenses with important search and rescue software programs used during incidents, and equipment used in searches.

Giving Tuesday with the Copper Shores Community Health Foundation last year raised over 650,000 dollars from individuals in the community and from friends of the Keweenaw Peninsula. Annually the foundation has provided a match sum to add to the day of giving’s total. Adding up to over 2.7 million dollars spread throughout the copper country over the past six years. Find more information about Giving Tuesday with the Copper Shores Community Health Foundation here, and more about the Superior Search and Rescue here.