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IN THE PRESS!          IN THE PRESS!          IN THE PRESS!          IN THE PRESS!

Chouteau County Search and Rescue seeks more funding for building

Sheriffs Trade Perps and Cruisers… for Kids and Shopping Carts

 

Story Published: Dec 15, 2009 at 6:22 PM MST

By KFBB News Team

 

Watch Video on KFBB

 

 

Christmas came early for some Choteau County children this morning, as the sheriff's department took them out on a shopping spree.

About 20 children from elementary schools all across Choteau County got the day off today, and instead of classes, they got to take part in the annual “Shop with a Sheriff” program.

Perps and cruisers were traded for kids and shopping carts, as sheriffs paired off with children and geared up for the shopping spree ahead.

"We're here today taking kids shopping. We're going to be spending about $100 on clothing and gifts for each student," explained Deputy Sheriff Fernando Venegas.

And with that, the 3rd annual Choteau County “Shop with a Sheriff” program got off to a start.

First up - clothes. With $75 to spend on lists that included everything from Christmas outfits to new shoes, the kids and officers had their work cut out for them.

The final stop on the two hour spree brought the group to the toy section, where the kids had no trouble at all finding just what they wanted:

"Star Wars!"
"A digital mp3 player."
"A rifle."

All that shopping really worked up some appetites, but before heading back to Fort Benton for pizza with their new cop friends, all the kids wanted to do was share their excitement.

"I had so much fun today," said Kindergartener Jessica.

"The best part of the day was when we got to go see the toys and pick out our new clothes," said one aspiring news woman.

Others enjoyed "working together to buy stuff."

Another elementary school student remarked, "I had a lot of fun today and I got a lot of cool stuff."

And getting the day off wasn't so bad for the sheriff's, either

"The kids loved it, we loved it. Everybody had fun," Deputy Sheriff Jeff Perry said.

Deputy Sheriff Matt Guderjahn agreed, "It gave them something that they might not have had otherwise. After all, that's what Christmas is about - giving instead of receiving so it was fun to give back to the kids."

And the kids had one final message for the sheriffs - "THANK YOU OFFICERS!!!”

Story Published: Nov 10, 2009

By Kim Skornogoski, Great Falls Tribune

FORT BENTON — Keith Dallum is getting a little help from his son so the deputy can help save others.

Singing vocals and playing bass and harmonica, Kenny Wait, Dallum's son and a 2006 Fort Benton graduate, suggested his band, The Black Rose Band, play to raise money for the Chouteau County Search and Rescue team.

What started as a small e

vent has grown to a chili feed, with the goal of raising money to finish search and rescue's new building.

The search and rescue team has approximately 15 active volunteers, along with several other people who can be called on if needed. Its annual operating budget is $15,000, plus whatever donations it can raise.

With the Missouri River, the Bear Paw Mountains and the Highwoods, there are plenty of places to have fun in Chouteau County. Unfortunately, that means there are plenty of places to get lost, too.

Search and rescue personnel have been called to extricate people from car crashes, save folks trapped under farm equipment, find hunters or hikers stuck in the mountains and search for people who drown in the river.

With so many canoers floating the White Cliffs, it's not unusual for teams to be called to take out someone who gets the flu or can't handle the weather.

Over the years, the search and rescue squad has collected far more equipment than it has room for. Boats, snowmobiles, a snow cat, extrication equipment, two Chevrolet Suburbans and a four-wheel drive truck couldn't cram into the 40-foot-by-70-foot building, much of which has only 8-foot-high ceilings.

About four years ago, Chouteau County built a basic steel structure for search and rescue after volunteers raised the $18,000 needed to pour a 50-foot-by-100-foot concrete floor.

Next on the to-do list is insulating the building, which is estimated to cost $32,000. Dallum eventually would like to put up walls, creating a training room for area law enforcement officers, firefighters and other emergency responders.

"It's a slow, slow process unfortunately," Dallum said.

The fundraising event, which will be held at the new building, will give the public a chance to see the work that needs to be done.

Search and rescue volunteers are cooking chili and will start serving at 6 p.m. Saturday. The cost for food is $5 a person, or $20 for a family.

The Black Rose Band, which plays a mix of originals and covers of classic rock bands such as The Who and alternative country tunes from bands such as the Old 97s, will begin playing around 8 p.m.

The group also is gathering donations for silent auction items.

Dallum hopes the event will become an annual fundraiser as successful as the chili feeds in Big Sandy, which support the town's volunteer fire department.

"Hopefully we can develop something that will go on and on," he said.