This photo shows a group of people of all ages gathered around a sign saying “Thank You”. These are volunteer members of the South Orange Rescue Squad in Carrboro, N.C.

Photo by SORS Member Soorya Vasan

What You Make Possible

By RuthAnne Winston, SORS EMT, board member and fundraising chair

What you make possible when you donate to South Orange Rescue Squad

Our volunteers provide critical services, but we couldn’t do it without financial support from people like you. For our all-volunteer non-profit, your gifts are a vital supplement to other income streams like grants, matching gifts, special event coverage and billing for services.

This photo features six SORS volunteer EMTs standing in a parking lot staring up a fireworks ablaze in the dark blue sky. A bank of purple-ish-gray clouds is in the bottom right corner. Green trees run left to right through the middle of the photo. Two streetlights also flare in the midground.

One way we fund our operations is by providing emergency medical coverage at local events like the Independence Day fireworks show. Photo by SORS Member Gabi Battaglini

All revenue from every source goes directly and exclusively into supporting and sustaining our mission of service to the community, including continuing education for our volunteers, offering community classes and maintaining lifesaving equipment, vehicles and supplies.

That means every one of your donations, from the smallest to the largest, makes a difference!

“Thank you for your service to the county. You save lives for us all.”

-Recent SORS donor

Why your support matters

Donor support helps ensure we have up-to-date supplies and equipment and a station that’s secure for our vehicles and our volunteers. Your donations have supported anything from bandages for a scraped knee to new mannequins for free community CPR classes and even fuel for our technical rescue boats. Thank you!

This photo shows two rows of CPR mannequins, which are realistic head-and-torso models with sensors inside that help us teach people life-saving CPR. Blue and red mats lie beside them to cushion trainees’ knees. An instructional sign leans against a conference table. Nearby are more supplies for the class. On a pull-down screen, there’s an image of hands with fingers entwined, ready to give CPR to a mannequin in a yellow shirt. This is the training room at the SORS station in Carrboro, N.C.

Donations help us keep our equipment up-to-date, like these CPR mannequins set up for one of our free community CPR classes. Sign up for one at sors.us/CPR! Photo by SORS Member Marie Rossettie

We also use donations to help cover big-ticket items, and we have a few of those coming up:

  • Station upgrades. Our station on Roberson Street is also in need of some repairs. After 51 years of service, our facade is failing. (It was made from repurposed bricks of an old Carrboro mill, which means they are now roughly 125 years old!) Additionally, our flat roof is also due for some extra care and attention.
  • Vehicle upgrades. Emergency response vehicles have a rough life, and some of ours are approaching the end of their service. We need to replace one of our aging ambulances, which will cost over $400,000. If you’ve ever toured one of our rigs, you’ll understand why. Our ambulances have basic life support systems and other medical technology, all of which ride in a rugged box on a heavy-duty chassis. We also need to replace the ATV and trailer we use to get around on-scene at rescues.
This is a side-by-side photo array. The photo on the left shows a white box ambulance emblazoned with the SORS logo and yellow-and-blue safety chevron on the back drives into the snowy night with red lights flashing. On the right is an all-terrain vehicle called a gator outfitted with a stretcher and other rescue equipment. It's being driven by a man in a dark jacket and a gray winter beanie. In the background is a SORS ambulance.

Rescue vehicles aren’t cheap to maintain or replace. Your gifts make it possible for us to keep our rigs in good working condition as long as possible and to replace them when needed. Did you know we donated a decommissioned ambulance to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools for use in their Career & Technical Education program? Photos by SORS Member Sri Mani

Learn more about what it takes to run SORS.

Your support has a broader impact

You may not realize that your gifts enable us to provide vital field experience and continuing education in emergency response for people seeking careers in medicine, fire and rescue, public health and emergency management. SORS is an unparalleled source of workforce and career development.

If I had to pick one reason to donate, I would say to do it for the people! Not only does your donation help us respond when you or a loved one needs help, but it also provides the opportunity to train other professionals to respond. SORS will always hold a very special place in my heart because of its ability to develop our volunteers not only into future paramedics, EMTs, firefighters, nurses, PAs, physicians, researchers, teachers and other providers, but into community servants and leaders. Many individuals, including myself, owe their foundation in healthcare to their time with SORS. Thanks to my experiences serving the community through the SORS EMS division, I’ll be attending Wake Forest PA school next May!

Three women sit smiling on a Carolina blue cushion in front of a white cinderblock wall. The woman on the right has blonde hair and is wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and dark pants. She’s holding a walkie-talkie. The middle woman is wearing a light blue shirt and dark pants. She has dark brown hair and has a face mask around her wrist. The woman on the left has light brown hair and is also dressed in a light blue shirt and dark pants. She’s holding a portable automatic external defibrillator unit in a red and white pouch. They are SORS volunteer EMTs at a University of North Carolina sporting event.

SORS is a vital training ground for future first responders and other medical professionals like (l-r) RuthAnne Winston, Ambika Bhatt and Meghan Foster. Photo courtesy RuthAnne Winston

“Thanks for your excellent care and genuine concern when I needed my first-ever ambulance ride to the hospital for heart issues. What an amazing team.”

-Recent SORS donor

How to give

Like most nonprofits, we’re running a Giving Tuesday campaign and year-end fundraising appeal, but you don’t have to wait to give. We can accept your gift any time at sors.us/donate or via this QR.

Our average donation is $100, but any amount helps because a few dollars adds up over time!

That includes recurring gifts. For us, the consistency of monthly donations creates predictable income that makes it easier to budget and plan. For you, a recurring monthly donation is an easy way to know you’re making an impact and contributing to the well-being of your community!

You can give more if your employer offers a matching gift program, where they donate on your behalf equal to a percentage or the total amount of your contribution. Check with your HR department for more information. The South Orange Rescue Squad is a registered charity on platforms like Benevity.

We know not everyone has cash to spare right now, but there are other ways you can help! The easiest way is to help us spread the word on social media. Follow us on Facebook, Threads, LinkedIn and/or Instagram and like, share or comment on our posts. That allows us to show more people all the ways we serve the community. And it makes a difference!

“Thanks to the three volunteers for teaching my friends and me first aid!”

-Recent SORS donor

We are so grateful for your support—in whatever form—which allows us to live up to our motto, “Always prepared to serve”. Thank you!

This word art features orange and white text with social media logos for Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn and Facebook, and the SORS logo in a deep purple background. The text reads: Follow SORS for safety and health advice, local updates and a look inside our non-profit, volunteer-led rescue squad. Instagram & Threads: @southorangerescuesquad LinkedIn: south orange rescue squad Facebook: southorangerescue

RuthAnne Winston is an EMT on the SORS EMS crew. As a board member, she chairs the fundraising committee. Board member and EMT Leyla Ozelkan also contributed to this article.

The South Orange Dispatch is a monthly column on Chapelboro by the South Orange Rescue Squad: an all volunteer, 501c3 non-profit providing EMS and technical rescue services in the Carrboro-Chapel Hill area of Orange County since 1971.

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