Front view of the custom 1968 Ford Mustang 427 Fastback (Twitter/@PegasusforSTARS)

By Elliott Knopp

Pegasus Project

STARS’ Pegasus Project road show rolling through Meadow Lake

Aug 17, 2021 | 4:04 PM

A few stars are rolling through town before the weekend, but not the ones you may be thinking of.

These stars do live a high-flying lifestyle, but they do so by watching over the community and providing a life-saving service to those in need.

Members of the STARS Air Ambulance team will be in Meadow Lake on Friday, Aug. 20 at the Pine Ridge Ford dealership from 9 a.m. to noon. The roadshow team will be set up to show off a custom-built 1968 Ford Mustang 427 Fastback set to be auctioned off at the 2022 Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. After the Meadow Lake appearance, the road show team will head to Paradise Hill for a showing at Novlan Bros. Ford from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The vehicle highlights a unique fundraising initiative called the ‘Pegasus Project’ which is designed to help the non-profit organization purchase a new fleet of helicopters. According to the STARS website, the popular constellation sharing the same name is said to represent the fleet of STARS helicopters while the Mustang is a metaphorical reference to the mythical horse creature.

Those who attend the event will have an opportunity to see the vehicle up close and take photos. The STARS team will be accepting donations and selling merchandise, as well as copies of former Humboldt Bronco Kaleb Dahlgren’s new book Crossroads. Proceeds from sales will go to STARS’ Pegasus Project.

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In an interview with meadowlakeNOW, STARS Director Jeri-Lyn Johnson explained the organization chose to replace its current fleet after determining that a specific model of helicopter would better serve the community.

“An extensive research and study was done to look at our existing fleet of helicopters, and we’re currently flying two types of aircrafts,” she shared.

“A decision was made to move to one type of aircraft, the Airbus H145, so that all of our pilots will be trained on one helicopter model. When you look at maintenance and engineering schedules, we’re able to create a better flow throughout the entire organization.”

STARS serves the Prairies and Western Canada through its six bases in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. In 2019, STARS completed nearly 3,000 recovery missions. More than 900 missions were conducted in Saskatchewan, 14 of which were in Meadow Lake alone.

The fundraising goal of the Pegasus Project was set at $138 million to replace the entire fleet. On Tuesday, Johnson stated the most recent update has the organization is only $7 million away from reaching their target. Once the fleet has been replaced, STARS is expected to sell the discontinued models and direct the money toward the company’s annual fundraising efforts.

The initiative is supported by its ambassador, Saskatoon-born actor Kim Coates, known for his roles in Goon, Blackhawk Down and Sons of Anarchy. In a 2019 promotional video, Coates stresses the importance of STARS in the community, saying “You all know what STARS is. It’s an incredible organization that needs our help… the work they do is unbelievable, and we all need them so much.”

Anyone who would like to make an online donation to STARS’ Pegasus Project can process their transaction through the Pegasus Project website.

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elliott.knopp@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @ElliottKnopp