“As I perform my duty Lord, whatever be the call, help to guide and keep me safe, from dangers big and small. I want to serve and do my best, no matter what the scene; I pledge to keep my skills refined, my judgement quick and keen. His calling to give myself, most do not understand, but I stand ready all the time, to help my fellow man. To have the chance to help a child, restore his laugh with glee, a word of thanks I might not hear, but knowing is enough for me. The praise of men is fine for some, but I feel truly blessed, that you oh Lord have chosen me, to serve in EMS” an EMS Prayer. 

A committee of four Niobrara County locals have banned together to put on the first annual Lusk/Niobrara EMS Benefit and Community Carnival and those members include Verlene Matney, Monica Wilcox, Merri Keller, and Lori Himes. Collectively, the group had originally planned on doing an auction and dinner much like the setup of the annual LVFD fundraiser, but decided they didn’t want to take away from the LVFD fundraiser and wanted something both more family friendly and different that would get people out and about. You may have seen any combination of the four advertising for the carnival in the local parades throughout the summer, hanging posters, or on Facebook updating the details of just what they have planned. The carnival will be held at the city shop parking lot on Saturday, August 25, 2018 from 12noon until roughly 10PM that night. As previously mentioned, this event is intended to be family friendly and therefore a slew of activities have been planned including wheel chair and cot races, a petting zoo, face painting, a water slide, and a dunk tank where Director Cory Wilcox has humbly agreed to take the seat along with a few other Niobrara County locals. And of course, what is a carnival without cotton candy, hot dogs, hamburgers, and popcorn; all of which will be present. “My goal is to bring EMS and Niobrara County together [and] let people see who we are. Normally, when people see EMS, it is not in the most comfortable circumstances. I would like everyone to know us in an enjoyable atmosphere” explains Monica Wilcox, committee member and EMT. Currently, there are twelve EMT’s on the Niobrara Ambulance Service. Those EMT’s include: Traci Dockery , Kassidy Miller, Charles Fadness, Katelynn Miller, Barbara Finley, Tricia Miller, Merri Keller, Jessica Stallman, Steven Kellet, Colby Thurston, Jeannette McConnell, and Monica Wilcox. Cory Wilcox is the EMT Director. At one point in her life, Lori Himes, fellow committee members, was also on the EMT roster and states of the committee’s overall mission: “I have been on both sides and I know the sacrifice that EMT’s make to answer the call. And I know what a relief it is to see them coming to help when needed. You will very seldom see an EMT take credit for a job well done, so that is our mission”. 

While the carnival is intended to be a fun family outing, it is also intended to be educational. Booths have so far been claimed to educate the community on vital signs, CPR, Search and Rescue, Helpmate, and more. The carnival will also act as a fundraiser where the committee again agrees they hope to help raise funds for the EMS service to further EMT training, purchase books for the upcoming EMT course, and assist in updating the current communication systems. “Most people don’t want to think about the EMS service because when we do, it’s because we are needing them. That’s not always pleasant” expresses Verlene Matney, committee member, adding, “For me, these people go through a lot of training and then spend time away from their families and normal lives to take care of those in need. I appreciate that so much and am glad we have this service for our community. I really would like people to come see and understand what being an EMT involves. We need to support them in any way we can”. In an effort to help realize the committee’s goals of assisting the service with funding, different raffles have been set up including two 9mm handguns, one pink and one blue, a survival kit, and a 50/50 raffle. If you haven’t seen it around town yet, Wanda Brewster also handmade a gorgeous EMT quilt that is being raffled off. Tickets for any raffle can be purchase from any committee member.

“EMS in general is important to me, I have a passion for it that is hard to explain, I know all involved with our service feel the same. My goal is to show each of our EMT’s how much they are appreciated and at the same time, show how much each of us care for our community” conveys Wilcox. 

The days’ events are set to conclude with a street dance by Nate Smith & the Cattywhompus Band beginning at 6PM. Anyone that is would like to donate to the event can contact any one of the committee members. Any person wanting to be a part of the Niobrara Ambulance Service can contact Monica Wilcox at 307-340-1945. The fall EMT class is slated to start August 21 and currently has eleven students registered.