Fundraising Events

Bike Safety, Brews, and support for TCSAR set for Snake River Brewery on May 18

With trail season coming into swing, TCSAR is excited to highlight the importance of backcountry bike safety at the Snake River Brewery on Thursday, May 18. The community is encouraged to ride a bike to the Brew Pub where local bike shops will be giving out free safety checks, advice on how to outfit your bike for the summer, and where Friends of Pathways will have bike course set up for test rides. (Please, wear your helmet and obey all traffic laws!)

Recent trends show mountain biking accidents on the rise in the Jackson Hole area. Last summer, TCSAR volunteers responded to 13 bike accidents—the most ever in a single season. Not only were bike accidents more frequent, the severity of the injuries were also a cause for concern.

Deemed “Mission Critical Mass,” the May 18 event is also a great opportunity to publicly support TCSAR’s campaign to bring a year-round rescue helicopter to Teton County. The Brew Pub has generously offered to donate $1 for every beer to TCSAR. Plus, the event includes a special raffle supporting the helicopter campaign featuring some incredible prizes, including:

Raffle tickets cost $50 and are in limited supply. As of May 17, there were only 20 tickets left! Winners will be announced during Mission Critical Mass, but you don’t have to present to win.

A heartfelt thank you to all the sponsors of Mission Critical Mass!

"Pizza for a Purpose" Supports Mission Critical on May 16

On Tuesday, May 16, join us at Hand Fire Pizza for "Pizza For a Purpose," where a portion of proceeds from each pizza go toward Mission Critical. If only all decisions about dinner could be so simple.

During “Pizza for a Purpose” $4 of every large pizza and $2 of every small pizza sold will benefit TCSAR.

Come say hello and learn about TCSAR’s effort to secure a year-round rescue helicopter for Teton County.

Thank you, Hand Fire Pizza!

Down the Home Stretch, All Donations to Mission Critical will be Tripled

Jackson, Wyo. — Teton County Search & Rescue Foundation is excited to announce that it is on the precipice of reaching its goal of purchasing a year-round rescue helicopter for Teton County Search & Rescue. With six weeks left in the fundraising campaign—called Mission Critical—TCSAR Foundation is presenting the community with the unique opportunity to have every donation tripled. This is due to the generosity of two anonymous local donors who are pledging to match the next $50,000 donated to Mission Critical. 

The community can help bring a rescue ship home to Teton County by having every donation tripled for the next six weeks. Photo: Dirk Collins

Since August 2022, TCSAR Foundation has raised 99 percent of the funding needed to purchase a year-round backcountry-dedicated helicopter for Teton County. This amount stems from roughly 1,000 individual donations since Mission Critical was launched last summer. If the community can come together to raise another $50,000, TCSAR Foundation can successfully close out the campaign.

TCSAR does not own—and never has owned—a helicopter. TCSAR currently leases a rescue helicopter for eight months out of the year, leaving a critical gap in their ability to respond to life-threatening injuries. The lease model also puts TCSAR in jeopardy of not receiving a contracted helicopter in the future. 

With this excellent opportunity to triple every donation, TCSAR Foundation is asking everyone to pitch in for what will be a true community asset. A successful campaign means that Teton County will have an on-call rescue helicopter available 365 days a year. The helicopter will also be available to fight fires that threaten local homes and businesses, be able to respond to natural disasters, and be a resource for other backcountry emergencies in Teton County. 

Each year, TCSAR volunteers collectively donate 10,000 hours of their time to perform rescues, complete training exercises, provide education, and participate in community events. As backcountry use has exploded in our area, the volunteers are repeatedly called upon to respond to people in need of their help. Last year, nearly half of all rescues performed by TCSAR were for local and regional residents. Investing in the SAR ship is an investment for the health and safety of all backcountry users in our community.

For the next several weeks, TCSAR Foundation will continue its Mission Critical spring tour to get the word out and collect donations. To see the full schedule and to donate to the campaign, visit www.TetonCountySAR.org/mission-critical.