The Josh King Memorial Scavenger Hunt is Sure to Put 'Fun' in Fundraising, May 20

The Josh king Memorial Scavenger Hunt is happening Friday, May 20 with registration open at 5:30 p.m. and games beginning at 6 p.m. The event will be held in honor of the late Josh King, who served as a paramedic and Director of Ambulance. Anyone who knew King knew that he was incredibly devoted to his calling and to his community and many of the current Richland County EMTs were trained by or worked with him. After he passed away in 2013, family and friends set up the Ambulance Education Fund through the Foundation for Community Care and in 2015 the decision was made by King's family to create a scholarship fund for those looking to pursue advanced paramedic education.

The scavenger hunt will start in the IGA parking lot outside of the Foundation for Community Care, where on-call EMTs will be giving tours of the "King Ambulance"; registration is $25 per person or $100 for a team of five. From there, teams will be given the location of their first challenge, including hilarious shenanigan challenges and medic challenges. Some of the medic challenges will include taking vitals, splinting, the KED device, back boarding, CPR, administering the Heimlich, a life-sized Operation game, and an introduction to Lucas, which is a machine that administers automated chest compressions. These machines have been received throughout the state and the Richland County EMTs are looking forward to familiarizing the pubic with them and answering any questions. Prizes will be awarded to the Best Medic-in-Training, whoever gets the best grade from EMTs, Highest Score, which requires teams to take a picture at the end of each challenge and post it, and a prize for the Best Fundraiser. Those who've taken advantage of online registration at http://tempuri.org/tempuri.html have already begun fundraising. During the scavenger hunt, teams can raise money by being amateur street performers and earning donations, dressing up in costumes to get onlookers to donate money for a picture with them, finding 'sponsors' to back their crazy challenges, or whatever other legal means of fundraising you can think of. Individuals don't need to be part of a team to participate in the challenges or help with fundraising, however anyone who is going to be accepting donations for the scholarship fund must register and receive a denoted bracelet letting the public know that they are a legitimate part of fundraising events. Those who register will also get a t-shirt commemorating the event.

For those that aren't interested in partaking in the challenges, there is still plenty of fun to be had taking in the hilarious festivities and watching the wacky competition between teams, so come one and come all! The challenges are open to anyone, being most suitable for those ten and older, with at least one adult per team and drivers are recommended for time efficiency.

Donations can be made by texting the word JOSH to 71777; registered teams will be given a unique word (e.g. JOSH32) to track their online donations. Donations can also be made directly at the event, online at http://tempuri.org/tempuri.html, or by mailing them to the foundation for Community Care, 221 2nd St NW, Sidney, MT, 59270, with Ambulance Education noted in the memo line.

All medic challenges are being provided by the Richland County Emergency Medical Service and prizes are being provided by the Foundation for Community Care.

There will be after-hours activities following the event. For more information, visit Josh King Scavenging Fundraiser on Facebook or call Alli Nelson at 406-580-6031. For more information about applying for the scholarship, contact the Foundation for Community Care at 406-433-2273.

Josh King was someone devoted to his family, his friends, and his work. He believed in 'providing the highest quality emergency care available to those who need it.' His memory reminds us that we can make a difference in the lives of our friends and neighbors, just as his memory continues to make a difference in the lives of those who knew him well.