By Breven Honda

In the last decade, the Mohave County Sheriff’s Department’s Search and Rescue group has grown and elevated themselves to have over 100 volunteers and reach non-profit status in northwest Arizona.

Now they are looking to take the step, hoping to increase their community outreach, including in nearby Mesquite, which is one of their four strip units that extends to the surrounding areas outside of Mohave County. 

On March 9, the SAR Mesquite strip unit will hold a private event fund-raisers called, “Search for Gold Auction & Dinner,” at the Mesquite Elks Lodge to help build awareness to the community and upgrade resources in order to save those in a time of crisis.

“We want to present a program so this will be an educational event as well,” said Ellen Middleton, who is serving on the fund-raising committee. “We have a powerful video of some actual rescues and training. This really highlights the need for the proper training and equipment so that our unit can safely rescue and respond.”

The planning, which started in October, has had to be in a fast-paced mode because the committee only has five months to prepare the fund-raiser, compared to having a desired 12 months.

As a result, Middleton said her team has needed to adapt to the pressure of not having an extra seven months to prepare.

Part of the planning of the event will also include search and rescue volunteers in attendance to continue the awareness of what goes into the process of saving victims, whether it is through the swift water rescues from rivers or flash floods, or even their rescues in the air or technical rescues with ropes.

The event registration is currently online for $50 tickets that will feature a plated tri-tip dinner and only available to 84 total seats. The festivities, which begin at 5 p.m. with the doors opening, will include a raffle as well as both a live and silent auction.    

Middleton said having less than 100 tickets for the event allows the planning committee to be able to expand on this event in years to come.

“Since it’s grassroots, we want to keep it small because they want to get it right and we do plan to grow the event for the future,” Middleton said.

Every dollar that is donated that night will go directly the Mohave County Search and Rescue Strip for necessary equipment and supplies.

In addition to the search and rescue volunteers helping out with the event, members from the Mesquite community will also be in attendance and have a role in the fund-raiser. Mesquite Mayor Al Litman will be the Master of Ceremonies and the Mesquite Café Blues Band will provide entertainment. Litman will also hold the live auction aspect and the Mesquite Show Girls will be selling raffle tickets.

Middleton and the committee are also reaching out to local businesses to support the fund-raiser with potential prizes for the raffle and auctions.

Some of the donations the fund-raising committee has received for the raffle and auctions include artwork, theatre tickets, golf packages to various local courses, gift certificates to local salons and restaurants, RZR rentals from Virgin River Adventure as well as hotel giveaways.

Having the community involvement for the fund-raiser has been a huge part in building the foundation of the success to organize the festivities.

“It’s so wonderful to know that our community has a heart to serve,” Middleton said. “I moved here in 2020 and I have a volunteer heart for fund-raising events to benefit others. Fortunately, I’ve made some wonderful connections and friendships since we moved here, and these wonderful people have all answered the call to help join the committee.

“Their expertise is really driving this.”

Middleton’s husband, John, recently joined the Strip Unit in Mesquite in December after being a member of the Snohomish County Search and Rescue group in Everett, Wash.

That is how Middleton heard about the fund-raiser and her path to helping out in the coordination of the event.

Middleton realized how much support these helpers need to do their part to be as prepared as possible when crisis does arise.

“I found out the command center’s right here at the Mesquite airport and that is completely 100% volunteers, their funding, their own training, their own equipment,” Middleton said. “It’s really an amazing group.

“They can minimize suffering and save lives. That is why we’re standing to support them.”

Mohave County is the fifth largest county in the mainland United States as the Search and Rescue units cover a combined 200,000 square miles of diverse terrain from forested mountains, dry deserts, canyons and rivers, including the Colorado River, with the potential for extreme temperatures throughout the year.