Jump for Charity this Saturday; Over $20,000 raised so far
September 2, 2025, 8:30 am
Ryan Kiedrowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
On Saturday, Sept. 6, Jesse Buchanan and Jackie Vennard with Hutch Ambulance in Moosomin will be joining the Saskatchewan EMS team in a friendly competition against the Moose Jaw Police Service to see who can raise the most money for Teddy Bears Anonymous. The apex of that fundraiser is seeing both teams jump out of an airplane from 7,500 feet.
“Leading up to it, I’m starting to get a little nervous about it,” Buchanan admitted. “I’m pretty excited. I’ve always wanted to skydive because I was planning in my younger years on going into the military and I wanted to get my parachute wings then, but I didn’t go that route. So this is the next best thing. We’re doing a tandem jump, so we’re going to be hooked up to someone the whole time.”
A nerve-wracking experience for sure, but being connected to a professional instructor from Skydive South Sask certainly provides much-needed confidence.
The focus of the Jump for Charity 2025 happening at the Moose Jaw Municipal Airport is raising money to purchase teddy bears for sick children in Saskatchewan hospitals and EMS services. Those stuffed bears may seem like a small gesture, but to someone experiencing an emergency situation, having an item to help comfort them is priceless.
“It just shows that we’re not as scary as it seems, especially when we’re in the back (of the ambulance),” Buchanan explained. “When they’re given the teddy bear, they can trust us.”
Heading into the homestretch before the big jump, the fundraiser has seen more than $20,000 in donations to the campaign. Back on June 1, the crew from Hutch Ambulance held a Teddy Bear Breakfast to raise funds and fix some of the ailments of beloved stuffies belonging to local kids, which added to the overall pot and helped raise awareness for the cause.
“We had about 150 people show up,” Buchanan said of the event, which was highlighted by a generous donation of $1,000 from the Moosomin branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.
There’s still time to donate toward the Jump for Charity through teddybearsanonymous.ca where you can choose between two pools—the Saskatchewan EMS (comprised of Hutch Ambulance Moosomin and Macklin EMS Service) or the Moose Jaw Police Service.
When asked who’s going to bring in the most money this year, Buchanan enthusiastically replied, “us!”
In 2024, the Saskatchewan EMS crew raised $6,611 for the Jump for Charity— surpassing the Regina City Police Service.
There are 23 hospitals participating in the Teddy Bears Anonymous program, including the Southeast Integrated Care Centre in Moosomin, St. Anthony’s Hospital in Esterhazy, and the Redvers Medical Centre. In addition, EMS and First Responders in 51 communities also take part, including Moosomin, Esterhazy, Kipling, Langenburg, Maryfield, Redvers, Rocanville, Wawota, and Whitewood.
The jump starts at 9 am at the Moose Jaw Airport, with a barbecue running from 10 am to 1 pm that day. Anyone is welcome to attend.
People can donate to Teddy Bears Anonymous online at https://teddybearsanonymous.ca and put Pool A in the comment section of the donation to support the Sask EMS pool that Buchanan and Vennard are a part of.
