Don't Wait Alone

Before joining the Ackley Volunteer Ambulance Service, (AVAS) I used to look at the crew as more of a “taxi service” that would take patients from the medical center or of Grand Ji Vante to and from local hospitals, and not much more than that. Since joining the crew, I want to explain to you why this service is important to me, and why it should also be important to you.

The volunteers of the ambulance service aren’t just a couple men and women riding around in a “rig” for kicks. It is made up of several different types of people that share a common interest and goal to care for the community they serve and the people who give back to them. AVAS president Joan Frazier owns a business on Main Street. She sees many people walk through her door. People she cares for, people that depend on her for their safety. Volunteer Jesse Oelmann- his full-time job is working at the local recycling plant. He’s the guy in yellow who picks up your red bins every other week. His wife Danielle owns a hair salon downtown Ackley. They have two daughters. Volunteer Chris Richtsmeier has grandchildren that call Ackley home, and volunteer Jordan Colbie has a wife and two young children. These are just some of the volunteers this community has to serve them. They do so on the basis that they love what they do and what it stands for.