Government

It’s all quite cricket for the Ambulance Corps

JULIE LANE PHOTO | Supervisor Jim Dougherty clutches a $15,000 check presented to him from the Shelter Island Cricket Club for use by the Ambulance Corps. With Mr. Dougherty are (from left) Jim Preston, Gareth Jones and David Shillingford.

On Friday, David Shillingford presented a $15,000 check to the town to help support the Ambulance Corps.

The money was raised by the July cricket match between the Shelter Island Cricket Club and a “Rest of the World” team of players from  Britain, Australia, India, Canada and New Zealand. The money will be presetned to the Shelter Island Ambulance Foundation which will be used to fund a machine to communicate life saving ECG data from an ambulance to the receiving hospital, improving patient outcomes.

This was the second annual cricket match on Shelter Island and was played at the Island Boatyard with food provided by SALT, which contributed part of its profits to the Ambulance Corps.

The Ambulance Corps, long under the auspices of the American Red Cross, was taken over by the town in January 2012 and still relies on contributions to augment money the town provides for its ongoing operation.

Last year about 250 spectators were on hand for the event that raised $13,000 for the Ambulance Corps. That money was used to help cover the costs of training simulators, CPR effectiveness software and to help support a four-year goal of buying a new ambulance.