Saskatchewan's Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (STARS) had many reasons to celebrate on Thursday.

At their 5th Anniversary open house at their Regina base, the air ambulance service was given a $2.5 million dollar donation from Mosaic Company.

Mosaic was one of the earliest corporate sponsors of STARS when they launched in Saskatchewan in 2012, initially providing $5.5 million toward the Regina hangar and a BK 117 helicopter to literally get operations off the ground.  

“Mosaic partners with organizations that enhance the sustainability of our business and the communities where we operate,” said Mosaic’s Senior Vice President, Potash – Bruce Bodine in a media release. "Our potash operations are located in rural Saskatchewan, and our employees reside in many small communities that benefit from the addition of this service. If an incident were to happen at one of our facilities or a nearby community, we know that STARS is ready to help,” he adds.

STARS is a non-profit organization, which receives about half of their $20-million annual budget from the provincial government. They rely on corporate donations and fundraising for the remaining $10 million.

“We are forever grateful to early corporate donors like Mosaic who were instrumental in establishing STARS in our province,” said Denise Belman, executive director of the STARS Foundation, Saskatchewan. “For us, it’s all about the patient, and we are honoured that Mosaic is renewing their commitment to our organization, enabling us to continue providing world-class emergency air medical care and transport to those who need it most.”

STARS has bases in Regina and Saskatoon, and have flown over 4,000 missions to 500 different communities in the province since 2012.