Billie Van Egmond (left) and Julie Scadden (right) with a $19,500 grant from the Black Hawk Gaming Association. Photo submitted.

Dysart’s Ambulance service and Union High School’s track program each received grants from the Black Hawk Gaming Association earlier this month to help fund purchases for each recipient.

Dysart Ambulance, represented by Director Julie Scadden and Billie Van Egmond, accepted a check for $19,500 to go to buying cardiac monitors that could transmit information to hospitals in transit. According to Scadden, these monitors have been in use since August.

“We’ve just had a case where we’ve had to transmit information to the hospital, so they can be prepared for the patient before we can even arrive,” Scadden said. “We didn’t know if it was a heart attack or a stroke, but that monitor was able to determine a stroke. We were able to get him to CT within two hours, which is ideal for anyone who suffers a stroke.”

Union High School applied for a grant to help fund the new timer system for the track and field program. Head girls track coach Justin Parson applied for the grant last year and was notified in the late summer the program would receive $11,500, half of the cost of the timing system.

“We’ve been fundraising and the suggestion came to apply for a grant through Black Hawk Gaming, who have been great with working with us,” Parson said. “We went through the process and were fortunate to be selected. We’re really pumped up for this.”

Coach Justin Parson along with Union athletes Jon Bronner, Grace Asmussen and Lake LeBahn with the $11,500 check for their new track timing system.

Parson hopes to schedule more home track meets at Union, stating he believes the district has “one of the greatest facilities for track in this area.” With a timing system in place, Parson believes Union can draw more schools and potentially host a State Track Qualifying Meet in La Porte City one day.

“We want to show off our school and community through home meets,” Parson said. “We’ll keep working with the Union Booster Club and receiving this grant has accelerated our timeline for installing this system. We’re working through the kinks, but it’s been great to have. I can’t wait until spring to have the opportunity to use it more.”

Grants are awarded by the Black Hawk Gaming Association on behalf of the Isle Casino and Hotel in Waterloo. While the primary focus of the association is Black Hawk County, the organization awards grants in Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Chickasaw, Grundy and Tama counties.

“We were so thankful to get this grant,” Scadden said. “It’s expensive to get this equipment and we really depend on fundraisers and grants like this to afford the best equipment possible to do our job.”