Nestled in the back of a former Brenner dealership building on Paxton Street in Harrisburg, members of the Harrisburg River Rescue are at the ready, waiting for the inevitable summertime call that a boater, kayaker or swimmer is in trouble.
They have called this location home for nearly two years since the 2011 floods that devastated parts of the city and outlying areas. While crew members were assisting with water rescues in the Hershey/Hummelstown area, the River Rescue itself was being flooded out of its long-time location on S. Cameron Street.
The Central Penn Business Journal, located on high ground on Paxton Street, provided the group with a temporary facility on its property. But, even after the waters subsided, members were unable to return to their former home because they didn’t own the building and the landlord decided to sell the property.
Eventually, they made their way to their current location at Paxton and S. 19th streets. Members like this spot because it’s not prone to flooding, but is still close to the river. However, the old Brenner site is not suited to the very specific needs of the organization, since it’s designed like, well, a car dealership.
“We’re looking for a place that can house fundraising and catering events and that we can move into while still on-call for rescues,” said Steve Ketterer, a member of Harrisburg River Rescue for 41 years.
The group has been working with an agent to locate a new headquarters.
“We’ve seen several properties, but they’re not conducive to us. They’re either too expensive, or they’re in shambles, or they are too expensive and need to have more money put in them for re-modeling,” said Joe Ketterer, public information officer and a 37-year member of the group.
The Harrisburg River Rescue has 72 members, with 35 trained in water rescue. Twelve to 15 members are solely responsible for fundraising events and are constantly looking to host events, such as bingo and flea markets. Many of the events are held off-site because of the space.
“We do an annual basket bingo in October, and we’re looking for a way to hold it here,” said Joe Ketterer.
The group also gets help from the community.
In May, Earl David Reed, radio personality from the morning show on 105.7 the X, along with other comedians from the area, held a fundraiser comedy show for the organization at the Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center. RJ Harris, radio host on WHP 580, holds an auction on the radio during the holidays. On July 15, the River Rescue is hosting a Harrisburg Senators community night, in which the group will receive a portion of the ticket sales.
While some of the money is going to a potential new home, fundraising also helps pay for other essentials, such as insurance and equipment.
“We’re not included in any kind of funding of any type, including Homeland Security funds or anything like it. We tried to get introduced in there as an add-on, but any type of water rescue or any special type of rescue is not included, unlike fire and EMS,” said Joe Ketterer.
As a non-profit, any donation made to the Harrisburg River Rescue comes with tax advantages. Someone could benefit with a tax write-off if they have a vacant building or a piece of land within the city of Harrisburg that they don’t plan on selling or renting, as long as the organization finds it suitable, said Ketterer. The group also encourages everyone to support them by attending one of their many fundraising events.
If you are interested in making a donation, or want more information about the organization and its fundraising events, check out harrisburgriverrescue.org.
