SAR Techs

Hi, my name is Gerry Potter and I serve at OIM as the Innercity Veteran Outreach & Support (IVOS) Coordinator. I began serving with IVOS in November 2020 because I was drawn to the mission of the program and the compassion of the volunteers who were engaged in reaching out to Ottawa’s veterans in need.

During my military service I worked alongside some amazing people, some of whom were Search and Rescue specialists, otherwise known as SAR Techs. These men and women would go into some difficult environments for the sole purpose of finding people who needed their help and get them to safety. From my experience, every SAR Tech is a Canadian hero and their commitment to their mission gives me shivers.

IVOS, as a part of OIM, is doing similar work. Compassionate men and women go through the streets of our city seeking out those in need providing them with food, clothing, encouragement and practical help. While we don’t have to jump out of airplanes into the Canadian wilderness or into the raging Atlantic, the spirit of the work is akin to that of SAR Techs, and the environment into which IVOS-OIM workers go is similarly foreign.

If you desire to be part of the IVOS mission, please contact the OIM office and tell them you want to sign up and serve with OIM, just like a SAR Tech.

~Gerry, IVOS Coordinator