(Editor’s note: This is the third in a five-part series.)
Urbanna Oyster Festival Queen Contestant Sara Murray and Little Miss Spat Contestant Caroline Ward have joined together to raise funds and awareness for protecting emergency service workers who are responding to roadside scenes. Sara and Caroline each has a strong connection to the first responder community, with Sara’s father being a professional and volunteer firefighter, and Caroline’s father being a state trooper. Not only do they recognize their own connections to this group, but they also know that with Middlesex having mostly volunteer services, many locals have the safety of first responders as a high priority. “We wanted to do everything we could to ensure that those who keep us safe are also protected. It’s the least that we could do,” said Sara.
The girls knew that they wanted to purchase equipment for the fire departments and the rescue squad, as they had assessed the need for equipment, and knew that they needed a lot. They got in contact with the vice president of Air Care Incorporated, a Hayes-based company that provides all kinds of equipment to different emergency service agencies.
“It was really important to us that we work with a company personally, and not just any online order service,” Sara said. “We wanted to be able to get to know people personally so that they could see the impact that their equipment will have.”
In the end, Sara and Caroline were able to collect about $2,500 worth of equipment for the fire departments and the rescue squad, including durable cones, electronic strobes, flares and more.
The pair conducted a training seminar at the beginning of August, with a guest speaker from the Emergency Responder Safety Institute. Jack Sullivan is a master instructor and the director of training with the ERSI, and he delivered a two-and-a-half-hour class to the first responders of Middlesex on the dangers of responding to roadside scenes. He gave them lots of information and proven techniques and strategies to protect themselves from distracted drivers.
On the seminar, Sara said, “We really wanted to make sure that we provided not only equipment for the emergency service providers’ protection, but also information and strategies from someone more equipped than us to provide them.” The training seminar was a huge success, with almost 40 representatives from the different agencies in attendance. Sara and Caroline raised more than $6,500, and were able to give credit to the departments for use in purchasing safety equipment.
In her time at Middlesex High School, Sara has been the president of her class for two years, president of the MHS National Honor Society chapter, an active member of the Student Government Association, a member of the Spanish Honor Society, and a member of DECA. Sara was a member of the Virginia Senate Page class of 2017.
She is a member of Lower United Methodist Church.
After graduation, Sara would like to pursue a career in law and politics.
Sara is the daughter of H. Paul and Karen Murray, and the granddaughter of Bill and Carolyn Morris, H. Spencer and Debra Murray, and the late Janet Gormus Murray. She has a younger brother, Jackson Murray.
Sara’s Little Miss Spat contestant, Caroline Ward, is a first-grade student at Middlesex Elementary School. Caroline is the daughter of Shawn and Ally Ward, and the granddaughter of Gerald and Shirleen Brady and Michael and Delores Ward.
Caroline likes to dress up, play with makeup, dance, go to school, bike, swim, and shoot her BB gun with her father. She loves American Ninja Warrior!
