Event honors memory, helps community

Event honoring memory of Tim Olson raises funds for Rib Lake firefighters

Every community has people in it that seem larger than life and who touch those around them in profound ways making deep and lasting impacts.

For the Rib Lake community, Tim “Boomer” Olson was one of those people. Olson was a member of the Rib Lake Fire Department and was part of putting on the community’s annual 4th of July fireworks show and who had an extensive network of friends and family members. The community was shaken last fall to hear of Olson’s unexpected and untimely death at the age of 55. Hundreds of people attended the “Last Call” ceremony held in his honor on September 12.

His family, along with his significant other Ann Wild, wanted to do more to honor his memory and give back to the community he loved.

They decided to hold a Memorial Poker Run in his honor to raise money for the Rib Lake Fire Department. “Tim belonged to the fire department,” Wild explained, and they said the best way they felt to honor his memory was to help with fire department needs.

The event was held January 15 and 16 with 13 different bars participating. The event drew a large number of participants and their fundraising efforts far exceeded anyone’s expectations.

Wild explained that they had hoped to raise around $3,000 to $4,000. The event ended up raising $12,711 through the Poker Run, raffles and various other activities including money donated to get an eyebrow and a head shaved. Prior to the event, organizers had contacted fire chief Russ Bullis about department needs. Bullis said the department had recently purchased a filling station for the compressed air tanks used as part of the breathing apparatus in fire scenes and would be using the money donated to help pay for that expense. He said the donation will cover two years of the 5-year loan taken out for the equipment.

Bullis explained that the tank filling equipment was greatly needed by the department. Previously, they would have to take empty tanks to other fire departments or commercial vendors to have them filled. The new equipment allows them to refill bottles in just a few minutes. Bullis explained having the filler in the fire hall will allow a crew to ferry bottles to and from fire scenes without reducing the firefighting efforts.

“You could have heard a pin drop,” Bullis said of the firefighters reaction to finding out how much had been raised from the memorial event. Organizer Rebecca Van Luven, Olson’s niece, said she was touched by the amount of support people gave in the community “So many people donated,” she said, noting that prior to the event she would get contacted by people who heard about it and wanted to donate to it.

“It turned out to be something different, something bigger,” Wild said, sharing her appreciation of all the businesses and individuals that took part and donated making it a success.

Van Luven noted that it helped bring the community together.

“It is hard to thank everybody, words alone don’t do it,” Wild said.

Members of the Tim Olson Memorial Poker Run organizing committee gathered at the Rib Lake Fire Hall last week. The event raised $12,711 which will be used to help pay off the air tank filling station (right) used to fill the compressed air tanks that allow firefighters to have air when going into burning structures.

BRIAN WILSON/THE STAR NEWS