Westport Woman’s Club, Anonymous Donor Give $300,000 to Westport Volunteer EMS for New Ambulance

Members of Westport EMS, the Westport Woman’s Club, and First Selectwoman Jen Tooker stand with a check for $300,000 as a donation to fund a future ambulance purchase. Contributed photo

The Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Service  (WVEMS) received a grant for a total of $300,000 to purchase a new ambulance for the  Westport Emergency Medical Service. This grant consists of $150,000 from the Westport  Woman’s Club and an additional $150,000 from an anonymous member of the club. 

This grant will be used to replace one of Westport’s three ambulances. The cost of an  ambulance has risen substantially from 8 years ago when they last purchased an ambulance.  The cost has risen over 65% due to inflation and supply chain issues that are plaguing the world  after the initial pandemic. 

“This grant shows what a wonderful community we live in. When we put the word out to the  community that we needed to replace our ambulances, the community responded - with the Westport Women’s Club leading the way. It has been truly astounding. We want to thank both the Westport Woman’s Club and their anonymous donor for their extraordinary support” said Michael Burns, President of the Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Service. 

“The Westport Woman’s Club is delighted that we could make this donation to such an  important service for the people Westport.” said Donna Richardson Chairperson of the  Westport Woman’s Club Community Services 

Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Services dedicates itself to saving lives and providing  first class pre-hospital emergency care for all who live, work, or pass through Westport. The organization's corps of dedicated volunteers work alongside seven town employees to  respond to all medical emergencies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  

Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Service is a non-profit, tax-exempt, charitable  organization founded in 1979 that serves the Westport, Connecticut community and its nearly  30,000 residents, hundreds of businesses, and some of the busiest roadways and passenger  railroads in the country. Each year WVEMS volunteers give over 15,000 hours of their time to  respond to nearly 2500 emergency medical calls as well as train over 2,000 in CPR, Stop The  Bleed, EMR and EMT classes from their downtown headquarters. The organization relies on tax  deductible donations to buy all of the needed equipment and supplies from band-aids to the  ambulances themselves.