{"id":41329,"date":"2023-12-14T19:43:08","date_gmt":"2023-12-14T23:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaker.ca\/?p=41329"},"modified":"2023-12-14T19:43:08","modified_gmt":"2023-12-14T23:43:08","slug":"soaring-to-new-heights-stuffing-a-helicopter-in-owen-sperrys-memory-to-spread-holiday-cheer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/?p=41329","title":{"rendered":"Soaring to new heights: Stuffing a helicopter in Owen Sperry’s memory to spread holiday cheer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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HALIFAX STANFIELD AIRPORT:<\/strong> \u00a0What started out as simply stuffing a sack full of Christmas presents, has soared to new flights\u2014and could grow even bigger next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least that\u2019s the hope of Tracy Sperry, co-founder with son Jack of a holiday tradition that sees the collection of items for families in need in memory of her son and Jack\u2019s late brother Owen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Timberlea youngster died in a motor vehicle collision on Jan. 23, 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Owen\u2019s death, to get some joy for the holidays for Jack, and admittedly for herself too, Tracy and Jack came up the idea of helping other families in need. Boy has it grown since that first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy heart is completely overwhelmed, seeing the support here today,\u201d said Tracy Sperry as bags and bags of gifts were brought in and presents were packed into the LifeFlight helicopter, with the help of paramedics and Santa. \u201dI don\u2019t even have the words for today. This is touching so many lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tracy Sperry, left, and EHS Paramedic Crystal Upshaw look in amazement at the full of toys and other gifts that surround the EHS LifeFlight helicopter on Dec. 12. (Healey photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Six years ago the family partnered with EHS LifeFlight, holding the first Stuff A Helicopter toy drive in 2018. EHS was a big part of the tragic day, and the families support networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At EHS LifeFlight near the Halifax Stanfield Airport, employees participated in the sixth annual Stuff a Helicopter event. It was held in conjunction with the Sperry family as a way to continue to remember Owen and show how he continues to impact community groups and those in need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toys were dropped off by community members and volunteers, and EHS Paramedics, and quickly filled one of the EHS LifeFlight helicopters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Santa with some gifts that were given to him. (Healey photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The toys will go to the IWK Hospital, while items for a long-term care home in Bridgewater, the Marguerite Centre; Phoenix Youth Programs; Feed Nova Scotia, and other community groups helping unhoused individuals were also collected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tracy said everyone could use a little joy, and the support on this day definitely provided that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it’s a little extra special too, because we wish lists from every organization that we get so we really focus in on what people are wanting,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year the outreach of presents will include some gifts going to those at the Gated Community encampment in Lower Sackville on Cobequid Road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bearamedic placed a stuffed teddy in the helicopter. (Healey photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tracy and her group don\u2019t get much time off either from shopping for the following year. In fact, she said they\u2019ll be back out at it on Dec. 27<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe shop all year round, and any donations I\u2019m getting now are already in for the next year,\u201d said Tracy. \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said it\u2019s a small group, herself, Jack, and her husband, but mostly her that start the shopping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are then joined by the folks at EHS, LifeFlight, PAL, Canadian Helicopter, and the two hotels she used to work at Hotel Halifax and Barrington Hotel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It started out as Tracy and Jack just packing a sack with gifts. Then into her vehicle, and then it grew to her husband\u2019s truck too. That\u2019s when an idea came along from a friend of Tracy\u2019s at EHS to partner up and so they did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said EHS has been part of their life since that tragic day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEHS was a hug part of our accident, unfortunately,\u201d she said. \u201cThey were very much involved, and to see what they do every day and hear some of their stories along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s another thing with some of the places we touch, to hear their stories opens your eyes to a whole new world that you don\u2019t really know exists.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Paramedics Crystal Upshaw and Kevin Carey thought it be a cool partnership if they joined with them to help others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe thought they could ride on our wings with the helicopter to bring more awareness to them to get more donations,\u201d said Upshaw. \u201cWe thought what they were doing was amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The helicopter was filling up as they spoke to The Laker News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upshaw said she and Cary were talking one night on shift years ago about how they could help the family. And the partnership is what transpired out of that conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo see what it\u2019s turned into is pretty amazing,\u2019 said Upshaw. \u201cI think we\u2019re both proud of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Paramedic Crystal Upshaw (right) and Tracy Sperry embrace at the Stuff A Helicopter drive on Dec. 12. (Healey photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Carey agreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo do this in conjunction with the Sperry family is also important  to help them remember him and get closure,\u201d said Carey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upshaw said Tracy puts her heart and soul into making gifts individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of thought and love behind everything she does,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Group photo of all those that made the Stuff A Helicopter a success. (Healey photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tracy was asked what her hope is for people receiving the gifts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI hope it makes their day brighter and happier,\u201c she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI really want to get the message across that you can have something bad, something terrible happen in your life, and there\u2019s always a better side to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can always get through your difficult times.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And seeing what Tracy and those at EHS LifeFlight does in memory of Owen is a true Act of Kindness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[adrotate banner=”127″] [adrotate banner=”93″] HALIFAX STANFIELD AIRPORT: \u00a0What started out as simply stuffing a sack full of Christmas presents, has soared to new flights\u2014and could grow even bigger next year. At least that\u2019s the hope of Tracy Sperry, co-founder with son Jack of a holiday tradition that sees the collection of items for families in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":41335,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,957],"tags":[1984,2,50,121,48,5856,5857,5858],"class_list":["post-41329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-news","tag-ehs-lifeflight","tag-fall-river","tag-halifax","tag-hrm","tag-n-s","tag-owen-sperry","tag-sperry-family","tag-stuff-a-helicopter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=41329"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41329\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=41329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=41329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=41329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}