By FRANK SOJAK
Conemaugh Health System’s MedStar team is always taking off somewhere to help during an emergency.
Even when not on duty, the 18-member team believes it’s their obligation to help people.
Responding to emergencies as a volunteer with a fire company or ambulance service is second nature to them.
And every summer, the team organizes a motorcycle ride to benefit someone in the community.
This year’s event will be held Saturday, with the proceeds going toward the medical expenses for Tony Sebetich, who is ill.
Sebetich also has committed himself to serving others by serving as assistant chief of the Ebensburg Borough Police Department, as a member of the Dauntless Fire Company and as an emergency medical technician.
The event starts at Greenhouse Park, located near Tire Hill, with registration at 11:30 a.m. The ride begins at 1 p.m. and will take participants through Johnstown to Ebensburg and Nanty Glo before heading to the area of Yellow Creek State Park. Riders then will go to Seward and Ligonier before heading back to Greenhouse Park.
The 100-mile-long trip includes a stop at the Nanty Glo fire hall for food and refreshments.
The event costs $15 a rider or $20 for a rider and a passenger.
Storm Nagle, prehospital operations manager and member of MedStar, said during emergencies, the MedStar team is always taking care of people.
“We all are very community-minded and this (event) is just another way to take care of individuals in our community,” she said.
The event, in its sixth year, raises about $1,500 each year, she said.
Past beneficiaries include the family of a man who died in a motorcycle accident while participating in a charity motorcycle event and a family who needed help with funeral expenses for a loved one.
Nagle said the man they are holding the event for this year has touched the lives of many people, including the MedStar team, through his service in law enforcement and emergency services.
All the members of MedStar, many of whom are motorcyclists, work hard to make the event a success each year, she said.
The hospital supports the team’s effort, she said.
Nagle, a registered nurse, said the MedStar team is thankful for all the support from the riders plus businesses and individuals who make donations for the event.
“I’ve lived in this area all of my life,” she said. “One thing about Johnstown is that everybody pitches in to help others.”
Dale Makin, MedStar member, said it’s rewarding to be involved with the event.
“It’s important for us because every day, we take care of people at work as paramedics and nurses with the MedStar team,” the paramedic said.
“Once a year, we like to get together and give back to the community and to help someone who needs assistance.”
Vince Alianiello, MedStar member and a paramedic, said the team is committed to the event.
“It’s an extension of the service we provide to people all the time,” Alianiello said. “It’s another form of helping people.”
For their efforts with the event, Nagle, of Richland Township; Makin, Ebensburg; and Alianiello, Johnstown, are the Persons of the Week.
Amy Bradley, spokeswoman for Conemaugh Health System, said the MedStar team always does a great job with the event.
“They are a very giving group and look for ways to help out the community and those in need of assistance,” she said. “We are lucky to have such a great group of employees.”
Nagle said people wishing to donate to the event can do so by calling her at 534-9063.
