Local firefighter and band guitarist Paul Busse was recognized for his dedication to the community and his support of the Moose Jaw Health Foundation (MJHF) with an honorary award.

The MJHF held its annual awards ceremony at the Heritage Inn on Wednesday for the first time in two years.

The event was sponsored by Lifeline Canada and it recognized the generosity of the public’s donations which have totaled over $39 million as well as the hard work of the employees with the MJHF.

The event highlighted the type of equipment and services that the public’s donations have been able to provide.

At the event, the MJHF presented one of three Healthcare Philanthropy Awards to Busse.

Before accepting his award, local resident Jared Mathieson shared kind words on behalf of Busse and how he would assemble a band every year to play at the Health Foundation’s Gala after party.

“The band was always the unsung hero of these events. Why? Because the after party was one of the most important aspects of our fundraisers for two reasons. It gave the volunteers a chance to let their hair down after a lot of hard work and it gave musical artists that we brought into Moose Jaw to see what Moose jaw was really about and have them fall in love with Moose Jaw’s greatest asset which is the people,” says Mathieson.

Busse then shared his own experiences working with his band and the MJHF before humbly thanking the foundation for the award and recognition.

“On behalf of the gentlemen in the band and myself, I’d like to thank everyone in the health foundation for allowing us to be a part of the fundraising efforts over the years. It’s just been a real pleasure,” says Busse.