A Kentucky Derby VIP raffle is raising money to buy fully outfitted pickup trucks for volunteer search-and-rescue teams serving Star Valley and southern Lincoln County.

The Fishing Dog Foundation is selling $20 raffle tickets for a chance to win an all-expense-paid VIP trip for two to the 2026 Kentucky Derby. The prize includes four days and three nights of accommodations, round‑trip airfare, first‑floor clubhouse tickets, daily breakfast, and a Kentucky horse farm tour. The drawing will be broadcast live on SVI Radio’s Weekday Wake‑up program on April 17. Details and tickets are available at fishingdogfoundation.org.

Sergeant Scott Zienkiewicz and volunteer Clay Skinner, both members of Star Valley Search & Rescue, were interviewed on SVI Radio earlier this month about the fundraiser and the unit’s needs.

RELATED: RADIO INTERVIEW WITH CLAY SKINNER –

“We have equipment in two different areas of the valley,” Zienkiewicz said. “The response zone that we have is quite large.” He said the units need “a lot of trucks, different trailers, snowmobiles, UTVs, the jet boat,” and that all of the equipment “needs to be maintained and needs to be upkept.”

Skinner said additional vehicles would speed response. “We can immediately jump in either go up Greys River or go up South End without having to bring other trucks to the scene,” he said. “We can have quicker response with… good vehicles that we can rely on that to get us where we need to go.”

Both men emphasized the training and commitment required of volunteer rescuers. “We spend a couple hours twice a month in meetings and trainings, and then we do specialized training,” Skinner said. He listed weekend courses and ropes classes designed to prepare volunteers for high‑angle rescues, and noted the wide range of terrain rescuers face “from snow machining to horseback riding to whitewater rapids on the Snake River.”

Zienkiewicz, who retired from law enforcement after 30 years, praised the professionalism of the volunteer unit. “Coming here and watching a volunteer organization come together and do these rescues is very impressive,” he said. “Everybody has full‑time jobs and families, and to put up the time and do the training and be a cohesive group has been pretty amazing to see.”

Both Skinner and Zienkiewicz called on the public to support the fundraiser and to take precautions when venturing into the backcountry. “When you see the Search and Rescue go out, you can kind of take a little pride in saying, ‘hey, I helped with that,’” Zienkiewicz said. He advised outdoor users to “make sure you are with someone, someone knows where you’re at,” and reminded listeners that search-and-rescue teams are volunteers who will “rush to get to you as fast as we can, but there is some time delay. You’re gonna be out there for a while before we get there.”

Skinner said volunteering is a way to give back. “I wanted to give back to the community,” he said. “It’s been a great experience for me. Being able to go up and either find people or be able to get people that are hurt out of bad situations, I’ve been in some of those situations myself, it’s pretty good to have somebody that’s willing to come out and help out and get you out of those bad spots.”

One hundred percent of raffle proceeds will go to Star Valley and Lincoln County search-and-rescue units. Raffle information and tickets are available at fishingdogfoundation.org and on the Fishing Dog Foundation’s social media pages.