The fear Deborah Hoisington felt during a night in mid September at Pitt Lake waiting while search and rescue teams combed the forest for her daughter was like a "living, breathing monster."

But if it hadn't been for the calm, reassuring demeanor of the search and rescue team, she would have been "screaming and yelling and pulling out my hair."

The team members talked to her throughout the night, smiled at her, and reassured her.

"If it hadn't been for that, I would have lost my mind," Hoisington said of the night when her 25-year-old daughter Stefanie Puls was lost north of Pitt Lake.

Hoisington and family friend Colleen Smith will hold a fundraiser for both the Ridge Meadows and Coquitlam search and rescue teams, who spent the night looking for her.

While many people read and hear stories in the media about search and rescue teams, until it becomes personal, most people don't realize what they really do, said Hoisington.

Within an hour of getting the 911 call that her daughter was missing, Ridge Meadows Search & Rescue was at Pitt Lake with a command post set up late in the night, and they were still there when Hoisington and her daughter left at 3: 30 p.m. the next day.

"I just don't think they get the recognition they deserve," Hoisington said.

After Puls was found and given some basic first aid by the volunteer search and rescue members, Hoisington wasn't able to speak to the members as they just quietly went on to their day jobs.

But she would have wanted to tell them "thank you for spending the night in the forest looking for my daughter."

Hoisington wanted to do the fundraiser soon after the incident while it was still fresh, and she hopes the community comes out to support the volunteers.

The Ridge Meadows Search & Rescue team consists of 22 active members as well as a few who are in reserve or training.

They are all volunteers and they respond to dozens of calls a year, typically in Golden Ears Regional Park, Blue Mountain, and the Pitt Lake area.

Rick Laing, manager of Ridge Meadows Search & Rescue - also a volunteer - said in addition to getting to "play with a lot of neat toys," search and rescue volunteers do it because they like helping people.

"Stefanie's case is a perfect example of why we do it," Laing said.

Ridge Meadows Search & Rescue receives yearly funding from the Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, and Metro Vancouver as well as gaming grants for new equipment and training.

The fundraiser will take place on Oct. 20 at the Ranch Pub and Grill. Tickets are $20 for a buffet dinner and a drink. There will also be a 50-50 draw, door prizes, and chair massages by donation given by Hoisington who is a massage therapist. To buy tickets, call Hoisington at 604-763-7857 or Colleen Smith at 604-617-8735.

mrantanen@mrtimes.com