Penn. Service Dedicates Ambulance to Fallen Founder
Sept. 04--There wasn't a dry eye in the house Wednesday when American Patient Transport Systems Inc. personnel unveiled an ambulance trimmed in pink to memorialize one of its founders.
"Everything worked out beautifully," Dennis Ganc, of APTS, said of the ceremony held to dedicate the ambulance in Kim Sidari's memory. "We invited her whole entire family -- her parents, brother, husband and children -- along with her friends. A lot of tears were shed."
Ganc said APTS wanted to do something to remember Sidari, who founded what would become APTS with her husband, Lawrence "Larry" Sidari.
The Sidaris operated the service, then known as Hazleton Area Transfer Service, or HATS, from their home. Eventually, it moved to West Walnut Street, was purchased by APTS, and established its headquarters on East Holly Street.
Over the years -- and thanks to what Ganc called the Sidaris' "dreams, ambitions and sacrifices" -- the ambulance services have employed hundreds of people, many of whom furthered their careers in the health care field.
"What a wonderful person she was," said Ganc, director of marketing and education. "She was good friends with a lot of people. Everybody just loved Kim."
When Sidari died last September after a battle with cancer, APTS' paramedic coordinator Wally Boyle suggested that the company dedicate its newest ambulance to her memory. A pink ribbon, a pink stripe and the words, "In Memory of Founding Mother Kim Sidari," were painted on the vehicle.
Her family wasn't aware of the gesture until the unveiling and dedication.
The event was held in conjunction with the Hazleton Rotary Club's weekly meeting, which also featured a presentation on the MI Alert program for heart attacks by Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hazleton.
jwhalen@standardspeaker.com
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