QUINCY, ILL. -- When someone is lost or drowns in the Mississippi River, the Quincy Volunteer Emergency Corps responds. It's a group of more than 50 local men and women who patrol and drag the river to locate or recover missing victims.
In May, Quincy resident George Schmitt went missing after a fishing trip on the river. Two weeks later, after emergency crews had called off the search, the Quincy Volunteer Emergency Corps recovered his body.
These searches take money, most of which comes from community donations. Corps members say their search for Schmitt cost them about a thousand dollars a day in fuel alone.
Sunday, Stubby's Tavern in Quincy hosted a fundraiser to help the corps continue in their efforts.
"We stay there, until the end and try to see it through for the families sake, to get closure," said Tim Lake, Commander of the Quincy Volunteer Emergency Corp.
"They do a fantastic job on recovery. I've never seen anybody they haven't found yet," said John Shaw, the fundraiser's organizer.
At Sunday's fundraiser were family and friends of George Schmitt supporting the organization that brought him home.
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