A $75,000 lifeline is being sought for a Vancouver care home whose residents live with physical and developmental disabilities.
Greater Vancouver Community Services Society (GVCSS) is appealing for donations to purchase a new passenger van for residents of a Champlain Heights-based home the society operates.
The home’s current van is going on 14 years old and repair costs are mounting. On top of that, the van is isn’t equipped with a wheelchair lift. A working vehicle is the lone lifeline for the five residents living in the facility so they can attend medical appointments, visit family and have a feeling of independence.
“Due to their medical challenges, it is often impossible for [residents] to travel by public transportation” society CEO James Challman told the Courier in an email. “The vans not only make it possible for them to enjoy a full social and recreational life, but are also needed for transportation to frequent medical appointments.”
Established in 1972, the non-profit society provides homecare to 4,000 clients per year, including the elderly, people with disabilities and those who require support to retain or regain their health and independence.
GVCSS receives funding support from Community Living B.C, though that money doesn’t cover the van costs.
The society’s funding drive is its second in the last 18 months, as a care home in Kitsilano launched a similar push to replace a 25-year-old old van in late 2016. About $80,000 was raised in the following months and the new van was bought earlier this year.
The timing of the appeal coincides with a national fundraising contest, the Great Canadian Giving Challenge, an initiative of the online donation platform Canada Helps.
Every dollar donated on GVCSS’ Canada Helps donation site during June gives GVCSS one entry into a contest that awards a $10,000 prize to a Canadian charity.
Online donations can be made at canadahelps.org/en/gcgc/33803
