The residents of a North Vancouver Community Living group home have lost their lifeline to the greater community as a result of the recent collapse of their primary mode of transportation.
Representatives of the Greater Vancouver Community Services Society, which operates the Mount Seymour Parkway group home is looking to the public for financial support after their wheelchair accessible van broke down earlier this spring, requiring replacement. The van services the home’s four adult residents who have multiple physical and developmental disabilities.
Aware that the van was nearing the end of its operational life, the society had been raising money for its replacement for some years, but is $10,000 short of its $60,000 fundraising goal.
“We’re very close to the finish line. Unfortunately, the van collapsed (in April) before we could get there,” said Laura Johnson, human resources and fund development officer for the society.
The society receives its operational funding from Community Living B.C., but those monies don’t extend to things like a van, Johnson says.
Residents are unable to use public transportation comfortably due to their complex medical needs and a specially equipped wheelchair van is their only means of getting around.
The van allows them to attend frequent medical appointments, as well as engage in a variety of recreational activities, including swimming, music, therapy sessions, bowling and church. The van also allows residents to visit family in the Lower Mainland.
“One thing that’s really nice about our program is that we do have quite a little tight-knit community. We have six group homes in the Lower Mainland and a lot of the residents will get together for birthdays and holidays, so they’ll go to each other’s group homes to celebrate,” says Johnson.
The Greater Vancouver Community Services Society is a non-profit organization in operation since 1972 that provides community services for the elderly and adults with disabilities.
Its mission is to support independence through client-focused community care services. On the North Shore the society operates two group homes, the Mount Seymour Parkway residence as well as a Lynn Valley group home that also serves four adults.
As part of its current van replacement campaign, the society is also hoping to raise $60,000 for a new van to serve the residents of a group home in Vancouver. “Their van is pretty close to the end too,” says Johnson.
She encourages interested supporters to make their donations during the month of June as the society is participating in a national fundraising contest, the Great Canadian Giving Challenge, an initiative of online donation platform CanadaHelps and Giv3.
Every donation made via the society’s CanadaHelps donation site (gvcss.bc.ca/donate.htm) in June gives the society an additional entry into the contest, which will award a $10,000 prize to one participating organization.
For more information, visit gvcss.bc.ca.
