Staff would like to purchase the vehicle as soon as possible. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

community support

Children North fundraising for 15-passenger van

Nov 8, 2021 | 1:38 PM

Children North has begun fundraising for a new wheelchair accessible 15-passenger van.

Fundraising for the van started about two weeks ago and so far close to $2,000 has been raised through Facebook donations with another $9,000 coming from an anonymous local donor. The price of the van is an estimated $80,000.

“The medical taxis are fantastic, but they are also really busy,” said executive director Daina Lapworth. “If you have a child, for example, that has special needs with autism, sometimes that child might take half an hour to transition from their house into the vehicle and into the therapy room. Those are the kids who really, really need to come to therapy, but they are not getting here because other organizations just simply don’t have the time to wait.”

The van will be used for more than just transporting clients to therapy, however, as it will be utilized for family engagement support, parenting classes, mentorships, staff training and recreational outings.

“With our smaller vehicles, we can take maybe one or two kids, but if you want to go have a baseball game or do something bigger, you need more vehicles,” Lapworth said. “What we are looking at is a 15-passenger van that will fit 11 people plus two wheelchairs, so we can actually take more kids out and do things.”

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Lapworth explained they are open to any individuals or corporations interested in making a donation. Children North is a charitable organization and can issue receipts for tax purposes. Children North would like to purchase the van as soon as possible and donations can be made here.

“Even $20 is so appreciated,” she said. “We appreciate how much the community supports us.”

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno