Donors save safety council from brink of financial ruin

Head of Kelowna & District Safety Council optimistic group will finish year in black after receiving $25,000

It was a beautiful day when a cherry-red Ferrari and an equally cherry-red fire truck pulled up at the Kelowna & District Safety Council.

“Honestly, I got a lump in my throat,” said council executive director John Grimes.

“The $5,000 in donations from that visit combined with the $5,000 donation we’ve received from Pushor Mitchell Lawyers and the $5,000 emergency grant from the City of Kelowna have been our saviours.”

Earlier this month, mired in debt, the council came perilously close to closing forever.

“Now I’m optimistic we’ll make it through this year in the black,” said Grimes.

“And I’m cautiously optimistic we’ll have sufficient funds to start the year and start earning revenues and diversify our offerings to continue on.”

But Grimes stresses the council isn’t out of the woods yet.

“There’s still a need,” he said. “If anyone has been thinking about contributing to our GoFundMe campaign, I’m urging them to please do so.”

Since the fundraiser was launched last month at GoFundMe.com/children039ssafety and on the council’s website at KDSC.bc.ca, $10,000 has been donated in smaller chunks from individuals and businesses.

In that aforementioned Ferrari was Matt August from August Luxury Motorcars. He arrived with a $2,500 cheque for the council.

In the fire truck were Bryan Nykilchuk from the Kelowna Professional Firefighters Charitable Society and firefighters Gord Darchuk, Alex Wilkes, Matt Moorehouse and Craig Shemley. They also handed over a $2,500 cheque.

“The donations make a huge difference to us,” said Grimes.

“Ten days ago, our situation was extremely discouraging, but now, I am beginning to feel much better.”

The council’s money troubles started during the summer when motorcycle riding courses, which are usually packed, failed to fill up because of smoke from forest fires lingering in the Valley.

The learn-to-ride sessions are the main contributor to the council’s $350,000 annual revenues.

As a charity, the council’s revenues and expenses every year are very close at $350,00 each.

But with the motorcycle courses shortfall, revenues were down while expenses stayed the same.

Since then, the council’s administrative assistant has left to start another job and not been replaced.

Grimes is taking half his regular salary but still working full time.

With a new business plan headed into 2019, Grimes hopes to return to full-time pay and hire an assistant.

Learn-to-ride courses will continue to be an important part of the council’s offerings.

However, the council will offer some of its other popular programs more often in an effort to bolster income and become less reliant on the motorcycle courses.

Those courses include Home Alone, babysitting and first aid for kids.

The council also has affordable car driving education for teenagers, seniors and new immigrants.

In the new year, the council will launch new antibullying and suicide prevention courses for youth, as well as a series of seminars, workshops and roundtables on youth and community safety.

The council’s premises at 395 Hartman Rd. in Rutland will continue to have the track and pedal cars popular with younger kids to learn about traffic safety.

The pedal cars are utilized during drop-in days for families and during school group field trips.