Disheartening act of vandalism
Helen Baudoux-McLaughlin used the word “disheartened” more than once.
She is the chairperson for CARMA Cat Rescue (Maritimes), an organization run by volunteers that provides financial help to seniors and low-income families to have their cats spayed or neutered.
Her organization has been selling tickets on a garden shed, but the door to the structure, which has been sitting at the Nova Scotia Community College parking lot in Stellarton, was vandalized recently. BaudouxMcLaughlin’s husband Rich was able to repair the shed over the weekend, after they noticed the damage.
“We feel this is a fabulous community-based endeavour, for us to be able to raise funds and for (students) to be able to assist a charity in the community,” Baudoux-McLaughlin said.
The materials were purchased by CARMA, and the shed was constructed by students in the NSCC’s second-year carpentry program.
“We were really disheartened – it’s something that both groups have worked so hard to do some good in the community.”
She said police have been contacted and they are investigating.
On Friday, a man who lives near the NSCC campus said he saw two youths on bicycles near the shed; when one of them entered, the other used a stick to barricade the door from the outside before the first youth kicked his way out. Then the pair subsequently took off on their bicycles. That’s apparently when the damage occurred.
“We were disheartened to see all this work and the damage that was done.”
The draw for the garden shed will be held Tuesday at 2 p.m. A faculty member with the NSCC will be drawing the winning ticket.