Southwest Homes raising funds for new wheelchair accessible van
Southwest Homes is raising funds for the purchase of a new wheelchair accessible van to support the mobility needs of participants in residential and community programs.
“We started working on a spring fundraiser and it’s going towards the new van,” Southwest Homes Executive Director Leah Mcdonald Perrault said. “We’ll be adding more fundraising to it over the next year and a bit. We would love to have the money in place for December 2024, but we’ll keep fundraising for as long as it takes.”
The community based non-profit organization in Swift Current coordinates different programs to support and empower individuals with diverse abilities. There are eight group homes, a day program and a support for independent living program.
“Our mission is that we empower and support people to live their lives fully in their community, to achieve their goals and live in an inclusive community, but if they can’t get into the community, that’s a problem,” she noted. “Many of the wonderful things that happen in our community aren’t happening in their places of residence. They need to be at the library, to come to Market Square and get to the fair. And we need to be able to safely transport them there. It’s an essential part of how we meet this need and we’re excited to have the community join us in ensuring that these folks can get there.”
Southwest Homes announced the spring fundraiser in early February. It offers a great way to get ready for the new growing season by ordering a list of spring plants from Riverdene Garden Centre and at the same time support the goal of purchasing a wheelchair accessible van.
“You’re purchasing all of these great plants for your yard in the spring anyway, and Riverdene has generously stepped up to allow us to have a portion of the proceeds,” she said. “So if you need succulents or strawberries or you’re looking for tomato plants or mixed bedding plants, there’s an opportunity to get what you already would be getting for your yard this spring and help us kick off our fundraiser.”
The plants available for purchase for this Southwest Homes fundraiser can be ordered directly on the Riverdene Garden Centre website (www.riverdenegarden.com) under the tab for fundraisers. All orders must be picked up on the assigned date of May 6.
The complete list of plants that can be purchased to support Southwest Homes are strawberry hanging baskets, 10” pepper with cage, mixed flowers for planters, succulent mix pack, mixed vegetables or herb handle packs, 10” tomato with cage, tomato hanging basket and 12” hanging flower basket.
The amount required to purchase a new wheelchair accessible van is $165,000. However, Southwest Homes has already committed $20,000 towards the purchase and the fundraising goal is therefore $145,000.
It will be a specialized vehicle built on a full-size van chassis that provides rear entry access via duel opening bus doors to wheelchairs and mobility devices on a powered ramp. There is walk-on passenger access through rear and side entrances. The van can accommodate up to 10 passengers with a combination of up to eight ambulatory seats or three wheelchairs. Southwest Homes is already operating several vehicles in different sizes with varying types of conversions to accommodate passengers with mobility devices.
“Our fleet is aging and the per kilometer funding that we do get for some of the transportation needs is not enough to buy vehicles at any price, let alone the kind of price that’s associated here,” she said. “There will be more vans needed in our future, but we’re going to start with one.”
Most of the vehicles currently used by Southwest Homes are mini vans as well as some larger vans, which present practical challenges.
“This one is larger than any of the ones that we have currently and would be able to accommodate more folks,” she said about the new van they plan to purchase with funds raised. “In the future, we’re not going to be able to have as many vehicles and so we’re looking to purchase vehicles that will work for everyone.”
Smaller vehicles in their existing fleet have various practical limitations related to the number of wheelchairs it can accommodate.
“We have some homes that have two or three individuals that may need an accessible van and so then it’s many trips,” Mcdonald Perrault explained. “And retrofitting a regular van that is not designed for people with disabilities just isn’t the same as having a vehicle that’s been designed for people using special needs equipment.”
Another consideration in acquiring a larger wheelchair accessible van specifically designed for this purpose is workplace safety for staff. They need to bend over and change their posture on a regular basis when they assist passengers in and out of smaller vans.
“We need to provide a safe working environment for our staff,” she said. “This will allow our staff to stand fully upright to move all the way around the individuals to ensure that they’re safely locked in and stable for transport. We need to move in that direction.”
The purchase of a new wheelchair accessible van will have various benefits, but most importantly will be the contribution to community inclusion. Southwest Home will therefore appreciate the support of the community for this initiative, starting with the current spring fundraiser.
Donations towards the purchase of a new van can also be made on the organization’s website at www.southwesthomes.ca