Christopher Green, a Kimberley native currently residing in Tata Creek, has launched a GoFundMe campaign in order to purchase an urgently-needed van to accommodate wheelchair transportation.
Green is originally from Kimberley. After spending some time living in Lethbridge, he moved back home and moved to Tata Creek to live with his caregivers Kerry and Bev Leggatt.
“Unfortunately we discovered after we’d already made the arrangements that there’s no transportation,” Green explained to the Bulletin. “Slight problem.”
Currently, whenever Green needs to get around, say to go into town for a medical appointment, he says they risk injury, either to himself or one of his caregivers while getting him into the back of the truck.
“That is a major problem,” he said. “I’m 185 pounds and they have to lift me into a lifted pickup truck and so you can imagine how difficult that is on all of us.”
Besides just the necessary trips like for medical appointments, Green is also hindered in many other personal and social ways by this current difficulty in getting around.
“I’d love to join the Lions Club, I’d like to get a job, I’d like to be able to go out to visit my friends and family, but right now it’s just too dangerous to get me in and out of the pick up truck,” he said. “Essentially, until I get the van I’m stuck.”
Green says he has the perfect van already picked out, and the GoFundMe target is specifically set up to get him what he needs for the purchase price.
“It’s in perfect shape, it runs well, I’ve actually been inside it, it’s perfect,” Green said. “But I’m on a limited income so it’s going to be rather difficult for me to pay for it. and there is no for funding for the province from the federal government that we’ve been able to locate so I’m kind of doing this on my own sort of deal.”
He started the fundraising page about two weeks ago and so far has raised $2500 of his $7800 target, which is heartening, but it’s become a time-sensitive issue.
“It’s encouraging but the sooner we get the van the better, because we may have to move again,” he explained.
The Lions Club of Kimberley has chipped in $1500, Green says and The Nest in Marysville has donated as well.
The link to Green’s GoFundMe page can be found here: https://gf.me/u/y82rsh
paul.rodgers@kimberleybulletin
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