It was a chance to say 'thank you' to those who supported Morden Handi-Van's efforts to bring a new vehicle into its fleet as board members, drivers, and sponsors gathered recently for a small reception, celebrating the addition.
'I'm very happy with this community. They have supported us very well'
The back-load van was purchased from Dodge Jeep Ram in Morden and, after retrofitting to make it fully accessible, came with a $101,000 price tag. The entirety of which, explained Board Chair Brian Nedohin, was covered by local sponsors and donors.
"There was no provincial money in here at all," he said.
"I'm very happy with this community. They have supported us very well," added Nedohin who sported a big grin during the reception.
In addition to decals that recognize the sponsors who stepped forward, Nedohin says the van also honours a few citizens.
Lori Willcocks, who passed away this past winter, is one of them. She served on the Morden Handi-Van board of directors for many years and worked as a driver.
"This means a lot to our family as my mom put a lot of heart and soul into the handi-van," said Loryn Willcocks, Lori's daughter who also attended the reception.
She says her mom always had a soft spot for others.
"She ran the special needs Sunday school class in church, so she saw the needs for people," added Loryn. "Her name is on the driver's side (of the van) because she was an in-charge woman, and she will speak out for anybody who needs a voice and needs help. This is just so fitting."
The fund-raising effort also saw donations from the estate of a Mr. Dyck, and Bill and Colleen Lyne.
A vital service
Put into service about three months, the new handi-van has already racked up about 3,000 kms providing this vital service to Morden and surrounding area.
"We've done a number of trips to Winnipeg in the last three weeks so, not only locally but also taking patients to hospitals in various other locations," said Nedohin, adding this new van is getting the most road traffic out of the fleet, as far as distance goes, because it's the newest and most economical.
And with the handi-van service not offered on Sundays in Winkler, Nedohin says the Morden service often gets calls from people in that community on those days as well.
With files from Robyn Wiebe