One local initiative is significantly closer to reaching its goal after receiving funding from the Innovation Credit Union’s Legacy Community & Development Grant Fund.
The donation to the Silver Wings Access Van Inc. (SWAVI) brings the outstanding total needed for a van for tenants of the Meadows to under 40,000 dollars, explained Tracy Schlamp, co-chair of Silver Wings Access Van Inc.
“When we got the information from the Credit Union that we were getting a 25,000 dollars donation toward our van, we were just so excited,” she stated. “This has brought us up to just over 103,000 dollars, which gets us so close to our goal. We needed 140,000 dollars to be able to purchase the van, so this has brought us so much closer, and we are so excited.”
Dan Johnson, the CEO of Innovation Federal Credit Union, noted that the more the bank grows, the more it is able to give back to the community.
“I think we have a really strong approach where we created a policy that two to four percent of our pretax profit goes back to the communities,” he elaborated. “If we grow as an organization then that means two to four percent grows and then more money gets to go back to the community.”
The purchase of the van will allow residents access 24/7 and will accommodate all types of wheelchairs.
Nick Tsougrianis, whose mother resides at The Meadows, elaborated on the importance of the van.
“We had an incident last April, where I had to get her to the dentist, and she's in a broda chair, and there is no vehicle transportation in Swift Current to accommodate a broader chair,” he stated. “What I had to do was push her from the meadows to the dentist on the sidewalk in a broda chair in a windstorm, when it was cold, and the wind was blowing hard, and my mother was crying. I finally got her to the dentist, and we did the procedure and then I had to get her back to The Meadows.”
To donate to the Silver Wings Access Van, visit their Facebook page or their website.