Exciting news:) We have been looking more into side vs rear and found out that you can get rear entry where all 3 kids would be in the 2nd row. They just came out with this option:) And thinking about this we thought it might be easier for parking spots. So we thought we'd go to Burnaby and go check it out this weekend to see how it works with the wheelchair etc. If this works out it would bring our cost down to $51,000:)

Successful Garage Sale!!

Thank you to all who came out to our garage sale and an extra big thanks to all who helped out!! We raised a Grand Total of (drumroll please) $6536.72

We are planning on having a garage sale/bake sale/silent auction Saturday November 16. 

If you have any donations of quality used goods please contact me. You may also drop off at my house anytime or can drop off at the church on Friday night, November 15.

We are also looking for volunteers for the night before, during the garage sale, and garage sale cleanup. If you are willing to help out in this way let me know.

If you are a business and would like to donate something for a silent auction, please let me know. 

And finally, if you would like to do some baking, you can do so and drop it off Friday night November 15 at the Free Reformed Church.

Exciting news

This afternoon I received a letter from President's Choice Charity informing us that we are approved for $20,000!  So exciting!! Only $40,000 left to fund-raise:)

Some people have asked why a wheelchair accessible van is so expensive when they have seen them for a lot cheaper on craigslist, kijiji, etc. than $63,000.

First of all, we would like a side entry van which is a little bit more expensive.  Our reasoning for this is because we have a lot of appointments with Benjamin at BC Childrens Hospital.  If we go out there with him we do not want him sitting in the back by himself.  We also feel that if we have a rear one it seems like he is sitting all by himself all the time and he would not enjoy that.

Second of all, with the funding that we would get from the different charities, we are not allowed to buy privately.  It also has to be from a vender with in Canada.  Which makes it a bit more difficult to get one for cheaper since in the States we can get a brand new van for a whole lot cheaper than in Canada.  Since this funding will make up almost ½ of our total amount of funding we feel it is still better to get this funding and buy from a vender in Canada.

We have gotten a few quotes and the price difference between each of them was great.  For the exact same van, we were quoted $70,000, $68,000 and $63,000. 

If you have any more questions or concerns, feel free to contact us.

Thanks to everyone who placed a bulb order. We raised $550 from that:) I will let you know when your bulbs are in. Probably in a couple weeks.

Catalogues for bulb fundraiser are here

The catalogues for the bulb fundraiser arrived in the mail today:)  If you would like to pick one up or would like me to drop one off please let me know.  Orders are due by September 30.

Unique Opportunity for Fundraising for Benjamin’s Van

A unique Opportunity for Fundraising for Benjamin’s Van

“Cash back with every purchase” ‘Together we are strong!” are the mottos.
With already thousands of local, regional and international merchants and millions of members in more than 40 countries, we now also have the opportunity to become part of this premiere global shopping community and loyalty program! Shoppers enjoy four ways to shop and earn cash back – online, in-store with their Cashback card, with merchant gift cards and via their smartphones.

This program is has ISO accreditation, as well as the European TUV.

Would  you let us enroll you as a member?

There are benefits for yourself as well as for us and Benjamin.  For starters you would have the satisfaction of helping Gary and I to raise money to buy a wheelchair accessible van for Benjamin.  But secondly you would receive all the benefits associated with this membership shopping; 1-2 % cash back plus loyalty credits. Thirdly, our sponsor to this program will contribute a certain amount directly to the van fund for every member enrolled by us, up to 1000 members (one per household please).

 By doing so and shopping through any of the above shopping methods, we will be sent ½ % of your shopping value that you spend at these merchants.  For example, if you buy 4 Superstore gift cards worth $100, we would receive $2.  I know this doesn’t seem like much but if 100 people enroll and do this amount of monthly shopping it adds up to $200. As you continue to shop as a member, the van we hope to get would soon be funded and any surplus would certainly help pay for some of the additional and ongoing expenses related to Benjamin’s situation. And all this at no extra cost to you. Everything is funded by the merchants who desire to establish loyal customers through this program.

We would love to enroll you as a member. There are no enrollment or annual fees, you don’t have to spend any extra money, just do your regular shopping through the program.

Remember! Cash back on every purchase for you, and together we can help support Benjamin!

Some of the popular stores are: 

Real Canadian Superstore (gift cards)

Canadian Tire (gift cards)

Home Depot (gift card)

Chapters Indigo (shop online)

Lowes (shop online)

Suzy shier (gift cards)

Dickies.ca (shop online)

Old navy (shop online)

Sears (shop online)

Gap (shop online)

Robeez (shop online)
Petro Canada (gift card)

Your help in this way is much appreciated. It is simple to enroll, just fill in the following information and return it to us. We will do the rest of the enrollment process for you. More information is also available from us.

https://adobeformscentral.com/?f=j5j8E%2Ac9bPdm7PO-OZhlVA

Gardening Fundraiser

I have organized a garden bulb fundraiser. All the catalogues should be coming in the next few days. But in the meantime there is an online catalogue that you can look at. Please let me know if you would like to order anything. You can e-mail me at benjaminsvanfund@gmail.com. Orders need to be finalized by September 30 so we can still do the fall program with this company. http://www.veseys.com/ca/en/images/articles/fundraising/13FallFRBrochure.pdf There is also an order form if you want to start getting orders in already. http://www.veseys.com/ca/en/images/articles/fundraising/13FallMasterOrderFormFront.pdf You can either mail it to me. E-mail me for address or you can scan it in and e-mail it to me.

The prices are very reasonable and we will get 50%.  Take a look!

Thank you!

A generous fundraiser hosted by Sharilyn Van Ruitenburg

Sharilyn Van Ruitenburg has generously offered to donate 20% from Scentsy Sales and 35% from Avon sales to this cause.

To order Scentsy visit: https://sharilynvr.scentsy.ca/ and there will be a party name for Benjamin. For local people Sharilyn is willing to deliver. Otherwise if you are out of town you can pay shipping and have it sent directly to you.

To order Avon visit: http://www.avon.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/VBrochureListRedirectView?catalogId=50013&langId=11&storeId=10651 to browse the catalogue and you can either set up an account and look for Sharilyn Van Ruitenburg or you can call or e-mail her with your order.

Everything is the price you see on the website times 1.12 for taxes and plus shipping if you are out of town.

Thank you!

When we found out we were expecting twins seven years ago I never expected the rollercoaster life would take us on.  Benjamin was born 3 ½ months early and was soon diagnosed with cerebral palsy, chronic lung disease, & a seizure disorder.  Benjamin brings much joy to us.  Benjamin is a sweet boy with many challenges and throughout these challenges he is always happy and has a smile and a “hi” for everyone.  Along with the joy comes the daily challenges though.  Right now my challenge is lifting Benjamin in and out of the van and then also lifting his wheelchair in and out of the van.  Having a bad back already this has exasperated my bad back and is starting to cause pain when I lift him. This is a constant struggle for me, and I am afraid of what will happen as he continues to grow, because as he grows, so does his medical equipment. A wheelchair van would be life-changing for us! Having money to buy a wheelchair accessible van would be a true blessing!

A wheelchair accessible van costs $63,000.  Our goal is to raise around $30,000.  I don't have the exact number yet as we are waiting on an exact amount from President's Choice Charity which I should have within the next two weeks.  Once they have confirmed the amount of funding I can then apply to Variety the Children's Charity.  I have also applied to Giving in Action but our request was denied as there is no more money in their account.  We would also sell our van and have about $6000 to give ourselves as well.

There are 2 ways to donate:

1. In person at any Envision Credit Union location,
account called "Benjamin's Van Fund", Account # 2458115

2. via PayPal to email account:
benjaminsvansfund@gmail.com
(please mark as "gift" so no fee is taken)

 Thank you very much!

Welcome

Welcome to the newly created fundraising blog to help purchase a wheelchair accessible van for Benjamin! In the coming days, more detailed information will be given as to how you can contribute to this important fundraiser. Stay tuned and thank you in advance for helping Benjamin get the van he needs!