Canada
Serving people with disabilities
Five volunteers helped to sort pre-loved clothing and restock the organization’s thrift store. They also handed over a CA$1000 donation of grocery gift cards on behalf of Aspen Canada. These will be used to supplement groceries and for SBEVA’s Meals on Wheels service.
Given SBEVA’s offering, the Aspen team provided further assistance with various tasks. These included household chores such as changing light bulbs, sewing, moving large bulky items as well as furniture, attending to gardening needs such as watering plants and clearing leaves, collecting mail and disposing of refuge.
Founded in 1986, SBEVA is a community organisation that assists seniors and people of all ages, who are experiencing temporary or permanent loss of their autonomy or who have physical or intellectual disabilities. SBEVA offers a range of activities and services in home maintenance such as delivering frozen meals or Meals on Wheels, medical transport to medical appointments, assistance to visit a spouse or someone close who may be in hospital, adapted transport, shopping for essential goods or clothing, and others.
SBEVA’s surveillance service entails volunteer visiting on a weekly basis to check medication and ensure that the individual’s environment is safe and in good working order.
Using equine therapy for children with special needs
Aspen Canada’s Nancy Regnier volunteered at the Equesthera Equestrian Therapy Center in Quebec City. This Centre assists children with specials needs using equine therapy.
Equesthera recently hosted an open day to more than 100 guests to raise funds to improve the farm and rebuild the horse’s fences. Nancy spent time entertaining the children with educational games and also presented a CA$200 gift card which Equesthera will use to supplement their therapeutical games.
Established in 2016, Equesthera now has a herd of 10 therapy horses, a large team of instructors, therapists, stable staff and dedicated volunteers providing services to over 80 riders and clients each week in a wheelchair-friendly environment.
Sharing pre-loved items with the needy
This establishment has assisted more than 20 000 vulnerable people regardless of their culture, language or religion. They promote dignity, autonomy and integration into the community by providing food aid, school retention and social inclusion programmes, and access to basic daily necessities.
Aspen’s Canadian team in Quebec may be small, but they have giant hearts. These employees cleared out their homes of pre-loved items and donated them to Saint-Vincent de Paul make a meaningful difference to destitute members of society.
