David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
Mystery donor saves program for the disabled
CBC News
Jun 16, 2011
An anonymous benefactor has saved an Ottawa service that provides free equipment to people with special needs.
The Special Needs Equipment Exchange Service ? or SNEES ? has been collecting used wheelchairs, walkers and specialized equipment for distribution to people with disabilities for over 20 years. But a funding shortage forced the program to prepare to shut down at the end of June.
Instead, SNEES will continue until at least next April thanks to a $45,000 donation from a city resident, the organization that runs the service said Thursday.
?We are overwhelmed and deeply honoured by the generosity of the donor. The gift ? is the largest single contribution received by my agency,? said Teena Tomlinson, executive director of The In Community, an Ottawa non-profit agency that oversees the SNEES program.
The donor asked to remain anonymous, Tomlinson said in a written statement.
The In Community used to get rent-free warehouse space for its equipment from the City of Ottawa. But in 2009 the city had to demolish the building and was unable to replace it with an equivalent wheelchair-accessible space. Since then, the organization has been paying more than $40,000 a year to store the equipment, a cost it said it could no longer afford.
The group said it applied for funding aid with the United Way, but was told in April no funds were available. Another problem is that government programs provide funding only for the purchase of new equipment, and not used equipment, making SNEES ineligible for money, Tomlinson said.
SNEES clients borrow equipment and then return it back to the organization when they no longer need it.
CBC News
Jun 16, 2011
An anonymous benefactor has saved an Ottawa service that provides free equipment to people with special needs.
The Special Needs Equipment Exchange Service ? or SNEES ? has been collecting used wheelchairs, walkers and specialized equipment for distribution to people with disabilities for over 20 years. But a funding shortage forced the program to prepare to shut down at the end of June.
Instead, SNEES will continue until at least next April thanks to a $45,000 donation from a city resident, the organization that runs the service said Thursday.
?We are overwhelmed and deeply honoured by the generosity of the donor. The gift ? is the largest single contribution received by my agency,? said Teena Tomlinson, executive director of The In Community, an Ottawa non-profit agency that oversees the SNEES program.
The donor asked to remain anonymous, Tomlinson said in a written statement.
The In Community used to get rent-free warehouse space for its equipment from the City of Ottawa. But in 2009 the city had to demolish the building and was unable to replace it with an equivalent wheelchair-accessible space. Since then, the organization has been paying more than $40,000 a year to store the equipment, a cost it said it could no longer afford.
The group said it applied for funding aid with the United Way, but was told in April no funds were available. Another problem is that government programs provide funding only for the purchase of new equipment, and not used equipment, making SNEES ineligible for money, Tomlinson said.
SNEES clients borrow equipment and then return it back to the organization when they no longer need it.
