Dawson, 6, helps suds up a vehicle during the car wash and BBQ fundraiser at the Valemount Fire Hall for the Valemount CARE-A-VAN, the non-profit accessibility van that provides transportation for seniors with mobility challenges. Thanks to a few hundred burgers sold and over a hundred vehicles washed, close to $4,000 was raised to help sustain the van’s operational costs including insurance. Vehicles washed included everything from a Peterbilt semi to a motorcycle. Derek McClure, who volunteer’s on the van’s non-profit, says there were a lot of volunteers from the pipeline. He said the lead organizer Kaitlyn Rempel went “above and beyond” to make the event a success, which helps fill the coffers in anticipation of their liability insurance bill due Jan 4th, 2024. “We always trying to think six months down the road,” he said. “Five months from now we have a huge bill coming.” Midway through the fundraiser the Volunteer Fire Dept Rescue crew was called out to attend a multi-vehicle collision on Hwy16. Several people with serious injuries were taken to Jasper via the Jasper ambulance. Other locals stepped up to help while they were gone. “It never fails to astound me the generosity of everyone,” McClure said. /LAURA KEIL
