A woman in New Westminster, B.C., who was once surprised by the generosity of her low-income neighbour is paying that kindness forward by fundraising to buy him a mobility scooter.
Emily Wager's neighbour, Bob Jarvis, used to collect bottles from her apartment every week. At the end of the year, Wager and her family got an unexpected visit from Jarvis.
"On Christmas Eve, we had a knock on our door, and we opened up the door to see Bob dressed as Santa Claus with this huge sack filled with presents," she said.
"It turns out he was collecting every cent he got from the bottles to buy us Christmas presents."
The tradition continued for several years, until Jarvis's health began to decline, and his visits to the hospital increased. Wager said she noticed it was difficult for him to get around, and he had to bring along an oxygen tank.
"This year I really wanted to be the one to knock on his door," she said.
Wager started an online fundraising campaign to buy Jarvis a mobility scooter, which costs about $2,500. In exchange for each dollar donation, she is offering to bake a cookie.
So far, Wager has baked about 400 cookies, but she has quite a few more to go — as of Friday night, her fundraising efforts had gathered more than $2,200 of her $2,500 goal.
With her target so close at hand, Wager decided to spoil the Christmas surprise and break the news to Jarvis early.
"I was choked. Very, very choked. Still am," he said after he found out.
The first of the cookie orders are expected to get shipped out this weekend. Wager said she may need some extra helpers to make sure Santa can make his deliveries by Christmas.
Source: www.cbc.ca
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