By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Two thousand, four hundred and seventy-two.
That’s the number of times Family Service Kent (FSK) ferried local residents to dialysis treatments in the one-year period ending March 1.
And the figure doesn’t include thousands of other trips drivers made transporting people to cancer treatments, medical appointments and social commitments, according to Marie Bergsma, FSK’s manager of community support services.
“The demand is higher than what we can provide,” Bergsma told The Voice in a recent interview. “Our vans take people to medical appointments in London and Windsor, as well in Chatham-Kent.”
Travelling all those kilometres takes money and that’s why FSK is holding its third annual Grand Parade Sept. 21. The goal of the event is to raise $20,000 to assist vulnerable seniors with transportation costs.
“All of the money raised is for our senior programs,” said Marjorie Crew, volunteer and wellbeing co-ordinator for the organization. “The program is extremely busy and it puts a lot of kilometres on our vehicles.”
Rising costs and inflation have affected everyone, Crew said, noting the money from the fundraiser subsidizes travel costs for users, with a portion going towards delivering frozen meals and counselling.
“Things are very expensive right now,” she added. “Running the fleet involves a lot of expense that we are trying not to pass onto our clients.”
“Utilizing our vans is often a last resort for people who don’t have family and friends to drive them,” Bergsma explained. “Most of our trips are medical, but there are some that are social. We do take a lot of people for dialysis.”
The vans are used for the CareLink and adVANtage programs. Riders contribute a base rate of at least $21 per trip.
As part of a joint collaboration, the vans are also used in Chatham’s Canadian Red Cross Let’s Go Home program transporting patients discharged from hospital, as well as taking them to follow-up appointments.
More information about the fundraiser can be found online at thegrandparade.org/location/chatham-kent. Individuals who want to donate or participate are invited to sign up online or register a team.
The parade takes place the same day as Crowfest activities in the downtown. FSK will be setting up a booth on King Street where donations will be accepted.
The event begins and ends at FSK’s headquarters at 50 Adelaide St. S. in Chatham, starting at 11 a.m. Food, refreshments and family friendly activities are also part of the fun.
