News

Easter Seals "Give a Kid a Lift" Program

September 20, 2010

Media Release
For Immediate Release
September 20, 2010

Easter Seals Partners with Canwest Elevator & Lifts, Beattie Homes, Rona and Garaventa Lift to “Give a Kid a Lift”

18 - Year Old Paraplegic to Receive Elevator in Calgary Home

Calgary AB – Businesses are joining together to provide an accessibility elevator or inclined platform lift into the home of a local 18 year old paraplegic through Easter Seals’ “Give a Kid a Lift” Program. Through the generosity of Canwest Elevator & Lifts, Beattie Homes and Rona Home Center Ogden Road, Garaventa Lift of Surrey, BC, as well as fundraising and support from the community, this program will give much needed help and save costs of upwards of $36,000 per year.

Canwest Elevators and Lifts is a company operating in Alberta and has encountered many families in need. Beattie Homes is providing the expertise and labor to do the renovations to the recipient’s home to accommodate a lift. Rona Home Center Ogden Road will provide the materials and Canwest Elevators will install the elevator. Garaventa Lift has substantially discounted the lift and for this particular project Canwest Elevators will be covering the balance of the cost of the lift.

Easter Seals Alberta’s CEO, Susan Law, said, “The Easter Seals ‘Give a Kid a Lift’ Program will be the first of its kind in Alberta. It’s a program we hope to continue and provide each year for a person in need.”

This year’s recipient is 18- year old Lorinda Bye, from Calgary, who is a paraplegic who currently has to use a series of stair lifts to get her to the various levels of her split-level home. In 2009, Bye was camping in a tent with her younger sister, Janell, and was struck by a tree that the heavy winds blew down. Her injuries left her paralyzed from the waist down and she now must rely on a wheelchair for mobility. The new lift will allow Bye to remain in her chair and access each level of the family’s home and give her much needed independence.

Canwest Elevators and Lifts President Helder Mendes said, “I am very passionate about making a difference in the lives of people who truly need a helping hand.”

The cost for such a project is prohibitive for many families and funding is very limited. It is even more limited for someone such as Lorinda, who turned eighteen while in the hospital recovering from her injuries, as assistance for persons over eighteen years is less than those under eighteen.

The permit from the city has been issued and Canwest hopes to have the lift installed by the end of October 2010.

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For more information, please contact:

Theresa de Waal
Easter Seals Alberta
Case Worker
Phone: 403-235-5662, Ext. 214
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