A Bus Pass for Terry
Donation protected
Below is the story we posted in the Spring of 2016.
Since then, Terry's mobility challenges have not improved.
Fortunately, he's had a bus pass for the last 13 months thanks to your generosity.
Those funds have been exhausted so I'm back to ask you to chip in once more...
The GOOD news is that we expect Terry to qualify for the half price Low Income Transit Pass which means our donations will go twice as far as last year!
Thank you in advance!!
-Matt
............................
Terry Wilson needs a bus pass.
At 62, with severe arthritis and two deteriorated disks in his back, Terry can barely make it a few blocks on foot.
He used to receive a bus pass from Community Services. Now he doesn’t.
Terry used to visit Margaret’s House for food, but now he can’t. He used to be able to visit his friend at the hospital but now he can’t.
Without a bus pass, Terry is trapped.
He does manage to make it over to the Community Food Centre for a few meals a week. He gets down to the Dartmouth Learning Network where he is doggedly pursuing his GED. It’s not so bad getting there, he tells me, because it’s down hill. Getting home is much harder.
Over the years I’ve known Terry, I have watched him advance through his literacy training with a sense of determination that is truly inspiring. He is always talking about his progress and his goals as he continues to overcome barriers on a daily basis that would deter many others, with little more than sheer force of will to propel him forward.
Besides his continuing achievements as an adult learner, Terry is a dedicated friend and volunteer. He is an active member of People First Nova Scotia, reflecting his deep committed to social justice issues and fighting for what he believes is right. Most of all, Terry is a good person who works hard and does his best.
After an article in The Coast about affordable bus passes, a stranger was compelled to buy Terry a monthly bus pass for February.
She messaged me a little while ago to ask how he was doing. “I wish there was something we could do,” she concluded.
“Me too,” I thought.
Her generosity and compassion was beautiful, and I think maybe not as rare as it may seem. This fundraising campaign will test that.
Together, let’s do what is right. Let’s not wait for our government to do what we know needs to happen. Let’s buy Terry a bus pass.
For every $78 we raise, Terry will have a month of more food, more friendship, and more volunteering.
For $546, we can hook him up with a buss pass for the rest of the year.
As I type these words, I struggle with the knowledge that there are many others out there who equally need support. Helping Terry would be great, but what about them? I don’t know the answer to that question, but I’m reminded to the story of the boy throwing starfish back into the ocean before they die, stranded on the beach…
"But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"
At this, the young man bent down, picked up a starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one.”
Terry is my starfish. Please help me make a difference for him.
Since then, Terry's mobility challenges have not improved.
Fortunately, he's had a bus pass for the last 13 months thanks to your generosity.
Those funds have been exhausted so I'm back to ask you to chip in once more...
The GOOD news is that we expect Terry to qualify for the half price Low Income Transit Pass which means our donations will go twice as far as last year!
Thank you in advance!!
-Matt
............................
Terry Wilson needs a bus pass.
At 62, with severe arthritis and two deteriorated disks in his back, Terry can barely make it a few blocks on foot.
He used to receive a bus pass from Community Services. Now he doesn’t.
Terry used to visit Margaret’s House for food, but now he can’t. He used to be able to visit his friend at the hospital but now he can’t.
Without a bus pass, Terry is trapped.
He does manage to make it over to the Community Food Centre for a few meals a week. He gets down to the Dartmouth Learning Network where he is doggedly pursuing his GED. It’s not so bad getting there, he tells me, because it’s down hill. Getting home is much harder.
Over the years I’ve known Terry, I have watched him advance through his literacy training with a sense of determination that is truly inspiring. He is always talking about his progress and his goals as he continues to overcome barriers on a daily basis that would deter many others, with little more than sheer force of will to propel him forward.
Besides his continuing achievements as an adult learner, Terry is a dedicated friend and volunteer. He is an active member of People First Nova Scotia, reflecting his deep committed to social justice issues and fighting for what he believes is right. Most of all, Terry is a good person who works hard and does his best.
After an article in The Coast about affordable bus passes, a stranger was compelled to buy Terry a monthly bus pass for February.
She messaged me a little while ago to ask how he was doing. “I wish there was something we could do,” she concluded.
“Me too,” I thought.
Her generosity and compassion was beautiful, and I think maybe not as rare as it may seem. This fundraising campaign will test that.
Together, let’s do what is right. Let’s not wait for our government to do what we know needs to happen. Let’s buy Terry a bus pass.
For every $78 we raise, Terry will have a month of more food, more friendship, and more volunteering.
For $546, we can hook him up with a buss pass for the rest of the year.
As I type these words, I struggle with the knowledge that there are many others out there who equally need support. Helping Terry would be great, but what about them? I don’t know the answer to that question, but I’m reminded to the story of the boy throwing starfish back into the ocean before they die, stranded on the beach…
"But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"
At this, the young man bent down, picked up a starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one.”
Terry is my starfish. Please help me make a difference for him.
Organizer
Matthew John Spurway
Organizer
Dartmouth, NS
