ChilliwackB次元官网网址檚 famous pink car is the focus of a fundraising effort for the Salvation Army. Southern Irrigation partner/co-owner Jeff Oostenbrink unveiled the B次元官网网址楽ave the CarB次元官网网址� campaign on social media Friday, and the fate of the iconic landmark is now in the communityB次元官网网址檚 hands. Southern Irrigation is ambitiously trying to raise $500,000 to build a new facility for the local Salvation Army, with the carB次元官网网址檚 future hanging in the balance.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e created a few benchmarks and our first threshold is $50,000,B次元官网网址� Oostenbrink explained. B次元官网网址淚f we achieve that benchmark, we will sell the car to the highest bidder.
B次元官网网址淏ut if we canB次元官网网址檛 meet that minimum threshold, the car will be crushed.B次元官网网址�
The next threshold is $100,000. If Chilliwackians can ante up that much then the carB次元官网网址檚 body will be restored and it will be integrated into the landscape at the new Southern Irrigation property, which is the old Pick-A-Park property near Lickman Road. Since the early 90s the pink car has sat on its base high in the air, welcoming eastbound travelers on Highway 1, and Oostenbrink said that by meeting the $100,000 threshold, it would continue to do so.
But the ultimate goal is to raise the full $500,000 by Oct. 31, 2023. If that happens, Oostenbrink said the pink car will get a full restoration.
B次元官网网址淎nd weB次元官网网址檒l use it in parades, charity events and community events,B次元官网网址� he said.
The leadership team at Southern Irrigation visited the Chilliwack Salvation Army property at 45746 Yale Road in December 2021 and saw firsthand how badly the charitable organization needs an upgrade.
B次元官网网址淥ur buildings right now, they are not good. TheyB次元官网网址檙e awful and we really want to get into something new,B次元官网网址� said Chilliwack Salvation Army captain Matt Kean in a Southern Irrigation Instagram video. B次元官网网址淚f you want to see how bad the buildings are, by all means come by and have a tour. WeB次元官网网址檒l show you how great the programs are, but also how terrible our buildings are.B次元官网网址�
Josh Draheim, community partnerships coordinator at the Chilliwack Salvation Army, said theyB次元官网网址檝e maxed out what they can do with the buildings they have, which he described as B次元官网网址渄isjointed, cramped and inefficient.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淎 redeveloped property would allow us to expand our capacity to serve the community of Chilliwack, fix some of these inefficiencies and reduce some of these costs it takes to maintain the buildings, so we are able to put more money into the programs themselves,B次元官网网址� Draheim said. B次元官网网址淛eff (Oostenbrink) was very, very clear when he told us that B次元官网网址楪uys, your buildings are falling apart and we want to help you.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
Chilliwack Salvation Army helps the community by operating the local food bank, emergency shelter and many other programs. For more info, visit .
Southern Irrigation has set up a donation page at where people can make contributions and get a tax receipt.
eric.welsh@theprogress.com
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