Crew members from HMCS Halifax are fundraising to help make a child’s wish come true, but their plan has hit a roadblock after vandals broke into their van.
The 12 crew members are raising money for three-year-old Charlie, who was born with a rare heart disease.
“Charlie’s Wish is to meet pirates,” says Cheryl Matthews of the Children’s Wish Foundation. “We’ve haven’t booked his wish yet, but my guess is it will probably be Disney World, that’s our most popular wish.”
It costs about $10,000 to sponsor’s a child’s wish, but the crew is going the extra mile. They are running across Nova Scotia with a goal of raising $40,000. So far, they have raised $16,000.
“Towns along the way, they give us donations as we move through their area,” says John DeWolfe.
The sailors are making their way across the province with two vans but one team has had to make a pit stop for repairs after an incident at a movie theatre in Truro.
“The manager came into the movie theatre asking if there was an owner of the Children’s Wish van and I stood up and I thought ‘oh, he’s got a donation for us,’” says James Abthorpe.
Instead, Abthorpe was led out to his team’s van to find it had been broken into. A window had been smashed and $500 had been stolen from inside the vehicle.
“I found it unbelievable that someone would have the audacity to break into a van that’s doing a charity run,” says Abthorpe.
“If anything, this is a rallying cry for the citizens and people of Nova Scotia to step up and get behind HMCS Halifax.”
Doug Wilson, the general manager at Dartmouth Dodge, has offered to repair the damage.
“Replace the window that got smashed out and then get it in as quickly as possible so they could get back on the road,” says Wilson.
The car dealership also gave the crew $500 in gas cards.
“The heartfelt support we got from Truro and people today, it’s really bolstered the team spirit,” says DeWolfe.
After the van is fixed, the sailors will make their way to Yarmouth.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Matt Woodman
