GORE BAY – The Gore Bay-Western Manitoulin Lions Club has made a donation to the Angel Bus operating committee towards the continued operation of the valuable Angel Bus for residents on Western Manitoulin.
Lions Larry Hunter and Gord Flanagan presented a cheque in the amount of $1,000 to Ted Kilpatrick, of the Angel Bus operating committee, last week.
“This kind of funding donation is critical to our organization and the continuation of the operation of the Angel Bus,” Mr. Kilpatrick told the Recorder. He pointed out recently, “we had to replace a fuel tank on the bus.”
Mr. Kilpatrick noted that the Lions Club has made donations to the Angel Bus annually since 2017. “This contribution by the Gore Bay-Western Manitoulin Lions Club reflects our commitment to Gore Bay and Western Manitoulin. It is a valuable resource for all our residents.”
Mr. Kilpatrick noted that Central Pharmacy in Gore Bay also donated $1,000 towards the Angel Bus, recently.
Sandy Cook, also on the Angel Bus operations committee, told the Recorder, “so far we are still doing well from a financial perspective. We recently had to replace the fuel tank on the bus. Keller’s Garage (Mindemoya) does a great job in keeping our bus in good shape.”
“We will be ready to purchase our next Angel Bus in 2024,” said Ms. Cook. “And Pat Best has donated one and possibly two of her beautifully hand-made quilts, and we are hoping that we will be able to sell tickets on it and hold a draw for it.”
“The support we receive for the Angel Bus is always is always incredible,” said Ms. Cook. “We did 69 runs (trips) with the bus last year, even though we couldn’t make any social type events. The trips were normally for riders who had medical appointments,” noting all drivers of the Angel Bus were able to get vaccinated for COVID-19 early in the process.
