Easter Seals camps can go ahead with trailer donation

A local company has stepped in to help out the Easter Seals in St. John's after a trailer the charity used to transport equipment for various summer camps was stolen.

Easter Seals CEO Mark Lane suspected the trailer, which cost the charity between $6,000 and $7,000, was stolen sometime between July 18 and 21.

Lane said last week the charity planned to use the trailer to haul gear to their kids' summer camps, and wasn't sure how they were going to accommodate the camps out on Salmonier Line without it.

With the donation of a trailer and transportation, Lane said the camps scheduled are able to move ahead.

"Akita Equipment, actually they made camp happen. One of our camps starts today (Monday) and Akita Equipment very graciously and very generously came up with a crew and a truck and a trailer and transported all that essential equipment that we need for camp out to Lavrock for a camp this week," he said.

Lane added the company has offered to continue to provide transportation for the summer if the charity is unable to find a replacement trailer.

According to Lane, people from right across Newfoundland and Labrador got in touch after the story made the news to offer support.

"The outpouring of support from right across the province has been unreal. [I'm] not surprised, because it's typical graciousness of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, but we received a mass number of emails after our story aired," he said.

"I received a number of emails and phone calls, Twitter feeds, Facebook messages, from people right across the province — individuals and families — that had registered trailers that said, 'Hey, you can borrow our trailer.'"

Lane said Easter Seals will have to replace the stolen trailer, which was loaned to the charity on a temporary basis, as well as come up with funds to purchase a new one for their own use.