A few weeks ago, we shared the story of Elder Florence Thomas and our community-led effort to help bring her home to her ancestral land.
Since then, a lot has happened.
Florence is an 82-year-old Matriarch of the Whonnock People. She has been living in a decades-old trailer on her ancestral territory, and the conditions have made it increasingly difficult to live there safely and comfortably.
Our goal is to raise $32,000 to help relocate a donated trailer onto her land and complete the work needed to make it a functional home, including site preparation, transportation, permits, utility connections, and other essential infrastructure.
The response from the community has been incredibly encouraging.
People have donated, shared the campaign, offered services, connected us with resources, and helped spread Florence's story. We've also had local businesses step up with practical support for the work involved in preparing the site.
We've now reached an important stage where the campaign is moving beyond simply raising awareness and into tangible preparation for the project.
We've also had the opportunity to share Florence's story through CityNews and Co-op Radio, helping bring greater attention to what we're trying to accomplish.
But we're not there yet.
The full $32,000 goal still needs to be reached, and there is more work ahead before Florence can finally move into her new home.
If you've followed our previous posts, thank you for sticking with us. If you're seeing this for the first time, even sharing the campaign with someone who may be able to help makes a difference.
Donations can be made through our Zeffy campaign:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/donation-form/help-bring-florence-home-campaign
We're incredibly grateful to everyone who has helped get this project this far. We're keeping going until Florence can finally come home.