A successful campaign for a specialized van for
people with disabilities and something more
“In the Eastern district of Kazanlak, in one of our family-type centers, there lives a group of children and young people for whom moving around is a challenge.” This is how our joint campaign with Pizza Lab started in the spring. Our goal was to raise funds to provide a van to easily and comfortably transport the children who use wheelchairs. Up until now, it was difficult for them to leave the house for activities outside our place because our staff had to manually lift and position them in the seats which were not adapted for people with severe physical disabilities. Despite it being very hard, this never stopped us from making efforts to include them in activities outside the house, but we dreamed about it being easier and more comfortable for everyone.
With a joined effort, dreams do come true! So after a one-month campaign with our long-time partners at Pizza Lab and with the help of their customers, we were able to raise over 18,000 BGN, which we used to purchase our dream van. For one month, when ordering a Hope Pizza, Pizza Lab customers donated BGN 1 to the campaign and Pizza Lab doubled the funds. In addition, they placed donation boxes in all their locations. All these efforts helped to provide the much needed van.
The campaign exceeded the goal we had set for ourselves and in addition to the specialized transportation we purchased, we will put the extra funds towards organizing a summer camp for the intellectually disabled youth from our Sheltered Housing facility in Kazanlak.
Our new vehicle is specially made for people with wheelchairs, it is equipped with a ramp and is wide and very comfortable. This makes it easy and comfortable for all children and young people with severe disabilities to travel to different places in the city and beyond – for therapies, cultural events, excursions and community events. And our staff are very happy to share in the children’s comfort and joy.
We wish them fun trips and many new places to visit. And to our partners at Pizza Lab and their customers who participated in the Journeys Without Borders campaign, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
