B.C. community rallies to aid 81-year-old veteran living in car
The community of Squamish, B.C., has opened their hearts and wallets to help a longtime local resident get back on his feet.
A series of unfortunate events have befallen 81-year-old Orville Larsen recently, leaving the military veteran with no other choice but to sleep in his aging two-door Saturn in the Walmart parking lot.
“This car’s got almost 400,000 clicks on it,” he said in an interview with CTV News. “I’m sleeping in the front seat.”
Jeremiah White, also a military veteran, served tours in Bosnia and Afghanistan.
He’s known Larsen for years but hadn’t seen him around town recently — until a chance encounter at the Walmart last week.
“I was like, ‘How you doing?’ And he says, ‘Oh, you know, not so good. I’m living in my car out in the parking lot.’ I was like, that’s not acceptable. We can’t have that,” White recounted.
“Everyone pictures an 81-year-old man as their grandfather and pictures their grandfather living in a car. Everybody’s had enough and said we’re not going top tolerate that. We can do better.”
White started a GoFundMe, hoping to raise a few thousand dollars to buy a van that could be converted into a proper recreational vehicle that Larsen could live in.
Within days, the fundraiser had brought in over $43,000 — more than enough to help Larsen.
Friday he signed the paperwork to take ownership of a used van that can be converted into an RV.
Corey Smith, also a Squamish resident and military veteran, owns a similar van that he uses for road trips.
He’ll be helping upgrade Larsen’s vehicle by adding a table that converts into a bed, a two-burner gas stove, a heating system and rooftop solar panels for power.
“We’re doing all the labour, just volunteering the labour,” said Smith. “And a lot of the materials will come from the local van conversion companies as well.”
Thanks to the generosity of the community, plans are already underway to buy and convert a second van for another local in need.
“The plan Jeremiah and and I came up with is whatever’s left over is going to go into a fund to help somebody else out,” said Larsen.
Larsen has now moved into a hotel and says when his van is ready he plans to take it on a fishing trip.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in "all public spaces," marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.