'She was in tears': Community gifts car to Lytton fire evacuee still unable to return home
A deserving mother who is still unable to return to her Lytton home after the devastating fire this summer has been gifted a car.
Heather Wells was the recipient of a “new to her” 2001 Chevy Impala, thanks to a car giveaway in Armstrong.
Tim Miller, the owner of Extreme Mobile Auto Detailing, purchased the vehicle last winter with hopes of giving it away to someone in need.
Miller partnered with other local businesses, including One Stop Auto, Nelson Glass and Lordco Auto Parts, to get the car in tip-top shape before finding its new owner.
“I didn’t need the car and I felt, with COVID-19 and everything, that we needed something good to come from this,” Miller told CTV News Vancouver in a phone interview.
Wells was nominated for the prize by her friend Brandi, who mentioned in her submission that Wells is always doing kind things for others.
“She has a 15-year-old son and it’s just the two of them,” says Miller. “She’s not able to go home in Lytton and has been staying with family and friends in Vernon.”
The submission also mentioned how she had a broken-down vehicle, but it needed a few thousand dollars in repairs to get it back up and running.
Miller says Wells was chosen from more than a dozen nominees and he was happy to be there to help present the car to someone who truly deserves it.
“It means a lot to me to help other people,” he says. “She was in tears. She had glasses on and they were fogging up.”
Wells was also presented with $400 in cash and a gas gift card, which were donated by members of the Armstrong community.
“Everyone chipped in, she was in awe,” says Miller.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.