A South Surrey business owner says she was “overwhelmed” by the generosity of Semiahmoo Peninsula residents after calling for donations for a cause close to her heart.
Village Travel owner Sharleen Dickson hosted a ‘Ladies on the Go Clothing Drive’ for Vision Quest Recovery Society on Nov. 21. The drive-thru event was held at White Rock Baptist Church.
The event resulted in two cargo vans filled with warm clothing for the society, which operates a 10-bed recovery centre in Abbotsford, a 60-bed facility near Logan Lake and a 10-bed women’s facility in Surrey.
Dickson said the clothes will be of great benefit to people who seek recovery.
“A lot of times people come with nothing but the clothes on their back,” Dickson said.
Dickson said one of her children struggled with substance misuse and it was the Vision Quest’s Logan Lake facility that helped him get back on his feet.
“I owe them his life,” Dickson said. “It’s sort of this passion I have because people think addictions don’t touch them, but it touches everyone. They either steal from you or you’re paying through your healthcare, so get with the program.”
Dickson noted that B.C. is on pace to set a record for the number of overdose deaths in a single year.
According to most recent data by BC Centre for Disease Control, the deadliest year for overdose deaths was in 2017, when overdose deaths reached 1,494.
The data, last updated in September, shows that B.C. has had 1,202 overdose deaths with three months left to report. Comparatively, 1,180 deaths were recorded in 2017 by September.
“This is an issue that a lot of people think it doesn’t impact them, but it does,” Dickson said.