Duane and Stephanie Martens are truly thankful this Christmas.
After going two years without a car, the couple was given a 2012 Hyundai Sante Fe by RSA Insurance Group and Kelowna Performance Collision Centre. With a five year-old boy and twin three year-olds, the access to private transportation was a tremendous need for the Martens.
Duane noted they had many challenges getting to appointments and even grocery shopping, as it can be quite difficult to bus everywhere with young children. He will also now have much easier access to work, as he will no longer have to get up at 4:30am to catch the 5:50am bus.
“We’ll just be able to re-engage with our community more and be able to visit our family we haven’t been able to get to,” Stephanie said. “Buses often don’t run up to where they live in Glenmore. We have to get off and then walk significant distances with children. So we can reconnect with our family, reconnect with our community, and just in general it will make things a lot easier.”
The Sante Fe, which had been rear ended, was donated by RSA. Employees at Kelowna Performance Collision Centre volunteered their time on weekends to repair the car and have it functional for the Martens’.
“We know that vehicles still have a lot of life in them and that they can be returned to industry standard,” explained Gladys Kosowan, an adjuster with RSA. “We know there are families in our community that can benefit. IT’s not about a hand out but rather a hand up in the community and we’re glad to be a part of it.”
The Martens family was chosen from a group of nominees, and they said thank you can’t cover all of their gratitude.
