LOYAL PROTESTANT ASSOCIATION
#3A, 7673 SIXTH STREET, BURNABY, BC, V3N 3M8 (604) 521-2244
A Registered Charity Dedicated to Charitable Work For Children
GRANT APPLICATION
Please complete all applicable sections of the application and forward 1 copy with required attachments including 1 copy of your latest Annual Report and Financial Statement to:
Secretary,
Loyal Protestant Association, PO Box 1190 Stn. Main Coquitlam, BC V3J 6Z9
Note: Brevity is appreciated but additional materials may be appended.
...
NAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION: Canadian Red Cross Society, Health Equipment Loan Program (HELP)
ADDRESS: 3400 Lake City Way, Burnaby BC, V5A 4Y2 TELEPHONE NUMBER: 604-709-6683
MANAGER: Bob Davies, BC Health Services APPLICATION CONTACT: Christian Bates, Grant Writer BC Fund Development
REGISTERED NUMBER ASSIGNED TO YOUR SOCIETY BY REGISTRAR OF COMPANIES: S-26916
REGISTERED NUMBER ASSIGNED BY REVENUE CANADA: 119219814RR0001
LIST THE EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF YOUR ORGANIZATION: (Include name, address, telephone number)
President - Kalpna Solanki 1381 Glen Abbey Burnaby, BC V5A 3Y3 (604) 298-2985
Past President - Cassandra Consiglio #310-145 Chadwick Court, North Van, BC, V7M 3K1 (604) 984-7334 Staff Ex-Officio - Christopher Libby, Regional Operations Manager, 3400 Lake City Way, Burnaby BC, V5A
4Y2 (604) 709-6661
ATTACH A LIST OF ALL DIRECTORS: Please find attached.
PROVIDE A BRIEF HISTORY OF YOUR ORGANIZATION:
The Canadian Red Cross Society is the largest non-profit, humanitarian organization in the country. Since 1909, we have provided Canadians with disaster response, emergency preparedness, injury prevention, health prevention and community education programming. Our mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity in Canada, and around the world. We are guided by our fundamental principles of Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary Service, Unity and Universality.
The Red Cross Health Equipment Loan Program (HELP) began modestly in the 1940s as a small number of Sickroom Supply Loan Cupboards, usually operated out of local hospitals. In 1947, in the first year of operations, Red Cross Loan Cupboards provided medical equipment to 104 Western Canadians, many of them WWII veterans receiving care at home. Sixty-five years later, in 2011-12, HELP services provided short-term medical equipment loans to almost 79,000, injured and end-of-life community members across British Columbia.
TITLE OF PROJECT:
Wheelchairs for Kids in Casts
OUTLINE THE PROPOSED PROJECT TO INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING ITEMS OF INFORMATION:
Specific goals and how they are to be attained:
Project Goal: The goal of this project is to purchase 10 child-size, reclining wheelchairs for loan to young people in serious crisis. The wheelchairs will be loaned for periods of 6 weeks to 6 months to a diverse group of post-operative children between the ages of 5-10. While families who benefit from the service will be able to make a donation, many will come to the Red Cross under financial strain and will receive the service at no cost.
The 14-inch 9000 Jymni Lightweight Reclining Manual Wheelchair with Elevated Leg Rests.
Although there are currently 7 of these specialized wheelchairs in the BC HELP inventory, they are rarely in a Depot longer than a few hours before they are picked up – parents are routinely turned away empty-handed. While researching this proposal, we found only one of these wheelchairs in the Lower Mainland (outside the HELP system) designated for loan to these post-op kids. That chair was sitting in storage because it required servicing and there was no system in place to have that done.
In a survey of 16 medical supply businesses around the province, we found only 3 of these wheelchairs for rent – and none of them available. This shortage is well known among health professionals who work with these children. We are confident in saying that every single medical practitioner in the Lower Mainland who works with children recovering from hip surgeries will testify to the importance of this project. We’ve attached letters of support from two Physiotherapists, a Physical Therapist, an Administrator and an Orthopaedic Surgeon - each works directly with these children every day.
While we stopped gathering support letters once we received four, we could certainly get more. There is no shortage of professionals who will testify to the importance of these wheelchairs.
This equipment deficiency exists for the following reasons:
• Because the need for these wheelchairs is only temporary, there is no government assistance even if the child is designated as having a permanent disability (such as CP). In fact, some of the children who will use these wheelchairs will already own wheelchairs that are unsuitable for their recovery.
• Equipment rental businesses explained to us that there is not enough need within each catchment area/sales region to justify the purchase and maintenance of a child-size reclining wheelchair, despite charging $150 a month. Even for families with ample money to spend on rental equipment, many parents struggle to locate the equipment their child needs.
• These children come from all over the province and their numbers are not large (we estimate roughly 100 per year). Because they suffer from a variety of ailments, there are no quantitative statistics as a whole that identifies them as a single, underserved group. What connects these children and their families is the need for these wheelchairs.
• Without government involvement, the only organization with the capacity to effectively manage this project province-wide is HELP. However, due to the rapidly increasing baby boomer demographic, the vast majority of funds provided by BC Health Authorities are earmarked for equipment that serves injured and ill seniors. Because we are chronically short of walkers and raised toilet seats for the aged, we are required to find funds for these specialized wheelchairs from external donors. We have been searching for the perfect donor for nearly a year, but we have been unable to raise these funds.
How Goal will be attained: First, the wheelchairs will be ordered and delivered to the Vancouver HELP Depot. With the 6th Ave Vancouver Depot just 3.5km from Children’s Hospital, and a reach that extends across BC, HELP is the only organization in the province with the capacity to manage the lending, tracking, retrieval and repair of these wheelchairs. The majority of paediatric hip surgeries are performed at Children’s which means that families may easily pick up a reclining wheelchair on their way home, wherever they live in the province.
In most cases, the child will have to return to Children’s to receive clearance from a surgeon to discontinue use of the wheelchair. At this time, the chair may be returned to the Depot for disinfection, repair and re-loan. In cases where the chair does not return to Vancouver, families will be asked to ship the chair to the Vancouver Depot. If this is not possible due to cost, the chair may be returned to any one of 79 Depots around the province and shipped back through our transport systems. It is expected that at least one wheelchair will be housed in each of the Regional HELP Depots – Victoria, Kelowna and Prince George.
Once each wheelchair is in place, it will be maintained by the dedicated volunteers at each Depot who will clean and repair it to ensure a long cycle of service. Over their lifetime of roughly 7 years, parts will be replaced, some several times. A single wheelchair will serve many children - we expect between 4 and 7 each year on average.
In operation since 1947, the Red Cross is the only organization properly positioned to maintain this project. HELP is efficient, lean and very well established. The administration of these wheelchairs will be supported by a legion of nearly 1000 committed volunteers around the province who work out of the 79 Depots.
HELP volunteers gave over $1.24 million of work in fiscal year 2011/12 (100,367 hrs x $12.00/h).
Needs that project is designed to meet and the numbers it will serve:
The Numbers Served – If each child uses a wheelchair for an average of 12 weeks, with cleaning and repair, the chairs will help 40 children per year. Here is a list of the various conditions for which a child may require a reclining wheelchair:
Hip Surgeries - The primary users will be children who have undergone corrective hip surgeries and may require a chair for a recovery period of between 6 weeks and 6 months. Many will be young children with Cerebral Palsy receiving care at BC Children’s. Children with CP are at high-risk for hip dislocation due to abnormal muscle tone and a socket that does not develop. Each hip dislocation results in a degeneration or loss of cartilage meaning that they must undergo more serious and less effective surgeries the longer the hip is left untreated.
As a result, a working group entitled “The BC Consensus for Hip Surveillance for Children with Cerebral Palsy” has been established. The group consists of Paediatric and Orthopaedic Surgeons, PTs, OTs, Physios, Nurses and representatives of Government. Its goal is to develop a strategy to ensure that children with CP are assessed at an earlier age to make the best surgery options available to them. With the corresponding increase in early intervention surgeries, the need for reclining wheelchairs is expected to grow proportionally (please see attached letter from Physiotherapist Stacey Miller and Dr. Kishore Mulpuri, Orthopaedic Surgeon at BC Children’s Hospital, Orthopaedic Cerebral Palsy Clinic).
Cancer – Many children undergoing chemotherapy are not considered palliative and thus not eligible for equipment support from the government. Regardless, the severe fatigue and weakness can leave them temporarily unable to move about on their own. A reclining wheelchair will allow a child to remain mobile but comfortable as they are taken to medical appointments or to safely leave their sick bed for a walk.
Brain Injury – In the immediate aftermath of a brain injury, a child may require short-term loan of a reclining wheelchair as they gather strength and regain motor function.
Complex Leg Fractures – In the case of a severe break requiring complex surgery.
Multi-trauma Injuries – Most often the result of a serious car accident, a multi-trauma injury may require a child to remain in a lying position throughout their recovery.
Are in the process of moving to full dependence on a wheelchair – These reclining wheelchairs may be used to bridge the gap between discharge and the time when a permanent chair of their own is located for purchase.
The Need
There are three primary reasons that make the availability of these wheelchairs so critical:
Safety - In some cases, a very fragile, post-op child will not be allowed to leave Children’s Hospital until a reclining chair is located. Whether in bed or in transport to appointments, children fitted with spica casts are required to lie straight and still in a semi-to-fully reclined position with their legs apart, usually separated by a wooden stick (shown below). In some circumstances, a child recovering without a reclining wheelchair may be forced to use an adult-size, non-reclining wheelchair stuffed with a pillow; thus creating an uneven decline position to accommodate the unbendable body cast (shown below).
A spica cast is a hard covering over the waist and legs that prevents movement of the hips. They are typically worn continuously for a period of 2 to 3 months and force children to lie completely prone or in a semi-reclined position. They are extremely uncomfortable, render a child almost totally immobile, and make them reliant on others for even the most basic of tasks (such as going to the bathroom).
When a reclining wheelchair cannot be located, parents have been forced to prop their child in a full-size, straight-backed wheelchair and use a pillow to create an angle. Note the makeshift safety strap. It appears to be a leather pants belt.
Pain & Discomfort - In addition to the pain of surgery and the difficulty of lying still for as long as 6 months, a child should not be forced to use a makeshift mobility device. This situation is uncomfortable and embarrassing at best, and at worst, leaves the child in pain or unstable – at serious risk for re-dislocation or re-injury (see Figure 2). Reclining wheelchairs will allow children to attend their medical appointments and move about their communities lying at a safe and comfortable angle.
Mobility & the Emotional Health of Children and their Families - The use of one of these wheelchairs offers a tremendous psychological benefit to both children and their families. Parents, caregivers, and healthcare professionals have reported that children who wear spica casts are easily upset as a result of their extremely restricted movement. They have also reported that simply being able to take a child for a walk around the block or to the park can have a positive impact on the emotional state of all involved.
Red Cross staff report frustration from parents when they are told that we have none of these wheelchairs to lend their child. If every doctor and nurse and physio and physical therapist treating the child is so aware of the importance of these wheelchairs, they wonder, how do they remain so hard to find?
How this project relates to the overall purpose and priorities of your organization.
The Red Cross is focused on one strategic goal: to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity. It is difficult to imagine anyone more vulnerable than a child rendered immobile by a body cast, or suffering through rounds of chemotherapy. As for mobilizing humanity, the HELP program is driven by over 1000 volunteers who give their time in the villages, towns and cities of BC - any one of which could assist in the maintenance or transport of the wheelchairs.
All Red Cross activities are guided by the Fundamental Principles of Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary Service, Unity and Universality. These principles guide our actions in providing help to those in need, wherever they are, whatever their race, political beliefs, religion, social status, or culture.
Projected start-up and completion dates:
Despite proposals sent to numerous foundations, this project has been awaiting funding for nearly a year. We are poised to order these wheelchairs as soon as the funding arrives. The wheelchairs will be in the Depots and out to the children who need them within 30 days.
WHAT AMOUNT IS REQUIRED FROM LOYAL PROTESTANT ASSOCIATION (L.P.A.)?
At the discounted price offered to the Canadian Red Cross, we have received a quote of $2,060.50 for each
wheelchair. Adding 15% to this total would pay for 2-3 years of parts replacement (seats, backs, straps, tires etc).
2060.50 x 15% = 309.50
Total for each wheelchair = $2370
Total project cost = $2370 x 10 = $23,700
WHEN WOULD THIS AMOUNT BE REQUIRED?
As mentioned above, we are ready to execute this project as soon as the funding arrives.
IF MADE AVAILABLE, HOW WOULD THESE FUNDS BE USED?
Please see Figure 3 for a photo of the 14 inch 9000 Jymni Lightweight Manual Wheelchair. The following components will be added to the base model to address a diverse range of needs:
• Desk length adjustable height armrests
• Recliner frame
• Auto style buckle seat positioning strap
• Headrest w/push handles extension
• Wheel lock extensions
• Elevating footrests with aluminum footplates
IF REQUIRED, WHERE DO YOU PROPOSE TO GET ADDITIONAL FUNDS?
If the LPA decides to partially fund this project, we will immediately purchase the wheelchairs we can and continue our fundraising efforts. Our team will continue our search for donors until every single child in need of a wheelchair has access to one.
WHAT PROVISION WILL BE MADE FOR INTERIM AND FINAL REPORTS?
Both Interim and Final Reports will be submitted at the times designated by the LPA. A recent upgrade to the HELP database will allow us to produce an up-to-the-day snapshot of the number of children each wheelchair has served until then, as well as the regions they are benefitting.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Annual Operating Budget for current fiscal year: This is the Approved Budget for HELP BC-wide -
Revenue: Total: $3,189,900
Govt. Sources (Specify)
Provincial $55,500 Municipal $20,000 Gaming $200,000 Health Authorities $1,358,000 Corporation $10,000 Monthly Giving $5000 Gifts-in-Kind $298,000 United Way $33,800
Client donations at the Depots $1,181,000
Foundations $20,000
Product sales (disposable supplies that accompany medical equipment) $8600
Total $3,189,900
Year End: March 31, 2013
Expenditures: Total: $3,189,900
All Salaries $1,195,600
Rent/Facilities/Vehicles $843,300
Office Expenses $169,600
New Equipment $144,000
Maintenance and Repairs $50,200
Travel/Meetings $70,800 Gifts-in-Kind $298,000 Purchased Services $32,000 Other Expenses* $386,400 Total $3,189,900
*Notes: Other expenses include shared support services such as human resources, payroll, planning, research, development, evaluation, governance, compensation, administration, public affairs, finance, and communication.
Project Budget Total: $23,700
Expenditures
Salaries
Rent/Utilities
Capital Costs (specify)
10 Specialized Wheelchairs $23,700
Total $23,700
Revenue:
List all proposed sources
Source Amount Confirmed
LPA $23,700 $0
