L to R: Sales Consultant Lisa Carter (kidney donor), Sean Carter (kidney recipient), Marketing Manager Lindsay Blenkiron, Sales Manager Tyson Flaig, Sales Consultants Wayne Kent and Scott Graham, and Sales Manager Dave Westhaver
Our Giving Program
For every RV sold in 2024, Bucars RV Centre donated a portion of the proceeds to charity. Each sales consultant selected their own charity of choice at the beginning of the year and enjoyed speaking about it with their customers. The total amount raised was over $11,000 for 10 different charities including Meals on Wheels, The Canadian Cancer Society, Animal Rescue Foundation, Calgary Drop-In Centre, and more. Due to the success of this program, Bucars has implemented it permanently and we have already started raising funds for 2025.
Calgary Health Foundation Living Donor Program
Today, we had the honour of presenting a cheque for $1,700 to the Calgary Health Foundation Living Donor Program. This life-saving program is specifically responsible for kidney transplants. They match those on the recipient waiting list with both anonymous and known kidney donors. In addition to orchestrating the transplant surgeries requiring huge teams of doctors, they also manage the donor database, conduct all compatibility testing, provide financial support for donors who incur travel and other expenses, and manage crucial post-transplant aftercare.
Lisa and Sean’s Story
This particular charity was selected by our sales consultant, Lisa Carter, as it has had a very personal impact on her life, as well as that of her husband, Sean. Sean was born with an autoimmune disease called IgA Nephropathy, which is a kidney disorder causing damaging inflammation and ultimately, kidney failure. He struggled with it his entire life, and at 46, his situation was dire. His kidneys were shutting down and he would either need to go on dialysis or receive a kidney transplant. Sean’s son immediately went to get tested as a possible match, and was unfortunately not compatible. His father was deemed to old to be a donor. So Lisa stepped up to get tested, knowing that the odds of non-relative matches were slim to none. But miraculously, she was a 100% match!
Additional in-depth testing was required, and the entire process took about 2 years, all of which occurred at the height at the COVID-19 pandemic. Sean’s life-changing transplant surgery was scheduled for his 48th birthday, and Lisa gave him the best birthday present either of them could have imagined: a kidney. Sean started to recover almost immediately after he received the transplant. He was up walking around, and colour returned to his face. Now, two years later, he is healthy and there are no signs of the IgA Nephropathy attacking his new kidney. He still needs to get bloodwork every two months to monitor, which is all conducted by the CHF.
If you have had the pleasure of working with Lisa here in our sales department, you may have heard her and Sean’s story. She feels strongly in spreading the word about kidney diseases and options to become a living donor, a real-life super hero. “Sean saved my life when I met him. I never thought I would ever have the opportunity to someday save his”, says Lisa.
Thank you to all our wonderful customers who have supported our charities by choosing to buy your RV at Bucars!
