On January 3, 2020 Dan’s Legacy received a US$15,500 (Cdn$19,511) donation from PayPal Gives for the charity’s trauma and culturally-informed counselling programs. The grant was recommended by PayPal’s employee-volunteer led Vancouver GIVE Team at Hyperwallet, a subsidiary of PayPal and strong supporter of Dan’s Legacy.
The funds will go towards helping at-risk youth like Destiny, a young woman who experienced trauma as a child, including the death of a close friend by suicide. Destiny was involved with a partner who abused drugs to mask the pain of his own trauma, and who assaulted her when she was 12 weeks pregnant. The attack was so severe she suffered a permanent spinal injury. She had over 47 injuries to her body.
“Our therapist not only supported Destiny with trauma-informed counselling, but helped her find shelter, food, and clothing, and was by her side when she delivered her baby. She now has the insight and empowerment to change her life for herself and her children, and we’ll be there for her for as long as she needs us” says Barbara Coates, Dan’s Legacy’s executive director. “We’d like to thank PayPal and the team at Hyperwallet for their outstanding support, which will help us provide free counselling and wrap-around services to more at-risk youth in the Lower Mainland.”
“PayPal Gives helps us extend the positive impact we seek to have as a company and actively contribute to and strengthen communities around the world,” said Julie Vennewitz-Pierce, Director of PayPal Gives. “We’re proud to support a wide variety of programs around the world, each of which helps build stronger, more inclusive communities that enable greater opportunity for individuals and families. Dan’s Legacy is a great example of this effort, and we’re pleased to support their work.”
Dan’s Legacy goes directly to the youth wherever they are, they have no wait list and their services are free. If you or someone you know is asking for help, contact Tom Littlewood (Program Director) at [email protected] or 604999-9136.
Photo: the team from Hyperwallet helping to serve the meal at Dan’s Legacy’s weekly Sunday Haven Dinner at Aunt Leah’s Place in New Westminster.
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ABOUT DAN’S LEGACY
Dan’s Legacy provides trauma and culturally-informed counselling and life-skills intervention programs for at-risk youth in Metro Vancouver. In the past five years Dan’s Legacy has helped over 400 youth meet their educational, employment, and recovery goals.
ABOUT PAYPAL GIVES
Funded by corporate contributions, PayPal Gives is one of the ways PayPal steps forward to further our social impact objectives and actively support our communities across the globe. PayPal Gives supports and amplifies PayPal employees’ efforts to better the neighborhoods in which they live and work through charitable giving, volunteering and fundraising.