Rankin Inlet (Jan 17/05) - Elders in Rankin Inlet got a bit of help from their peers in Iqaluit.

The Iqaluit Elders Society donated $29,000 to the Pulaarvik Kablu Friendship Centre in Rankin to help with the elders van program. The money was like a gift from heaven on Christmas Eve, said George Dunkerley, the centre's executive director.

"It sounds a bit strange, but neither one of us knew the other existed. It was a complete shock to us to find out there was even an elders society active in Iqaluit, let alone receive a donation from its members."

The elders van was originally slated to cease operating on Dec. 5 due to a lack of funding.

The service received a brief reprieve when the Nunavut Employees Union and a couple of Rankin businesses stepped forward with enough money to keep the van on the road until Christmas Eve.

The money donated by the Iqaluit Elders Society will keep the van in full-time operation until March 31. The friendship centre is working on proposals to the Kivalliq Inuit Association, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. and the Nunavut government to keep the van on the road after March 31.

Dunkerley said the centre receives, on average, about 40 calls a day for use of the seniors van.

He said about 90 per cent of those calls come directly from the elders. "The rest come from places like the health centre, wanting us to pick up an elder for their appointment, or the local drug store."

Sammy Qaumariak, the chairperson for the Iqaluit Elders Society (Pairijait Tigumivik), said when the society found out the van service in Rankin was going to be discontinued, its members called for a meeting to discuss the matter. Qaumariak said the society members understood the importance of the van because a similar service is available in Iqaluit.