Rankin Inlet (Jan 12/05) - The Iqaluit Elders Society has stepped up to keep the elders van on the road in Rankin Inlet.

George Dunkerley is the executive director of the Pulaarvik Kablu Friendship Centre in Rankin Inlet.

Pulaarvik Kablu Friendship Centre board chairman Ollie Ittinuar breaks into a smile when he sees the amount that Iqaluit Elders Society chair Sammy Qaumariak donated to the elders van.

He said the $29,000 donated by the Iqaluit Elders Society was like a gift from heaven on Christmas Eve.

"The society heard about our elders van program through Paul Murphy, a former resident of Rankin Inlet, who now lives in Iqaluit," said Dunkerley.

"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 $29,000 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 local 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.

"When an elder needs a prescription refilled the health centre staff know which elders can't get there, so they phone the drug store, which in turn gets the prescriptions ready and then phones us," said Dunkerley, noting the van picks up and delivers the prescriptions.

Sammy Qaumariak is the chairperson for the Iqaluit Elders Society (Pairijait Tigumivik).

She 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.

The board members decided to look for some funding to help keep the van on the road during winter's coldest months.

Qaumariak said the society members understood the importance of the van because a similar service is available in Iqaluit.

"Our service is available from Monday to Friday and we even have drivers who will come and pick up elders to take them to church on Sundays," said Qaumariak.

"That service has become very important to Iqaluit's elders and knowing how much our elders depend on the service, we felt we had to do what we could to help the elders in Rankin."

Qaumariak said other organizations, agencies and the Nunavut government should be stepping up to help out in situations like this.

She said when an organization such as the Pulaarvik Kablu Friendship Centre - which is offering such a valuable service to its elders - is in need of funding to keep the service going, help should be made available.

"We don't have a lot of money as a society, but we didn't think about what donating this money to Rankin would cost us.

"We felt it was far more important to step up and help out the elders in need in another region."

The elders van has been in existence off and on in Rankin since 1999.

The current van was purchased in 2001 and Dunkerley said maintaining the service costs the friendship centre about $125,000 a year in driver-and-dispatch salaries, fuel, oil, office space rental, insurance and general maintenance.

He said the service has become an integral part of the community.

"We give elders the freedom and opportunity to do things on their own time."The Iqaluit Elders Society has stepped up to keep the elders van on the road in Rankin Inlet.

George Dunkerley is the executive director of the Pulaarvik Kablu Friendship Centre in Rankin Inlet.

He said the $29,000 donated by the Iqaluit Elders Society was like a gift from heaven on Christmas Eve.

"The society heard about our elders van program through Paul Murphy, a former resident of Rankin Inlet, who now lives in Iqaluit," said Dunkerley.

"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 $29,000 donation from its members."