As the sun rose last Thursday on the damage from the Stanley Cup riot in Vancouver, Laura Baker was one of many who felt compelled to head downtown to help clean up "her city."
But her child had a dentist appointment and the Port Coquitlam single mother of four had her own house to clean.
So she started a Facebook page called "Fundraiser to Help the Businesses and People Affected by the Vancouver Riot," which, as of yesterday, has more than 200 supporters.
Her goal isn't to solicit donations online but to organize a day-long event like a bake sale and raffle to benefit those small businesses that were looted and especially those people whose cars were damaged or destroyed following the Vancouver Canucks' 4-0 loss to the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup final.
People like Crystal Ratvay of Abbotsford.
Just hours before Wednesday's game, Ratvay's aunt in Port Coquitlam gave her the keys to a red 1990 Chevy Cavalier. Ratvay's own car had broken down in April and she couldn't afford to replace it. Her aunt's goodwill was soon undone.
To celebrate the gift, Ratvay drove downtown to watch the game at a friend's place. But when she returned to her car following the Canucks' loss, she found the Chevy upended, resting on its crumpled roof, windows smashed out and interior ransacked. It was a write-off.
But with only liability insurance, Ratvay was left without a dime of insurance compensation.
ICBC spokesperson Adam Grossman told The Tri-City News on Monday that only drivers with either comprehensive or "special perils" insurance on their vehicles could claim riot damage, adding that ICBC had already fast-tracked about 100 such claims for repairs or replacement from Wednesday night's carnage.
"We've seen fire damage, we've seen vehicles that were rolled onto their roofs. In those two cases, typically we'll be looking at a total loss for the vehicle. It's pretty rare that the vehicle will be reparable in those cases," Grossman said.
And while Baker said she has already been contacted by scores of people looking to donate money through her Facebook fundraiser page, she's waiting for approval from Vancouver city hall to host a charity event.
Baker said she has seen similar fundraisers cropping up online but warned that many don't seem to have applied for proper licensing to solicit donations and are, therefore, not guaranteed to be providing money to those who need it.
"We're planning to hold our event in either in Stanley Park or right beside Rogers Arena," Baker said. "Because I have young children, I want to show them how to take care of their city and to show them that everyone doesn't behave like they saw on TV."
