Fundraising through a GoFundMe page has paid off for a paraplegic man whose ATV was stolen earlier this month.
Shawn Daley had his ATV stolen from his home around the second week of April. In order to help Daley, Chatham-Kent's ATV club president Vince Masse started an online fundraising campaign.
Masse says the $9,000 goal was reached around 9pm Thursday night.
"I just want to thank everybody for their generosity and coming together as a community," he says. "Even people from outside the Chatham-Kent area were generous."
Masse says the campaign really took off at first but then donations started to slow down.
"I was starting to get nervous," he says. "Then [Thursday night] a few generous donations started coming in, and we actually had somebody who had already donated twice... [give] a third donation."
At this point, Masse says they're waiting for the money to come in from GoFundMe. From there, Daley can choose one of three ATV options available.
"In about a weeks time we will sit down with [Daley] and show him what the GoFundMe funds will pay for and let him pick one of the three ATVs," says Masse.
In addition, Daley won't have to worry about extra costs to make the new ATV accessible. Masse says the ATV will be automatic with front and rear brakes located on the handlebars.
As of April 27, police say they have yet to recover Daley's stolen ATV.
The investigation continues. Anyone with tips is asked to contact Constable Chris Robb at chrisr@chatham-kent.ca or 519-436-6600 ext. 83336. Anonymous tips can also be made to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
-With files from Matt Weverink.