How One Van Is Re-Connecting Seniors To Their Community

When Tom climbed aboard the new 10-seat passenger van for its inaugural trip, he expected nothing more than a day out with familiar faces.

“I was just hanging out, enjoying the trip,” he recalled.

But as the van wound through the Nass Valley toward Nisga’a Memorial Lava Bed Park—one of the region’s most breathtaking routes—something shifted. He found himself opening up, sharing stories, and connecting in unexpected ways. By the end, it wasn’t the scenery he remembered most, but the conversations and new friendships that formed.

“It helped me get to know some more people. It was a very pleasant day.”

For seniors like Tom, simple, social, uplifting outings haven’t always been possible. Many hadn’t visited the lava beds in years. But thanks to a new United Way BC–funded 10-seat passenger van now serving Volunteer Terrace, those outings are once again within reach.

In northern communities like Terrace, getting from one place to another can shape a senior’s entire day as well as their well-being. As driving becomes harder with age, medical appointments, groceries, or social outings often become major challenges without a vehicle or someone available to help.

Terrace’s geography makes this even harder. Communities are spread out along long, winding highways, and many essential services require travel well beyond city limits.

As Carol Leclerc, Seniors Program Director at Volunteer Terrace, notes: “Kitimat is our closest neighbor, a 40-minute drive.” With Prince Rupert 90 minutes away and Prince George seven hours, many older adults simply can’t make those trips alone.

Reliable, community-based transportation is essential—not optional.

The new van was made possible thanks to support from Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation and the United Way BC Aging in Motion (AIM): Transportation Supports and Innovation grant, which strengthens transportation options for older adults, especially those in rural and remote communities. By improving access to medical care, social activities, and essential services, AIM helps reduce isolation, keeping seniors connected and able to remain in their communities longer while easing the burden on family caregivers.

In Terrace, that support also means new opportunities for social connection through programs like the United Way BC TAPS program.

How the van is transforming the TAPS program

For participants in Volunteer Terrace’s United Way BC Therapeutic Activation Program for Seniors (TAPS), the van has opened the door to group outings, social gatherings, and visits to places many hadn’t seen in years.

Tom, a retired pilot with significant hearing loss, says joining TAPS helped pull him out of years of isolation.

“It’s got me out of the house… my hearing is a big obstacle, but it’s been a very positive experience for me.”

After losing his wife, he withdrew from the world. “I had, more or less, become a hermit… and this has helped me get back out into the mainstream again.” Now, the program is an anchor in his week. “I’m here every week, a couple of times a week, anyways.”

Tom is now a familiar, well-liked presence on outings. When the van is full—often with mostly women—he’s always ready to help. As Carol adds:

“Tom is quite the gentleman… he helps everybody in and everybody out.”

Opening up the world for seniors like Don

The van’s impact extends beyond regular TAPS participants. On that first trip to the lava beds, another senior, Don*, experienced a milestone of his own.

Don is tall, and bending into most vehicles is difficult for him.  Living several kilometres outside town, Don relies on HandyDART and grocery delivery services. Social outings are rare and often feel unsafe. As Carol explains, “getting out is difficult for him, and he doesn’t feel safe walking around his neighborhood”.

She first met Don when he reached out for help with his cats. When the lava beds trip came up, she personally invited him. The group planned to stop at the only restaurant in the Nass Valley, which required pre-ordering meals. When she sent Don the menu, his reply stopped her in her tracks:

“I haven’t been to a real restaurant since I worked in one, looking forward to it.”

“It was probably at least three years since he’d been to a restaurant,” Carol shared.

Don is also a passionate photographer. “That was just the cat’s meow for him,” Carol said. “He doesn’t get to go anywhere to take pictures.”

More opportunities, more connection, more life

The new van has already begun reshaping what’s possible for seniors in Terrace, and the momentum is only growing as more field trips are planned.

For Carol, the impact goes beyond transportation. “I would say that it’s opened up opportunity for people.”

She’s seen how easily older adults’ worlds can shrink without reliable ways to get out and how deeply these outings matter.

“I think that when we have these field trips, it gives people an opportunity to get excited, to look forward to events that are coming up, and to be able to participate in them.”

The van is helping older adults reclaim parts of life they thought were slipping away, creating new experiences, new friendships, and renewed confidence.

Thanks to the generous support of our partners and the Government of BC, more than 3,000 seniors across the province accessed transportation services last year through the United Way BC AIM: Transportation Supports & Innovation grant.

With your help, we can build a future where every senior feels seen, supported, and valued.

Let’s be UNITED for seniors. Donate today.

*A pseudonym has been used to protect the individual’s privacy