INNISFAIL – Christmas miracles do happen.
For one Sylvan Lake family, that miracle came in the form of a car from Innisfail’s Fourlane Ford Sales Ltd. on Dec. 21.
"It means so much. It’s a big shock,” said Stephanie Chenard, fighting back tears of happiness. "It’s incredible.”
Chenard was the recipient of Fourlane Ford Sales’ Make Miracles Happen Christmas giveaway this year.
The single mother from Sylvan Lake has two young children and has been struggling with transportation since her vehicle was damaged by an uninsured driver in an accident several months ago.
"I feel like I won the lottery. It’s amazing,” she said. "We were going to see my other grandparents for Christmas but it was cancelled. This is going to change that.
"It made our Christmas,” she added.
The reconditioned 2010 four-door Ford Focus SE with a new windshield and new winter tires, is more than a gift for Chenard.
Her year-and-a-half old daughter Felicity was born prematurely with heart defects. She has already had several surgeries and needs to make regular visits to see specialists in Edmonton.
"For them, this isn’t just a helping hand. This is the difference between getting her daughter to her appointments or not,” said Jaime Wilson, business manager at Fourlane Ford Sales Ltd. "We are super excited to give her this car.”
This is the second consecutive year that the dealership has given a reconditioned car to a needy family at Christmas.
"We are really trying to do more and give back to the community,” said Wilson. "It’s Christmas time and we want to give back and bless somebody else.”
This year, staff at the local car dealership chose a recipient through a different process.
"We took nominations this year for the first time,” explained Wilson. "Through our Facebook page we had people nominate families in need that could use a helping hand this Christmas,” she added, noting they received over 100 nominations from all over Central Alberta.
With another rewarding giveaway complete, Wilson said Fourlane Ford Sales Ltd. will continue working to make a difference.
"We don’t know if it will necessarily be a car every year, but we will be doing something every year to give back to the community and help families in need,” Wilson concluded.
Stephanie Chenard, single mother
"It means so much. It's a big shock."
