A pasta dinner fundraiser will be held on Friday night to help community member Chad Boucher gain access to ADA-compliant transportation.
“We have to get a new van for my son Chad,” said Michele Boucher. “He has cerebral palsy and he’s in a wheelchair; we need to have a wheelchair van to take him places like the doctors. We were told that our old van wasn’t roadworthy because the frame was cracked and rotted.”
Boucher, a 46-year-old, resides in Bristol with his caretaker parents Michele and David Boucher. All proceeds from the upcoming pasta dinner will go towards helping the Boucher family purchase a new ADA-compliant wheelchair van.
“We have seen a wheelchair van that looks like it would be good for us,” said Michele. “We’re trying to see if we could get a loan. It would be good to be able to put some money down on it.”
The fundraiser will be held Friday, July 14, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Bristol Polish American Citizens Club. A meal of pasta, meatballs, bread and salad will be served, and refreshments will be available for purchase. For those unable to attend the event, dinners will also be available to go.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $12 for children under the age of 12. Adult tickets can be purchased online at Eventbrite.com and children’s tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
“We have to do whatever we can to help this young man,” said event planner Mike Cansdale. “Right now, Chad’s family can’t take him wherever he needs to go. They really need this van and deserve all the help they can get from the community.”
As of Monday afternoon, more than 60 tickets have been sold for the fundraising event. In addition to the upcoming pasta dinner, the Boucher family created a GoFundMe page to help purchase a van for Chad. They have currently received over 80 donations from community members.
“I just want to thank everybody who has helped so far, and anyone coming to the dinner on Friday,” said Michele. “We’ve gotten donations from people we don’t even know and that warms my heart.”
For more information about the pasta dinner fundraiser, contact Michelle Boucher at 860-589-4547.
Laura Bailey can be reached at lbailey@bristoledition.org
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