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Pitt Meadows Cycle donates cycling glasses to staff at Royal Columbian Hospital

Owner, Rob Laluk, offered 26 pairs of the handy glasses free of charge
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Intensive care nurse, Jennifer Reaveley, handed out the glasses to the first 25 workers she came across. (Submitted photo)

If there is one bright thing to take away from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the generosity and heart shown by residents and business owners alike during these difficult times.

Rob Laluk owns Pitt Meadows Cycle, and like many small business owners, he is feeling the crunch of the economic downturn.

However, when intensive care nurse, Jennifer Reaveley, told him she needed his entire supply of Surface cycling glasses, he refused to take payment for them.

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“I am involved in fundraising and Rob’s always one of the sponsors,” said Reaveley, whose child is in the same class as Laluk’s. “Pitt Meadows Cycle is just this small little family-owned business, but he has such a big generous heart.”

She said a couple weeks ago, the emergency department of Royal Columbian Hospital received a donation of 50 pairs of cycling glasses from a bike company called Ryder.

Reaveley said she heard about the glasses from co-workers, and thought it would be worth the investment to get a pair for herself.

“We’ve been issued these hospital standard glasses, along with these surgical masks and we’re wearing them for our entire shift,” Reaveley said.

“I thought, you know if we’re wearing these for the next several months, I don’t care what I have to pay, I’m going to get a pair that are comfortable, that are light weight, and that fit nicely on my face.”

She said she gave Pitt Meadows Cycle a call and asked Laluk if he had any cycling glasses that have full eye protection.

Laluk mentioned he had some on clearance and Reaveley told him she’d take them all.

“I said, ‘I’m going to buy every single pair you have. I’m coming in tomorrow, just put them all on hold, and don’t sell them.’”

The following day when Reaveley went to pick them up, Laluk had a box with 26 pairs in it ready to go. She asked what she owed him and Laluk said, ‘nothing.’

“I was prepared to pay because I know all of my colleagues are in the same boat that I am, and we make good enough money that we can set aside some to be comfortable, but he refused to accept any money.

“I said, ‘Honestly, I know you’re a small business. I’m sure you’re affected by the lack of people in your store and people being locked up at home,’ and he said, ‘Nope, it’s our gift to you, and say thanks to all the frontline workers.”

Reaveley handed out the glasses to the first 25 people she came across during her next shift.

She wanted to be fair, so handed them out to all hospital employees, including unit clerks, house keeping, nurse aids, respiratory therapists, and doctors.

“It was the fairest way I could do it,” Reaveley said, adding the recipients were quite overwhelmed.

“They said, ‘For free? You’re giving these to us for free?’”

Reaveley said the one caveat was they had to take a quick picture to send to Laluk.

“You can see that they are smiling,” she said, “Even the ones that are wearing their mask, because you can see their eyes are squinting.

“They were beaming they were so happy.”



ronan.p.odoherty@blackpress.ca

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Pitt Meadows Cycle’s Rob Laluk refused to take payment for the goggles. (Submitted photo)