Ridge Meadows Pharmacy in Maple Ridge has raised more than $1,500 in donations for the Noah Trulsen Scholarship while distributing free COVID-19 rapid tests.
Last week, Naser Esbati, owner of the pharmacy, started distributing one free rapid test per person and in return urged the community to donate to the Noah Trulsen Scholarship fund.
Noah, 22, died after a fall while playing recreational men’s hockey in Langley in October 2019. He was part of a popular family in the Ridge Meadows Minor Hockey Association, and memorials included a charity hockey game to raise funds for the scholarship. This scholarship as well as the charity hockey game have turned into an annual celebration of Noah’s life for locals.
In a social media post, the pharmacy wrote, “We truly can’t thank you enough for your generosity. Your support was outstanding, and people like you truly make a difference in each community. We understand you have worked hard for the money that you donated. Some donated without even getting a test, some paid up to eight times more than the price of a single kit.”
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The post also said that the goal was for $1,000 but in less than a week they were able to raise about $1,500 for.
“We appreciate this more than you’ll ever know, and feel so blessed and fortunate to live in such an amazing community,” read the post.
Esbati was overwhelmed by the community response and said he didn’t expect such an outpouring of support.
“I didn’t expect this sort of a response. People came in for the rapid tests and donated, some bought something else and donated, and some others just stopped by to make a donation. It was so touching,” he said.
Looking at the donations coming in, Esbati is certain he will reach $2,000, and even if they don’t reach the amount through donations, the pharmacy will be put in the amount to present a final cheque of $2,000 to the scholarship, he said.
One of the scholarships in Noah’s name, is the number C13 scholarship, for a graduating Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows student who has played with the Ridge Meadows Minor Hockey Association, and will be going into the trades for their career move. The deadline to apply for that scholarship is Apr. 30 and the details can be found here: https://bit.ly/3I2b0a6.
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