TIGNISH - Supporters of the Bring Bobbi-Jo Home campaign are turning their anger into action.
The campaign was way out in front at the end of the semifinal stage of the Aviva Community Fund contest when voting closed in December.
The voting put 30 project proposals, including the one to build a wheelchair accessible home for Bobbi-Jo LeClair and her family, into the final stage of the contest where the final decision was left in the hands of judges.
Bobbi-Jo is the 17-year-old daughter of Joey and Donna LeClair of Tignish. She was seriously injured in an October 2010 motor vehicle collision and has been in hospital or rehab for most of the past 15 months.
The family had applied for the $100,000 to $150,000 top Aviva prize to help with the construction of a new house.
When the 12 winners were announced on Wednesday, the Bring Bobbi-Jo Home campaign was not among them.
From comments on the Bring Bobbi-Jo Home Facebook group, it is clear that many of her supporters are shocked and angered that the project was not funded despite the overwhelming local support.
Nevertheless, supporters have vowed to soldier on.
"Bobbi-Jo, don't you worry. We WILL get you home," one person wrote on Facebook.
There have been many offers since Wednesday morning of time, money and talent to help the LeClair family build a new home. That includes free labour for plumbing, heating, painting and chimney services.
An area resident living in Western Canada offered to donate $2,000 and a week's labour.
Terry Adams of Alberton, who had already helped establish a fundraising campaign to raise money to refit a van for the family, said the fund is being expanded to help with the construction of a new home.
There was already more than $13,0000 in the fund before the Aviva winners were announced, and by Thursday, the fund was past $14,000 and growing. That doesn't include the offers of assistance that are sprinkled throughout the comments on the group's Facebook page.
One post read: "Everyone belonging to this group, everyone that has made donations thus far and everyone that will make donations is part of this giant, loving community and you can all rest assured, even if we have to do it ourselves, we will bring Bobbi-Jo home!"
"Believe in miracles?" Adams asked. He pointed out the Bring Bobbi-Jo Home group had 4,392 members (the number surpassed 4,400 by Thursday).
"If each one of us can raise $25," Adams noted, "we can surpass what Aviva was offering."
That outpouring of support is being warmly received by the LeClair family.
Speaking from Bobbi-Jo's room at the Stan Cassidy Rehabilitation Centre in Fredericton, N.B., while her daughter was out practising in a power chair, Donna LeClair called the support, "just unbelievable."
She said the family had grown increasingly hopeful as the Aviva announcement date neared that they would receive the nod of the judges.
The outpouring of support since being told the outcome of the judges' decision, she said, has lifted the family's spirits.
"The support behind us is just unreal. Everybody is saying... that this is going to get done and they're going to donate their time."
LeClair admitted the Aviva contest provided an avenue for people to offer their support and encouragement to the family, even people they didn't know.
Roy Hogan is heading up a recently-formed non-profit group, Tignish Special Needs Housing 2011. He said the board will be meeting on Monday and will start formulating committees, including fundraising and publicity. With all the offers of support, he expects to be able to start construction of a new house by July.
"It was bad news hearing (the Aviva decision)," LeClair said, "but at least we won with the support of friends and family, strangers and everybody who's behind us."
She offered assurances her daughter's spirits have remained strong and said she continues to show improvement.
Bobbi-Jo will likely remain in Fredericton until May or June.
