Richmond's Pathways Clubhouse received a big donation from a former supporter who recently passed away.
The mental health non-profit received a $215,000 cheque donation from the Estate of Maria McDougall after her passing in September.
McDougall was the only child of Polish immigrants and was described as a kind person, according to Dave MacDonald, executive director of Pathways Clubhouse.
"Maria has been an advocate of the organization and always telling others about the work that we do and has been on different committees throughout the years," said MacDonald.
"She never really talked a lot about mental wellness, but it did seem to be a little bit dear to her heart."
McDougall's "kindness was unlimited," explained MacDonald, adding she was always helping every non-profit she could including the Richmond Food Bank.
MacDonald told the Richmond News the cheque donation was unexpected and a "wonderful surprise."
"We suddenly got her will at work and in her will she had given us and other local non-profits a percentage of her assets," he said.
"She kind of just was thinking about the community all the time and was a strong advocate for the Polish community as well."
MacDonald said Pathways is still deciding on specific plans to allocate the funds, but equipment upgrades and keeping food costs low will be a few of the priorities.
"Knowing when some of our equipment might be starting to wear out ... because of her gift, we're not having to worry so much about it," he said.
"We get to keep our meal prices the same as before because of Maria, and this is wonderful for us as well."
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