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After this, they may call him Winnebago Wayne.
Today, Wayne McFadden, the gregarious homeless man whose plight and potential salvation captured the imaginations of Okanaganites in April when five Penticton-area women took him under their wings and launched a highly successful GoFundMe campaign, officially reaped its rewards.
It's a 1992 Winnebago Brave with just 127,000 kilometers on the clock and perks like a fridge, a stove, a furnace, air conditioning, a big couch in the middle and a big bedroom in the rear. And this morning McFadden, with dog and best bud Singer riding shotgun, got the keys and made his inaugural voyage, from Summerland to Penticton.
To say he's thrilled is an epic understatement. A month ago McFadden and Singer lived in a tent on the banks of the Okanagan River. Before that, it was low-barrier emergency shelter Compass House, and before that an old truck.
But then Kim Cameron, Christine Butler, Lois Wager, Sue Kaminski, and Sunnie Waters went to work. And then 415 GoFundMe donors followed along.
The initial goal for the nomadic twosome was $9,000 for a smaller Class C motorhome, but the end result was beyond everyone's wildest dreams.
"It's amazing," said McFadden after his test flight. "It has a little play in the steering wheel, but that's just a couple minutes at the steering box. Other than that, it's got lots of power and it’s so quiet. And look at all this room!"
Following several nights at motels -- the majority of which were paid for privately by folks who read his story and simply wanted to keep him in a real bed until he took delivery -- tonight will be McFadden's first in his Winnebago.
First though, he planned to drive to a friend's place is Osoyoos and to a storage locker in Keremeos, where he says he has a variety of tools.
Where he parks his new home for this first evening is uncertain. According to Kim Cameron, there has been talk of a fellow in Oliver who may be willing to exchange help with his horses (a McFadden passion) for long-term stay. But, she says, it's ultimately McFadden's decision.
One thing is certain. Singer looks to be enjoying her new digs. She's due for another vet appointment this Friday where they'll do more tests on a large mass on her left hip, but today she was seemingly quite content.
"She's doing pretty good today," said McFadden. "She looks pretty happy. It'll only take her a couple days and she'll realize this is her home."
For the super-quintet of women who jumped to the rescue and in the end raised $18,646, Monday was a time to give thanks.
"I'd like to thank all the people of Penticton for believing in us and believing in Wayne," said Christine Butler.
"I'm so grateful to the people of the Penticton area for coming on board and assisting Wayne and Singer," added Kim Cameron. "I'm just so grateful to be part of this community."
According to Cameron, donations to the GoFundMe account were switched off last week, and the account itself will be closed by the end of today. And then the five will work on the nuts and bolts of establishing a charity.
They'll call themselves the Okanagan Angels.
"We'll be working out the details in the next little while," she said. "There are a lot of people in our community who can use a hand up. They’ve all been messaging us, and we'll start sorting through it. There seems to be need, and it feels good to help others."
Even McFadden wants to pitch in.
"I want to help other people who are like me and on the street. There's a lot of people living in vehicles who were living in an apartment a few months ago. Them people need help. I want to even put a little of my money in to start it."
And McFadden suddenly has a few extra dollars. According to Cameron, he now has much of the old age security money that was owed him, plus he'll have $3,400 of leftover gofundme bucks.
"I want to thank all the people who trusted me with their money," said Cameron, who initiated the fundraiser. "Every single penny has gone to Wayne and Singer. Thank you for trusting me."
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