The Evangelical Free Church in Williams Lake is working on making their spaces accessible to all, and the city's Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) is thanking them for it.
"It warms my heart to know that your church has made it...accessible to everyone, and inclusive," said Maureen Straza, Chair of the AAC as she and the city's mayor Surinderpal Rathor visited the church on June 10 to hand a certificate of recognition.
"Inclusive is very important because some people feel if they can't go there, that makes you feel bad and its just wonderful that you've done this, thank you very much."
The committee hands out certificates of recognition to local businesses and organizations making improvements to enhance accessibility to their spaces. In this case, the Evangelical Free Church was being recognized for a ramp built within the last three years making the multiple spaces often used in the church accessible to people using wheelchairs or walkers. Straza said the ramp, as well as the addition of a railing, is also very important for people with brain injuries who may struggle to navigate stairs.
"When we see something that makes our life easier - people with mobility issues or cognitive issues - we like to bring that to the city's attention so that we can recognize them," Straza said. She said those making the community more accessible deserve to be recognized, and doing so also helps to raise awareness about the need and existence of such places.
"The people that might want to come to church...they'll know it if it's gets out there, but a lot of people with mobility issues don't know these things until we, the city, recognize what people and businesses are doing."
"This church has been so fun to be a part of, they are a joy, they care about people in our community," said Trevor Hagan, the church's lead pastor. The ramp was installed the year before he joined the church in Williams Lake, and he praised his parish for their commitment to improving the space's accessibility.
"These people really care," Hagan said. "They are doing what's necessary to be inclusive in our whole community, and so this was a first step, we knew that something had to happen."
Hagan said there's more to be done, but their work so far means their main functions are largely accessible thanks to the ramp which was paid for completely by the church. While expensive, Hagan said the ramp is vital.
"Our people use it on a regular basis and it's vital for them to be a part of our family," he said. "To have this and for the people to be able to have the dignity to use it themselves, I think that's really important and I've watched that, I've seen that in action."
Rathor said it is his goal to make every public space accessible to everybody, and he congratulated Hagan and his parish on behalf of council for their part in making that a reality.
"Because it gives the equality to each and every citizen," Rathor said, adding that accessibility is also important so that people who may not use a service regularly at least know that if they need to, they will be able to access it.
"We're all working on, to make every public place accessible...and thank you very much for doing that."
