The owner and staff at Chemo RV are taking steps to be leaders in the wildfire recovery efforts.
Already known for assisting their community of 150 Mile House when needed during the 2017 wildfires, Jason Bell and his staff are now focusing their efforts on regrowing and rebuilding the area in the years following the emergency by committing to plant trees in areas hit hard by fire.
“We have already committed to replanting 150,000 trees this year but our goal is to get to 175,000 trees,” Bell said.
Chemo RV has partnered with West Fraser to purchase and plant the trees, promising to plant 1,000 trees for every RV sold at their locations in Quesnel and 150 Mile House from April, 2018 until the end of October, 2018.
On average, the two Chemo RV locations sell just over 200 units per year, he said.
“The whole idea is to replenish what we all lost. It’s just about giving back to the community,” Bell said.
“We had a catastrophic event that we aren’t going to forget any time soon. But now we’d like to put the focus on rebuild and regrowth.”
Bell’s dream is to watch those trees change and grow over the years where the fires were.
Last summer, Chemo RV lent more than two dozen RVs to first responders to use as they battled the wildfires at 150 Mile House.
Read more: Community support instrumental in fighting 150 Mile House fires
The dealership, which has locations in Quesnel and 150 Mile House, also hosted a fundraising event and collected donations for several groups of first responders working to protect the region during the fires. Overall, $54,000 was raised and donated to the Canadian Red Cross, and the Williams Lake and 150 Mile House Fire Departments.
Read more: Chemo RV gives back in a big way