A young woman who claims to be collecting for St. John Ambulance (SJA) in Langley is operating without the “knowledge or permission” of the charity, in the words of a public warning posted to social media.
“We have been alerted to a possible donation scam operating in the Langley area,” the Facebook alert by SJA reads.
On Wednesday evening (Nov. 4) around 8 p.m. it said a young girl was soliciting donations door-to-door on behalf of SJA, saying it was “to support local families affected by COVID-19.”
She was wearing an SJA pin with no other documentation and was encouraging donations be made through her iPad.
The woman claimed the SJA does not accept donations by phone, online, or in cash, which is not true.
“Please be advised that this individual is not operating with SJA’s permission or knowledge. We are not running any door-to-door campaigns for COVID funds or for any other community programs. Please do not provide a donation to this campaign.”
Anyone with information is asked to “reach out” to the charity, which can be reached online through their website at www.sja.ca.
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St. John Ambulance partners with individuals and organizations to provide first aid and CPR training and products.
In British Columbia and Yukon, the self-funded charity operates through a network of 23 branches with over 100 staff members, who train over 80,000 students annually.
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More than 2,000 St. John volunteers provide first aid in their communities to keep people safe at public events, as well as providing community care programs to help seniors and youth.
In Langley, St. John Ambulance has loaded therapy dogs to a library reading program, and outfitted each of the school district’s 43 schools with custom-built emergency earthquake kits, among other initiatives.
dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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