It was there and then it was gone.
When you visit the I Belong Centre, one of the first things you notice is the charming red and white bench sitting out front. It’s a favourite spot to chat, have a cup of tea or simply rest and enjoy some shade. But sometime on Sunday it went missing.
“Wait.. where’s the bench?” said Carli Kennedy, I Belong Centre (IBC) Coordinator, who was the first to realize it was missing on Monday. The bench moves around sometimes depending on what’s happening at the IBC so Carli and a small team of people started to look for it – in the building, outside of the building, and the search continued beyond the I Belong Centre in nearby lanes and parks.
The bench is no ordinary bench. It’s a memorial gift from the family of Donald Taylor, a member of L’Arche who passed in 2017. It’s a sweet memory because it used to sit in Donald’s backyard and it’s a reminder of what a special place L’Arche was for Donald.
A Surprise Discovery
The next day, Julia, a member of L’Arche was in Victoria for an appointment. While she had some time, Julia decided to check Facebook’s Comox Valley Rants & Raves like she always does. “You can imagine how surprised I was to see the missing bench posted on Rants & Raves by a man named Jordan who had found it,” says Julia. “I commented on the post right away to say it was L’Arche’s bench and I tagged a whole bunch of people from L’Arche to make sure they knew the bench had been found.”
Back at the I Belong Centre, everyone was excited. “We got in touch with Jordan right away,” says Carli, “to say we’d go by as soon as possible to pick it up. But Jordan said he had a friend with a truck and they could drop it off at the I Belong Centre for us.”
“We were so touched by their kindness that we hurried to get a thank you card ready for them,” says Carli. “When they dropped off the bench it was a really happy moment for us.”
When Julia is asked about her sleuthing skills she laughs, “I was working on the road. Maybe I should be a private investigator.”
Thank you to Jordan, his friend and everyone who demonstrates acts of kindness. Small acts make a big difference in our world.
