Dorothy Grant, a resident of Parkland at the Gardens, wants to make it easier for nurses from the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) to visit the people they help. As someone who benefits from VON services herself, Dorothy was surprised to learn that VON nurses who visit Parkland at the Gardens have to park at meters and sometimes get parking tickets, which they have to pay out of their own pocket. Dorothy decided that something had to be done, so she took it upon herself to do it.

Thanks to Dorothy’s efforts, the VON has had some very promising talks with City Hall recently and hopes that members of VON will soon be exempt from parking tickets. According to Beth Green, the VON’s vice-president of marketing, communications and philanthropy, “We’re grateful to [Dorothy] and the city for their interest in finding a solution”. As a first step, on November 28th, Parkland at the Gardens unveiled a parking spot reserved for VON members. General Manager Jodi Bartlett, nurses Connie Vanerkel, Kaili VanVulpen and Rachel White, and Dorothy herself attended the ceremony. Hopefully, this is the first of many local decisions make it easier for members of VON to provide care in the Halifax area.