By Jesse Graham
YARRA Valley residents are being urged to help a Healesville man with cerebral palsy maintain his mobility and keep his charity work going, with a car fund-raising campaign launched.
Friends of Paul Cashmore, a 62-year-old Healesville resident, have launched a fund-raising campaign through GoFundMe, in a bid to raise $10,000 for a car and modification works.
Mr Cashmore’s current car, a Toyota Camry, has more than 400,000 kilometres on the odometer and many issues building up, requiring the car to be fixed or sold in the near future.
Fund-raiser organiser, Sue Vogt, said that Paul – known to his friends as Paulie – had spent four years volunteering for a local charity, driving residents to doctor’s appointments, hospitals, the airport or on essential trips.
A friend of Mr Cashmore, who provided his current car, has another Camry formerly used as a company car for sale – but the car will also need modification works so Paul can operate it with his left hand and foot.
As Mr Cashmore is on a disability pension, Ms Vogt and Mr Cashmore’s friends decided to organise a crowdfunding campaign through GoFundMe, where residents can donate towards the $10,000 goal and help to make the new car a reality.
“The car is ready now for him – if we had the money, we could get it straight away,” she said.
“We’re just getting our fingers crossed that the car he’s got at the moment hangs on.
“His mobility completely depends on his car – he would struggle with public transport, walking to and from bus stops.”
The campaign, ‘Let’s get Paul a new car’, has received $4086 in donations over the last month, but has almost $6000 left before the goal is achieved.
Ms Vogt said she hoped that selling Mr Cashmore’s current car would help to bolster the funds in the campaign, but wanted to raise awareness of the fund-raiser to guarantee the new car.
“We’ve got a strong start, but it’s been going for a month,” Ms Vogt said.
“We want to get the car before this car gets to the stage where it can’t be driven, and then it becomes less of a saleable option and means Paul’s got nothing to get around in.”
Mr Cashmore, who has been driving his current car for 12 years, said he was “blown out” from seeing the response from residents thus far.
“(It was) a big surprise to me – I didn’t know anything about it,” he said.
“I’m just absolutely blown out by it all.”
Ms Vogt said Mr Cashmore loved driving, and regularly drove others to where they needed to be.
“Everybody’s got to have something meaningful to do, and it’s something that’s really important for Paul,” she said.
To donate to the campaign, visit www.gofundme.com/2fy9x5g or visit gofundme.com and search ‘Let’s get Paul a new car’.
