Out of the Ashes

Bursary Builds Hope after House Fire

By: Meghan Kort, Communications Coordinator

Ordinary life changed forever for SALTS trainee Bayley Gabert (19) just four days after last Christmas. That was the day her family’s beloved farm house in the Northern BC Rockies caught fire. Knowing that the nearest fire department was more than 45 minutes away, Bayley's family worked tirelessly to fight the flames. Eventually they had no choice but to escape with the clothes on their backs.

When Bayley reached out to us in June this year, she hoped only to purchase a new SALTS hoody, sweatpants, and ball cap to replace the gear she had lost in the fire. It had been three years since she last sailed with SALTS, but the adventure still held a permanent place in her heart. She was not ready to let the house fire erase the reminders of those carefree days sailing Desolation Sound aboard the Pacific Swift.

We wanted to give Bayley much more than just her memories back. Thanks to the generous donors who have made bursary funds available, we were able to offer Bayley and her brother Jesse a break from the stress of rebuilding the life they once knew. On August 8th this summer, Bayley and Jesse climbed aboard the Pacific Swift in Prince Rupert and enjoyed 10 days of just being teenagers again. “Bayley came home with a real joy behind her smiles,” says Laurella Gabert, Bayley and Jesse’s mom, “something we had not seen in a very long while.” Bayley and Jesse embraced the community life onboard the ship and enjoyed laughing, dancing, and singing their worries away. “How close we all got to each other over the ten days is something that I wish to duplicate in the town where I live,” explains Bayley, “[this trip] inspired me to reach out and try to create a similar community.”

The Gaberts are a giving family, they grow vegetables on their farm to donate to the food bank in Prince George, they regularly volunteer at a local after-school drop-in center for children, and they are advocates for protecting The Ancient Forest/Chun T’oh Whudujut Provincial Park and Protected Area. We are so thankful for the opportunity to give back to the Gaberts in their time of need. Thank-you to all of our donors who make bursary funds available so that young people like Bayley and Jesse can experience the genuine love of the SALTS community and return home with a refreshed sense of courage, purpose, and hope.

“I was challenged to grow in who I was and in my relationship with God, all the while surrounded by the beauty of Canada’s west coast,” says Bayley, “it’s something I will cherish forever.”

Now Bayley and Jesse are working alongside their family members to restore what was lost. They hope to have as much of the house built as possible before the snow hits. We are immensely thankful to be a part of the Gabert’s rebuilding story. Would you like to partner with us to help restore hope for young people like Bayley and Jesse? Please consider making a charitable donation.