Two Burnaby childcare centres for children with developmental disabilities have apparently been robbed of their playground toys.
Approximately $600 worth of playground items went missing from Fair Haven Children's Centre in the Edmonds area and Variety Hotelier House Children's Centre in the Royal Oak neighbourhood in recent weeks.
"We were sad. We don't have the money to replace all those items," said Lesley Cannon, supervisor at the Variety centre. "We had 25 children that were very sad when they didn't have toys to play with in their sandbox. What do you tell children when their toys are stolen?"
The Variety centre was hit the hardest, with roughly $500 worth of toys stolen. The items went missing over the Easter break. The toys, bought with donated money, were large, outdoor metal Tonka trucks. Cannon considered calling police but figured it would be futile. Only one item was stolen from the Fair Haven centre a week earlier: a Little Tikes toy car.
The non-profit Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion runs both childcare centres, which are open to children with and without developmental disabilities. Spokesperson Carol Broomhall said the non-profit group will have to fundraise for more equipment.
"We receive virtually no government funding," Broomhall said.
If anyone is interested in donating to replace the equipment, call BACI at 604-299-7851 and ask for Broomhall.
