The woman accused of misleading families in multiple charity scams is defending her actions to Global News.
“There was no malice or ill-intent. It was such an enjoyable experience to be part of this stuff,” said Kyra Kathleen Foster in an interview today.
“I’ve been helping a number of different families. And as I am helping them, the money goes usually by an email transfer directly to the family.”
One of those families, she maintains, is the Weekes. Six-year-old Joshua was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia and desperately needs a bone marrow transplant.
Joshua’s mother Lia was surprised and disheartened to discover someone collecting money using her son’s picture in front of a Coquitlam grocery store last month.
FULL INTERVIEW: Kyra Kathleen Foster, the woman accused of orchestrating multiple scams asking people to donate money to sick children but keeping the funds for herself, gives her side of the story to Global News journalist Randene Neill.
“She had my son’s face on posters everywhere,” said Weekes.
“This woman was representing herself as someone from Canadian Blood Services and had photocopied some blood drive posters and had them on the table in front of the money box that she was using to collect funds.”
READ MORE: BC mom claims charity scammer taking advantage of 6-year-old son battling leukemia
But the Canadian Blood Services says that goes against every regulation they have in place.
“We do not solicit funds from any individuals,” David Patterson of Canadian Blood Services said. “You will never see an authorized person from Canadian Blood Services at a mall soliciting funds, outside a grocery store. You won’t see that.”
However, Foster says she went to Canadian Blood Services to get the materials, and maintains they didn’t tell her they don’t solicit funds.
“That’s the unfortunate thing…It was not discussed as far as details of their protocol and regulations. What I was given was quite a bit of campaign material to put out and display on behalf of Joshua Weekes’ campaign,” she said.
Foster has been at several grocery stores on Vancouver Island and Metro Vancouver soliciting funds for at least two other sick children. Both families confirmed they did receive money from her.
– With files from Randene Neill and Jon Azpiri
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