SECOND UPDATE:
A grieving Kelowna family that was supposed to receive $10,000 from a GoFundMe account that set up for them is still waiting for the money, despite being told the funds were transferred to them on Wednesday.
Friends of the Van Gool family were expressing concern about the state of the GoFundMe campaign. It was launched in the wake of a house fire earlier this year that claimed the life of a Kelowna woman.
Bill Henthorn started the fundraiser, even though he didn’t know the family. Five months later, the victim’s relatives still haven’t seen any of the more than $10,000 raised.
On Wednesday, Henthorn told Global News that he would be transferring the funds right away. But late today, the family has yet to receive anything.
Global News has been told the bank involved has red-flagged the money transfer.
FIRST UPDATE:
Angela Tofree Weber said Wednesday evening that Mr. Bill Henthorn has transferred the GoFundMe donations to the Van Gool family.
ORIGINAL STORY:
It was more than five months ago when a home on Springfield Road in Kelowna caught fire, killing one of the occupants — Loree Dubuque.
Shortly after, a Kelowna man by the name of Bill Henthorn set up a GoFundMe account to help the surviving family members — Mike Van Gool and his two kids.
A total of 129 people donated more than $10,000. The account was deactivated at the end of June.
A number of people who know Mike Van Gool, or have heard of his loss, began wondering if he had received any of the money.
“Just to make sure that the money was going to go where it should go,” said Angela Tolfree Weber.
Tolfree Weber has since learned that Mike Van Gool and his two sons haven’t received a cent.
“I’m not sure if the money is still there. I’m not sure what has happened,” she said.
What happened was the money ended up in Bill Henthorn’s personal account. And he says the money has since been seized by the taxman.
“I owned a tax debt to the CRA — the Canada Revenue Agency — and when I went to take the funds out last Thursday — sorry — yeah — last Thursday — they were gone,” said Henthorn.
The CRA won’t comment on specific cases, but a local tax lawyer confirms the CRA can seize bank accounts. But Henthorn says that, in order to get the GoFundMe money to the VanGool family, he has secured a $10,000 loan — plus another $2,400 from one of his children’s bank accounts — for a total of $12,400 — and he says he plans transfer it into the account of a local resident who is close to the Van Gool family.
He says that will happened by no later than today. But despite that promise, Van Gool’s supporters aren’t holding their breath.
Said Tolfree Weber: “I’m doubtful. Yeah, I’m doubtful.”