A group dedicated to bringing people of all ages together to participate in various activities suffered a setback after the bus they use was vandalized, but an anonymous donor has already come forward to pay the cost of window repairs.

Old School Intergenerational Projects uses the renovated bus to provide arts programs and performances to people of all generations in an attempt to maintain wellness, support dementia care and fight ageism.

Co-founder Claire Rouleau says the damage was discovered a few days ago. Although the bus, which was parked at Bishop’s Gardens in St. John’s for the winter, was not broken into, all the windows on one side were smashed.

The cost to fix the damage was significant, and represented a setback for their operations.

She says while they’re lucky it didn’t impact any immediate programming, it is a financial setback as they continue their efforts to secure core funding.

In the meantime, an anonymous donor came forward on the weekend to cover the cost involved in repairing the ten smashed windows. Security is also in the process of being set up to prevent future vandalism.

The group is still searching for a secure indoor parking space for their bus.

Anyone with information on the vandalism is asked to contact the RNC at 709-729-8000, while anyone willing to offer assistance to fix the damage is asked to contact Erin Winsor with Old School Intergenerational Projects by phone at 709-763-6634 or by email at info@oldschoolipnl.com.