A Saanich man who died in a single vehicle crash along West Saanich Road last month has left his home to the Victoria Cool Aid Society.
Carl Graham Young, 60, was the passenger in a van that crashed on March 21, B.C. Coroner Matt Brown confirmed.
Young’s home, located in the 3900-block of Grange Rd., could have ended up in the hands of the provincial government had Young not made a will prior to his death, said Alan Rycroft, Cool Aid spokesperson.
“About 18 months ago, we were approached first by Carl’s lawyer, and then I met with Carl and a friend of his. That was the one and only time I was able to meet him, unfortunately,” Rycroft said.
In that meeting, Young expressed a desire for the proceeds of his home sale – left to him by his deceased parents – to go towards helping the homeless and their pets. Young had no children.
“When I visited the home with Saanich police, they mentioned Carl’s dog had also been in the (vehicle) accident and euthanized the day before,” Rycroft said. “Carl loved his dog very much, and he knew we help a lot of pets as well.”
While Young’s estate is still working its way through the courts, Rycroft said the bungalow is too small to consider for non-profit housing. Instead, the home will likely be sold and the proceeds will go towards Cool Aid’s $5-million fundraising campaign to build 360 apartments for homeless individuals in Greater Victoria.
“These apartments will house a large portion of the population who are homeless,” Rycroft said.
In an obituary, Young was described as an avid sports and car racing fan. He also had an unusual memory for sports statistics and birth dates, and liked walking his dog, Turbo, in the Marigold area while socializing with his neighbours.
Rycroft said the gift of an entire estate is the first he’s seen in his eight years at Cool Aid.
“One of the things I learned from Carl is everybody can make a difference. It’s quite remarkable, actually.”
The B.C. Coroners Service and Saanich Police are still investigating the cause of the crash in which Young was killed. The driver sustained serious injuries in the incident.
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