BELLEVILLE, Ont. — Employees at Belleville’s International Truckload Services are urging the community to support their efforts to raise enough cash to aid one of their co-workers, Lisa Hamilton, to bring her critically-injured son home from Vietnam. Ryan Gallaher, 35, had been teaching English in Vietnam when he was in a motorcycle accident which left him in a coma. Employees are aiming to raise $150,000 to pay for medical expenses and air ambulance services to transport Gallaher back to a healthcare facility in Canada.

ITS will be holding barbeques at its Belleville facility on June 25 and July 2 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Hamburger or sausage, salad and drink are available for $5, while raffles tickets for a 42″ LG plasma TV,  donated by Belleville International Trucks, a 50/50 draw and small raffle items will also be available. The draw date will be July 30. Tickets are one for $5 and three for $10. There will be additional weekly draws with items donated by businesses within the area. Organizers say donations are also welcome and encouraged. An account has been set up at CIBC Transit 07042 Account 18-59234, but a donation jar will also be available during the weekly BBQs.

The team has also organized a bottle drive on July 10 with drop off locations in Belleville at Alarm Systems, 260 Adam Street, and Quinte Secondary School on College Street West, in the front lot. People can also drop bottles at International Truckload Services, 107 Bellevue Drive, anytime. Local restaurants wanting to donate bottles will also be accepted.

For more information on upcoming events or to follow Hamilton’s blog, visit www.bringryanhome.ca.