Help make "Curtis' Dream" a reality

My brothers and I grew up in the quiet neighborhood of Steveston B.C. about 35 minutes from Vancouver. A family of five, just like many others, our family was one of dynamics. Curtis being by far the most energetic of the bunch.

Curtis grew up playing sports and had a big circle of friends. He was an accomplished soft ball pitcher and a goalie for his hockey teams.

After high school Curtis began working with the family business at Legear Pelling Insurance. Many clients remember Curtis as an approachable conversationalist with the “gift of the gab”. He knew his stuff and was proud to deliver service to those with insurance needs. He was hard working and driven at his job.

Curtis was always one for kindness and was known for his selfless deeds. Whether it was making holidays special for the kids in the neighborhood, or nursing a struggling cat back to health Curtis was there for the community around him.

But as social and hard working as Curtis was, he struggled over his life. With being such a social guy exposure to drugs and alcohol quickly bled from Friday and Saturday evening into the weekdays.

As we noticed as a family that his struggle was affecting his work and social life we tried our best to intervene. Numerous overdoses and doctor’s visits would follow over the years. More than a decade would be spent fighting for some kind of help and treatment for his addiction to drugs and alcohol. At one point my mother used 4 Narcan needles while she waited for the paramedics to show up.

Curtis eventually passed away from a toxic drug overdose dec 14 2022 in his apartment, alone, while playing the Playstation.

This project is a tribute to Curtis’ kindness and memory.

Curtis Tablotney 1986-2022

Curtis’ dream

Some of you may remember that Curtis’ pride and joy were the cars he used to drive. Being in insurance (it’s all part to the play). At one point our family owned two of the only 4 versions of the Mitsubishi 3000 GT in BC.

Curtis used to enjoy delivering insurance to clients, taking friends for rides and showcasing the power behind the car for those who wanted a quick lift. This car was part of who he was at one of his proudest moment in life.

It is unfortunate that the white version of the car has long since passed but Curtis always dreamed of fixing up his black version with the twin turbo engines. The car has sat for well over a decade waiting for Curtis to sort out the money to fix the car. A dream that never came to fruition.

The 1997 version of the 3000GT VR-4 is unique in that it was one of the final years the car was on the market. The Mitsubishi 3000GT was on the market from 1990-2000. with wheel drive and a Twin Turbo V6 engine the car will produce up to 320 horse power at 6000 rpm.

The car was known for its appearance in the original fast and the furious feature. The movie's script apparently originally featured a Mitsubishi 3000GT as O'Conner's main ride.

There were only under 300 of this model manufactured that went to market in America.

Our plans

It is estimated that 6.5 people die from toxic drugs every day in British Columbia. In 2016 it was declared a public health crisis. Since then more than 10,00 people have died in this province.

We are looking to raise a sizeable amount of money to repair the car and use it to create awareness of the toxic drug crisis and to distribute harm reduction information as well as Narcan and testing supplies.

The idea of using the car for this purpose is that it’s a conversation piece. Young people will be drawn to it and it also encompasses a part of my brother and puts a person behind the overdose story. It also brings individuals to the conversation.

We plan on taking the car to local events in the community, schools to speak with students, car events and areas of the community where outreach may not already be present.

The art

Currently we have Steve Kitchen from Combination 13 preparing the design work for the vehicle. Steve is an accomplished graphic designer whose art you may have seen on the Paralell 49 brewery's beer labels.

The car needs an extensive amount of work to get road ready including an engine rebuild, interrior reupholster and the graphic wrap.

A low estimate for the cost of this project is $20,000 for the firts phase of the project.

Please help us spread the kindness and undertanding curtis shared in his life. Our family has been actively involved in harm reduction activism over the last few years.

In april we staged an event at the richmond library showcasing 2272 purple flags for those lost to toxic drugs in 2022.

Curtis' Dream will be connected to other fundraising efforts going forward so please keep an eye out for events where we will be attending.

For more information and access to harm reduction resources please visit our website at www.curtisdream.com

Thank you for your donations. from the bottom of our hearts.

The Tablotney family.