BREWER – Catherine Jalbert went to a church supper on Thursday night not expecting anything more than a nice dinner.

Jalbert, 17, is a member of the youth ministry at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, 531 N. Main St.

At Thursday’s supper, members of the congregation surprised her with a new motorized wheelchair, paid for with money raised by the church.

Church members sold tickets to a spaghetti supper, had a bake sale and a bottle drive to secure the money to buy the equipment.

“It’s a lot better than my old chair,” said Jalbert. “It’s called an iBot. It’s really nice.”

Jalbert, who has used a wheelchair all her life, has spina bifida, a congenital condition affecting the spinal column.

A student at Brewer High School, Jalbert is active in the school’s outdoor education program.

Her aunt Elaine Wood was on hand the night she received the gift.

“There were over 250 people at the supper,” Wood said. “She didn’t know she was getting the wheelchair. … She was very surprised. It was great. It was a tearjerker. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room.”

Jalbert said Friday she is grateful to everyone who helped get her the new wheelchair.