The Rotary Club of Kelowna has extended a helping hand to a local youth and family service, through a donation of $25,000.
They contributed to the efforts of the Bridge Youth and Family Services in Kelowna, to help meet ‘an urgent need’ of supporting youth through treatment.
Currently, the Rotary Club explained, there are not enough live-in youth treatment options in the region.
For a year and a half, The Bridge Youth and Family Services has had a list of young people still seeking shelter for treatment.
“The bridge receives calls weekly from families in distress, looking for a treatment centre for their son or daughter, only to be told that they will likely have to be placed on a waiting list for a program in Prince George or Vancouver,” said The Bridge Youth and Family Services Executive Director, Celine Thompson.
READ MORE: COVID-19 reported at four Central Okanagan schools
According to the centre, youth make up for more than 20 per cent of overdose fatalities in B.C., and B.C. health officials have warned that street drugs have become even more toxic because of the pandemic.
“We have seen and heard of kids dying waiting for a bed,” said Thompson.
However they have been working to address this through renovate their new six-bed treatment facility on Cadder Avenue.
Rotary thought it important to help this cause.
“Because of the current opioid crisis coupled with the fact that there are not enough live-in youth treatment options in our region, the Rotary Club of Kelowna felt that this is an urgent community need” said Lenetta Parry, President of the Rotary Club of Kelowna.
Funds from the Rotary Club of Kelowna will be used to furnish the six bedrooms and living areas along with equipping the centre with computer equipment
The Bridge is now halfway to their fundraising goal of $1M, needed to cover operation expenses to run the facility. Once they hit that goal, they will open.
Funds were donated by Rotary to the centre through the success of their annual FortisBC Rotary Pro-Am Golf Tournament.
Donations to support the Youth Recovery House can be made safely and securely online at www.youthrecoveryhouse.ca.
READ MORE: B.C. records 619 new COVID cases, 16 deaths as B.C. unveils vaccine plans
READ MORE: ‘We’re just trying to make a living’: Watch heist leaves Kelowna business speechless
Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: phil.mclachlan@kelownacapnews.com
@newspaperphil
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.