Help save a life

Photo: Contributed

A bid could change a life.

Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs is hosting its Third Annual Online Auction supporting youth-at-risk in the community with all proceeds from items purchased going directly back to supporting youths who come to the Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs Downtown Youth Centre, or the many programs offered by the Boys and Girls Clubs throughout the Valley.

Bidding runs from Nov. 23-27. at 32auctions.com/OBGC3rdAnnual.

Homelessness is not usually something most people thing about when they think of a teenager. But in 2014, more than 323 youth found themselves at the door of the Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs Downtown Youth Centre and Youth Programs in search of a safe place to stay where they could get a healthy meal, have a shower, change their clothes, seek the support of a counsellor or adult who could provide them with some guidance or just be a kid enjoying some recreation.

They are youths like Chelsea.

Chelsea, a former participant at the Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs Downtown Youth Centre shares some insight into the plight these lost children, having been one herself.

“At a very young age, I was introduced into a lifestyle no kid should have to be a part of. As a teenager I was taken from my mom’s drug-infested home and put into a safe house in Vancouver. The authorities then decided I would have a better chance at a normal life living with my father in Kelowna. It probably wasn’t the best decision because shortly after, I was physically assaulted to the point the RCMP had to intervene. I was taken from the home and brought to the Downtown Youth Centre Shelter.

“My first night in the shelter was nerve wracking. I was embarrassed about why I was brought there and kept very quiet for most of the night. The staff quickly changed my feelings of embarrassment into comfort explaining I was in good hands and that everything would be fine. For the first time in a long time I didn’t feel scared of my surroundings and I had the staff to thank for that.

“From that point on the staff worked persistently with me, providing me with tools and resources helping me learn skills to discover, grow and realize my dreams. I am not going to say I made their jobs easy, because I didn’t. I fought everything they said for a very long time. I grew up with the people surrounding me not caring about my well-being and maybe that’s why I fought them so hard. They showed me they weren’t going away, and they cared. All of the services provided made me feel like family. Their care, guidance, and support have helped mold me into the person I am today and honestly without having those resources to utilize as an at-risk youth, there is no telling where I would be today as I had nowhere else to go.”

Chelsea wrote this letter on the last day of her practicum at Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs Downtown Youth Centre. The following week she graduated from the Administrative Assistant Program from Okanagan College with honors.