Big money for local youth

Photo: Contributed

The new Penticton Youth Centre has received a big donation to help it get started.

Summerland's Penny Lane Society has donated $50,000 to the facility located at 501 Main Street, which will have youth-focused tenants on its second floor starting in March followed by a Foundry Penticton space on the main floor in the fall.

"This is an amazing project, and our group is really excited to be involved," said Bruce Hallquist, director of the Penny Lane Society. The Penny Lane Society has put millions of dollars into the youth community of Summerland and the South Okanagan since 2002.

The decision to support the Penticton Youth Centre came out of a recognition that Penticton did not previously have a main youth resource to help kids in need, and helping this demographic has always been a core value at Penny Lane.

Aaron McRann, executive director of the Community Foundation of the South Okanagan Similkameen which oversees the Youth Centre, was thrilled by the news of the donation.

"To receive support from Penny Lane, which has built its philanthropic muscle by engaging directly with the community, represents another example of how much we can accomplish when we work together towards a common goal," McRann said.

But though this gift, which McRann calls "generous," will help kick start the Youth Centre, he said there's still a long way to go.

"We need to raise $3 million for the youth centre and so far, with the Penny Lane gift, we’re at $1.1 million. That’s an amazing start, but there is work yet to do," McRann said. "I’d like to encourage regular citizens to think about how they can get involved, whether it’s with a big or small donation. This is as much about showing our youth how important they are to us as it is about raising money.”

Hallquist said the youth issue is close to their hearts at Penny Lane because it's personal for everyone.

"Everyone knows somebody who has struggled in their early years. Every family has been affected in some way," Hallquist said. "When kids struggle everyone is responsible to help make things better. It’s up to all of us to work together to make this happen.”