Teens give back to community

Cara Brady - Vernon Morning Star Published: November 17, 2009 7:00 PM

Teen Junction Youth Centre members are saying thank you for a grant that allows the centre to stay open with their 24-4-24 food drive for the food bank. The $30,000 one-time grant, approved by Vernon city council recently, will have $15,000 go to the youth centre and $15,000 towards youth and literacy programs. “The youth want to give something back so they will be here for 24 hours, watching movies, playing games, drinking lots of coffee and taking donations of food and cash from the public,” said centre youth program coordinator Michelle Freebairn. Kristyn Schoenknecht, a Grade 11 Seaton School student who has been a member of the youth centre for three years, is grateful and relieved that the centre is going to stay open. She did a presentation to city council with the grant application. “When I thought it was closing, I was in tears. I come here all the time to do homework and see friends and listen to music and just hang out,” she said. “The people here have helped me so much and I don’t know what I would do without it. I was nervous to talk to council but I would have done almost anything to help the centre stay open and I’m so happy that it did. I just want to say thank you, a major thank you to everyone.”

Mayor Wayne Lippert dropped over to the centre to meet the members. “We’ve given these young people a chance to improve themselves, and an opportunity to come together. Things like this make us a better community. Youth is our future and I’m very proud of council and the community for their support,” he said. The sleepless sleepover takes place from noon Saturday to noon Sunday at the centre at 3104-37th Ave. The youth are participating by giving $24 or 24 cans of food. The community can help by sponsoring a youth to participate, volunteering to help or bringing by donations of any amount during the event or to The Junction Literacy Centre during regular business hours. For more information call 250-307-4581 or email mfreebairn@junctionyouth.ca.