Young Life Sunshine Coast has raised enough funds to launch a program in Sechelt in the new year, but more monthly giving will be needed to sustain it.
A Nov. 14 Chocolate Buffet & Coffee House put on by Young Life raised just $7,800 of the $20,000 required to cover expansion of the successful Gibsons-based program into Sechelt
“We raised more in one-time donations, and what we really need is people to donate on a monthly basis,” said Nikki Ickert, staff associate with Young Life Sunshine Coast, who will lead the launch of Young Life in Sechelt in January.
“The Sechelt club is funded in a sense that we’re starting, but to maintain it we’re going to need to increase our monthly donations by probably $1,000 a month.”
Young Life is a non-denominational Christian youth organization that meets teens where they’re at and provides fun weekly get-togethers and opportunities for youth to attend camp each year. A chapter of Young Life has been successfully running in Gibsons under the direction of Will Dow for two years.
“The whole concept of Young Life is to go where kids are and to build mentoring relationships with them in the context of their lives. So not making them go to anything or to change who they are. We’re going to them and we’re just wanting to be a lighthouse in the storm in their lives,” said Ickert.
“Basically what we do is we as leaders find ways that we can volunteer and work with kids and then we build relationships with them.”
Ickert is already looking for leaders to help with the Sechelt chapter and she’s planning a recruitment night on Jan. 16.
“I’m recruiting leaders and then I’ll be training those leaders and then we’ll be working with the kids in the community,” Ickert said, noting anyone who’s interested in attending should contact her at 604-989-3170.
Those interested in giving to the work of Young Life Sunshine Coast can contact Ickert or Dow at 604-763-5692.
Find out more about Young Life at www.younglife.ca or search Young Life Sunshine Coast on Facebook.
