Abbotsford Youth Unlimited in Abbotsford recently held a grand opening for their new office space on Emerson Street across from the House of James.
Lisa Urness and Debbie Rempel provided the facility at a substantially discounted rate. Many others donated labour, finances or equipment to make the renovation of the space possible.
Staff also used the grand opening to celebrate the imminent launch of the new Firetruck Mobile Drop-in, which will enable teams of staff and volunteers to go into young people’s neighbourhoods and provide an outdoor place to safely connect.
Youth Unlimited has been serving youth and families in Abbotsford since 1977, with the aim to assist youth who feel alone, marginalized, vulnerable or just need somewhere fun but safe to connect.
Staff walk with them, help them learn life skills and support their growth as a person.
COVID-19 restrictions have made this tricky when clubs, tutoring, coffee meetings, sports and trips all needed major tweaking to satisfy government guidelines.
Staff person Greg Sawatzky said Youth Unlimited has worked hard to continue supporting youth at a time when they are most vulnerable and is creating new, safe spaces where they can gradually begin meeting again.
“Many of our youth are facing significant challenges and we want them to know that they are not alone. They are deeply valued and cared for,” Sawatzky said.
Visit youthunlimited.com/firetruck to donate toward the completion of the firetruck or contact Dave Wiebe via email at dave@youthunlimited.com to learn more about the organization.
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