Good Ticket

Dennis Stranack photo

Steve Elliman and RCMP Const. Joanne Koole hold one of the 'good tickets' handed out by local Mounties as part of the Good Ticket Initiative to young people demonstrating positive behavior. The Tickets can be redeemed for snacks or activities courtesy of participating local merchants and agencies.

Community Pride

The program offers local youth, in grades 10 and 11 or equivalent, the opportunity to work in the community, gaining valuable work skills, pre-employment experience and other training.

Community Pride has been involved in various community projects by assisting the Cherryville Community Club, the Lumby Days Society, the Lumby Lions, the Village of Lumby, the Lumby Volunteer Fire Department, Monashee Arts Council, the Whitevalley Community Resource Centre, Lumby Parks and Recreation, Mabel Lake Community Club and Saddle Mountain Place Seniors Drop-In.

There have been more than three-dozen youth involved to date, working in excess of 250 hours. Since Community Pride youth receive $8.00 an hour for their work very nearly $2,000 has been paid out in wages and found it’s way into the community through this initiative.

The Whitevalley Community Resource Centre gratefully acknowledges funders, such as the United Way, the Ministry of Children and Families, Restorative Justice (a Ministry of the Attorney General initiative), and Tolko Industries, that makes it possible for us to offer this extremely valuable program to our youth and community.

Lumby Lens Youth Productions

Greta Cooper photo

Three Lumby youth made a public service announcement, (PSA). They conceived, wrote, filmed and edited their own production which was entered in the Metropolis/Metrotown “Through the Lens” competition. This competition is open to youth up to the age of 25, enrolled in a BC secondary school, college, university, trade or technical school or other post secondary institution, (SFU, Capilano College). Lumby Lens youth were, Renee Sutton and Ian Denault, both grade 11 and Randy Grice, grade 12. Having sent their PSA, “Speeding Hits Home”, in for judging and having been selected as finalists our three youth were invited to attend the gala awards ceremony at Metropolis/Metrotown, to receive their prizes.

This initiative will engage youth causing positive interaction between them and community members, groups and individuals, such as the RCMP Lumby Detachment and Vernon Traffic Division, Lumby Volunteer Fire department, BC Emergency Services, ICBC and Lumby Village Council. Lumby Lens is targeted at youth, but the information and ideas that it will communicate will impact all residents and sectors, creating more awareness and involvement and building a greater sense of community.

“Lumby Lens” is a part of the Lumby Community Pride initiative, (funded by the UnitedWay, Community Future Development Association, Ministry of Children and Families, Restorative Justice, (Ministry of the Attorney General), Tolko Forest Products), a program of the Whitevalley Community Resource Centre. For more information please contact Steve Elliman, programs coordinator, Whitevalley Community Resource Centre, Box 661, 2114 Shuswap Avenue, Lumby BC, V0E 2G0 or phone 250 547-8866

Local Youth Lends a Helping Hand

When I arrived for work at the Whitevalley Community Resource Centre the other day, I was thrilled to read an email from a community member nominating a youth for a Good Ticket. Mitchell Benzmer (13) was referred by Janet Green, for his generosity and persistence during the month of December, during which he shoveled numerous driveways in the Villas. Janet describes him as a very polite and conscientious young man, who is deserving of some kind of recognition for his initiative and hard work. It all began with Mitchell knocking on Janet’s door to ask if he could shovel her driveway for $5.00. She then proceeded to call some of her neighbours, and Mitchell started shoveling for them as well. It has now come to the point where Mitchell just shows up every time it snows, and the residents are very grateful.

This is a young man who has shown great initiative, provided hard work, and has lent a helping hand to his fellow citizens of Lumby. When Janet emailed me, she said she felt guilty paying Mitchell so little for the work he has done, which is why it gives me great pleasure to be able to hand out Good Tickets to young deserving men like Mitchell. Good Tickets serve as a ‘thank-you’ and as a reward to youth in the area who demonstrate care for the community and those within it. Mitchell’s genuine acts of kindness throughout December are an excellent demonstration of a youth who is deserving of a Good Ticket.

It was so encouraging to hear a community member recognize the positive contributions that our youth make in Lumby. Thank you Janet for recognizing Mitchell’s kind deed, and thank you Mitchell for seeing an opportunity to lend a helping hand and following through.

It is with the financial support of United Way and the assistance of the Village of Lumby, Lumby RCMP and participating local businesses that Whitevalley Community Resource Centre is able to reward youth that are ‘caught’ doing something good! On behalf of these organizations, we would like to thank Mitchell for being a great role model to our youth and making constructive offerings to our community.

If you know of a youth who is worthy of recognition through the Good Ticket program, or if you catch a youth demonstrating good behaviour in the future, please contact Leah at WCRC (250) 547-8866. Or, if you are a business owner yourself and wish to recognize youth action by joining our Good Ticket Program please call as well.

Leah Willinger

Youth Connect Program Coordinator

Whitevalley Community Resource Centre

Community Pride Students Help out With the Lumby Lions Easter Egg Hunt

Community Pride Workers Show Their Environmentally Friendly Side

Ty Kelly, Brandon Pochay, Clint Bright and Matt Somerset

Wrapping chicken wire around the trees along the Salmon Trail

As coordinator of the Community Pride program (CP), I would like to extend my gratitude to Ty Kelly, Brandon Pochay, Clint Bright and Matt Somerset for their contribution to the preservation of the trees along the Salmon Trail. These individuals are part of the CP program, which offers youth of Lumby and Area up to 40 hours of paid work. The program also in turn allows youth to establish connections with community members build long-term healthy relationships and get experience that they can then put on their resume.

On Saturday, Mar. 13^th, these young men devoted their time and hard work to spend the afternoon wrapping chicken wire around the trees along the Salmon Trail, thus protecting them from the pine beetle epidemic. It is great to see the younger members of our community put forth the effort to contribute to an environmentally friendly project such as this.

I would also like to send a special thanks to Taryn Fenton who supervised the workers, for volunteering her time to contribute to this worthwhile project, and for making the preparations for the afternoon. Taryn had nothing but positive things to say about the youth who helped out, stating that they all showed up on time in appropriate clothing and ready to work. She also mentioned that it was a good opportunity for them to network due to the fact that none of them knew each other before the project and that despite this they showed great teamwork.

Especially in a smaller community like Lumby, it’s nice to see our youth working together to make a difference. I look forward to providing the youth of this community with more opportunities where they can display their dedication, hard work and ‘community pride.’

Leah Willinger

Youth Connect Program Coordinator

Whitevalley Community Resource Centre