Share your stories for BGC Club Day
Dear Editor:
If kids need it, BGC Clubs provide it
Friday, June 6 was BGC Club Day, BGC Canadaѻý national awareness day celebrating the life-changing impact of our Clubs in communities across Canada. This year was even more special as we celebrate 125 years of BGC Canada and 66 years of BGC Okanagan.
On this day, the ѻý Clubs celebrated BGC Club Day - a national day recognizing the opportunities BGC Clubs across Canada create for 150,000 young people and their families each year. Of those 150,000, over 7,500 are supported at service locations across the Okanagan.
Formerly known as, Boys and Girls Club of the Okanagan, BGC Okanagan provides a safe place for children and youth. We help feed kids and families, provide job readiness programs, support mental health and physical activity, and create unbelievable impact in our community. BGC Clubs have been changing lives for 125 years and we see this impact every day.
A recent survey of children and youth at BGC Okanagan, found that because of their time at the Club:
• Because of a Club, 90% of our kids are more aware of their feelings.
• Because of a Club, 92% of our kids have more people they like to spend time with.
• Because of a Club, 90% of our kids are more confident.
• Because of a Club, 86% of our kids are more physically active.
Our impact lasts a lifetime. Former Club kids, volunteers, and staff often share stories of how their time at the Club shaped their lives and helped them reach their full potential.
On June 6, we celebrated 125 years of BGC Club. Kids from our ѻý and West ѻý Clubs celebrated in a variety of ways including a day of field and carnival style games, BGC themed activities, and family barbecues. The City of ѻý lit up The Sails (at the entrance of City Park) in green on Thursday, June 5 to help honour the day and the City of West ѻý lit up their roundabouts on June 5 and June 6. Kids from our Summerland, Okanagan Falls and Penticton Clubs came together for a day of fun games, and the South Okanagan Events Centre lit up the facility in green to help honour the day.
Help us share the incredible impact BGC Okanagan has in our community. Whether you’re a former Club member, a BGC supporter, or a parent whose child attends our Club, we invite you to share your story on social media using the hashtag #BGCClubDay and tagging @BGCOkanagan.
Kristi Patton
Marketing & Communications
Co-ordinator
Tail must stop wagging the dog
Dear Editor:
One only has to drive down South Main from the round-about to realize that it is a potential demolition derby or better yet, an accident looking for a place to happen.
Others have pointed out the engineering marvels that purport to promote safety for cyclists. Some of these structures, a young child can see are dangerous and do not enhance safety in any way. In fact, they do the opposite. Some of these stand alone islands and boulevard structures cause drivers a problem in that they have to infringe on oncoming traffic to turn both north and especially south from modular home parks, apartments, condos and the Seniorѻý Centre.
One day this past week, after attending a pool tournament at the Sr. Centre, a patron pulled up to the exit area of the Sr. Centre. At the time, there were two or three workers at the exit. One of these workers was standing on the concrete island on the south side of the exit.
The Centre patron rolled down the window and asked as to how do I make a legal turn on to South Main without going over the line of oncoming traffic? He went on to say that it was almost impossible. The worker, probably a contracted employee of the City, took umbrage and gestured with his middle finger. Is this a reflection of what the city represents? Pretty sad state of affairs.
For the record, there has not been a serious cycling accident on South Main Street in over 20 years. Having said that, begs the question of “How does all of this infrastructure improve safety?” It seems that answer is quite simple. It doesn’t!
How does it justify the spending of millions of dollars to improve safety and fix something that isn’t broken and never was. It would seem that in the words of Zig Ziglar, a motivational speaker that the City pundits “need a check up from the neck up to get rid of stinkin’ thinkin’!
The premise of “waste not; want not,” has escaped council and fiscal accountability is not in councilѻý playbook.
Ron Barillaro
Penticton