A mental health and wellness centre for youth is one step closer to beginning construction in Cranbrook.
Teck has donated $100,000 to raise funds for the construction of Ktunaxa Kinbasket Child & Family Services Society’s Foundry East Kootenay.
Society CAO Colin Sinclair says Teck’s donation has brought the Foundry one step closer to reality.
“We’re well over a million dollars, almost $1.2-million, so this is going to go a long way.” Sinclair says. “We’re about $200,000 short. So, again I can not thank Brenda Baker enough and the East Kootenay Foundation for Health for partnering with us. We couldn’t have done this without them.”
He says the Foundry will provide health care and counselling to youth ages 12 to 24 and their families.
“It’s just going to be a great addition to our community of Cranbrook and the East Kootenays, to service the youth who are the future of the next generations,” he says. “Just having the youth the ability to walk in and get the help they need is going to go along way to give that support to our youth.”
Teck’s Rory O’Connor says Teck recognizes the importance of youth centric mental and physical health.
“As we’re all too painfully familiar with, the effects of the Pandemic has increased some of those challenges and needs,” O’Connor says. “There is definitely a lot of talk about the value of providing and focusing on services delivered by youth for youth.”
O’Connor says East Kootenay families represent a large percentage of their employees, which is why they’re happy to support this cause.
“Large majority of our 45,000 employees across the business unit are located there,” he says. “Health and wellness are a huge focus of our capital investments and community investments throughout the region. We’ve got a long history of supporting capital investments in health care as well.”
Construction is tentatively scheduled for Spring 2022.
View more information below:
– Colin Sinclair, Ktunaxa Kinbasket Child & Family Services Society CAO
– Rory O’Conner, Teck Manager Social Responsibility
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