by vanessa choot for modernmix vancouver
As one of BC’s largest non-profit community organizations, Options Community Services is seeing a variety of unique and critical needs amongst local youth in the South Fraser area. Today, they launched their newest fundraising campaign: Women of Options 2022: Gamechangers, where fifty local women have come together and are committing to raise $25,000 each for a youth discretionary fund. These amazing women are a mix of senior executives, impressive volunteers, celebrities, and leaders in their communities.
Urgent youth needs that Options team members are seeing include paying for clothing or dental work so youth can attend a job interview with pride, covering daycare or tuition costs for a young mother to complete an educational program, getting endangered youth to a safe place, and addressing urgent issues faced by youth who have aged out of the child welfare system and lost their supports.
“We see youth needing our help to purchase clothing for a mother’s funeral or a young person who needs immediate re-location and support to escape the threat of a gang. Our government funding is vital but youth needs are increasing and require immediate action and financial resources. This new fund will help to support at-risk youth with what they need, when they need it.” – Christine Mohr, CEO, Options Community Services.
The Women of Options 2022: Gamechangers fund will remove barriers by providing critical funding to work with youth from a wide range of backgrounds, including newcomers, unemployed, street entrenched, pregnant and parenting, those affiliated with gangs, those seeking their high school diplomas, and others. Options Community Services supported approximately 3,500 youth in their last fiscal year, although this number does not include all of the youth as some fall under programs not included in this data collection.
