Redcliff Youth Centre unveils new look

By MO CRANKER on January 15, 2021.

mcranker@medicinehatnews.com@mocranker

The Redcliff Youth Centre was able to renovate its entire space thanks to $60,000 in funding.

The youth centre applied for and received $30,000 from the Home Depot Foundation. That amount was then matched by the Alberta Government’s Community Facility Enhancement Program.

“The Home Depot Foundation supports at-risk youth and the organizations that help that demographic,” said executive director Janae Ulrich. “The money we were granted was specifically for renovation and restoration within our facility.

“That funding ended up being matched by the provincial government, which was amazing.”

The Youth Centre’s building is old and was showing its age, said Ulrich.

“This was definitely needed,” she said. “I know the centre has been around for 30 years and it was pretty clear that the building needed some TLC.”

Renovations began in the spring of 2019 and are just about concluded now. The money from Home Depot allowed the centre to renovate the front half of the building. When funding from the government came in 2020, the centre was able to renovate the back half.

“We used to rent the back half out to a preschool,” said Ulrich. “We decided to renovate it to allow us to have better access to it. We opened up a couple of walls so we can use it for programming, but we made sure we could still rent it out if need be.”

The centre got new paint, flooring, updated lighting to LED, new doors, trim, and is waiting on new furniture to arrive.

“It’s just so nice to be able to give the kids a space that is welcoming and can kind of feel like home,” she said. “The space was outdated and kind of dirty. The floor was cement and it just gave off a feeling.

“It’s so rewarding to know the kids can feel welcome and at home.”

The youth centre was able to renovate its backyard as well, which is now complete with sod, a patio, fire pit and a volleyball court.

The youth centre works with 290 registered children and sees between 15-40 kids each day.

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