Youth Club seeks funding for Peru trip

By Miriam Ostermann, Associate Editor

The Youth Club of Strathmore has turned their fundraising focus on Strathmore’s corporate community in hopes of securing thousands of dollars to send high needs and financially struggling youth on a leadership humanitarian trip to Peru next year.
The club started fundraising in May and has already received $15,000 through group fundraising efforts. Despite still needing to tally up donations brought in through individual undertakings, the organization is behind the eight ball in meeting their $50,000 goal of completely covering the cost of sending 20 individuals to Cusco, Peru.
Thus far, the club has been fundraising non-stop for seven months by organizing garage sales, bottle drives and 50/50 tickets, and offering babysitting nights. The organization also received donations through the Jelly Bean Dance, Humpty’s Milkshake Mondays, a Car Smash event and miscellaneous donations. With only three months left before boarding the plane, the club has reached out to local businesses, financial institutions and service clubs to make up the estimated $35,000 shortfall.
“This is our first crack at a big trip like this, and I did them before through the Boys and Girls Club, and so there are a lot more opportunities for sponsorships … being in a small community is harder,” said Shannon Zieman, program director for the Youth Club of Strathmore.
“We have some higher needs kids that we’re taking or lower income kids so it’s kids that this could be a real life changing trip for, and we want to make sure that they can get there.”
Five staff members and six parent volunteers will accompany the 20 youth, aged 13 to 17 years old, over spring break, where the youths will be expected to participate in a community project along the lines of helping with a community centre or school renovation. The organizers are also planning on taking the teenagers on a trip to Machu Picchu.
“I think the kids are doing great,” said Hannah Magee, program coordinator and outreach for the Youth Club of Strathmore. “We’re taking a different group of kids and quite a large group of kids as well, so they have been working really hard since May, almost every other weekend doing a fundraising or community project. There’s still a ways to go but the kids have put in a lot of effort.”
Strathmore’s Sobeys also partnered up with the club to offer a 90-second shopping spree to one lucky individual on Dec. 16. Upcoming events also include a wine glass paint night – available for 13 years and up – on Dec. 18, and a medium to visit Strathmore on Jan. 27.
“We want to keep people informed and let them know we’re open to doing presentations and really looking for the community to back these kids,” said Zieman. “Not only are they giving back to someone less fortunate, but they’re getting a life experience as well. This is helping them step out of their bounds and experience something new.”
The Youth Club of Strathmore is heading to Cusco, Peru from Feb. 15-26 with a work week from Feb. 19-23 and a couple of days to tour around the city.
Tickets for the 90-second Sobeys shopping spree are $5 and can be purchased at Sobeys, the Youth Club of Strathmore, the Family and Community Support Services (FCSS), Value Drug Mart and the youth involved with the trip. For more information, to sponsor or to schedule a presentation, contact the club at 403-934-4918.