The grand opening of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Grande Prairie & Area Healing Community Hub was met with bright smiles and giggles by both kids and adults alike on Wednesday.
Volunteer Trevor Healing says the journey to doors opening has been a long one, but it was worth it to see faces light up when people walk into the new space for the first time.
“As soon as they walk in and see this big, open area… bright and colourful and all this stuff… they usually start running, from room to room to room, just checking everything out,” he says.
Healing says once residents and business owners across the region got wind of the plans for the hub, phone calls of support didn’t stop.
“There are so many businesses and personal people in the community that have been helping out, it’s just nuts,” he says.
“I can’t explain it… there are so many people that wanted to be involved and volunteered time and finances to make it happen.”
There are six themed rooms in the healing hub, spanning from board game rooms and video games to a mini gym.
Healing says they wanted each room to have the ability to transform into something different to allow for any activities to occur. For example, the theatre room also doubles as a dance room.
“There are laser lights and everything is on slides, so everything will slide out of the way,” he laughs.
Healing says each room is filled with games, toys, books, and furniture; all donated from local businesses and residents. He says the goal of the new space was to create an area suitable for a variety of age groups.
“Movies are always a big thing… who doesn’t like to watch movies?” he laughs.
“With the younger kids, a lot of them just want to run and go and be crazy, so just have a big open area for that.”
More artwork will eventually also painted on the walls, Healing says. However, some of the wall space is being saved to showcase some of the children’s artwork.
“I have dedicated a few walls, that I want to be just for their stuff so that it gets hung and everyone gets to see it.”
Kyle Evans, a Big Brother with the organization since January 2020, and morning show host on 2DayFM says throughout the pandemic, he and his little, played a lot of video games together. He believes the new space could be a game-changer for so many volunteers.
“During the pandemic, it was really hard to find things to do but now, they have given us a space where we can watch movies, play games, and eat food… It’s awesome!”
Residents who want to volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters Grande Prairie & Area can visit their website.
