The Beacon Club of Campbell River was glad to receive a large donation, which will help them expand their space and provide more room for programming.
“It’s very exciting, we’re going to be doing some renovations. Island Health has given us the entire bottom floor. We’ve had this up until now, but we’re going to be able to rent the other side. The $10,000 is going to help us do the renovations,” said executive director Althea Vermaas. “It’s very generous.”
The Beacon Club is a non-profit organization that helps support people with mental health issues in Campbell River. They provide space for people to have lunch, take part in programs, outings, events and just hang out. They have been supporting people in the area for nearly 25 years, and are looking to expand their space, which would greatly increase their capacity to help.
Thanks to a donation from Wayne Langman, a private donor, they are one step closer to realizing that goal.
“I’m just trying to do what Dr. Bonnie Henry says,” Langman said. “I’m just being kind, calm and safe.”
Vermaas explained that the club had been hoping to expand into the adjacent space in their building, which would add some lounge space, an accessible bathroom and a quiet room to help some members deal with anxiety.
“With COVID, we’ve been limited to six people in the club,” Vermaas said. “With the expansion, we’ll be able to open it up to 12 or 15. It’s huge. It’ll make us be able to put different games in.”
Vermaas said there’s about six weeks worth of work to be done to get the new space functional, but they are looking forward to having more room to stretch out.
There’s “lots more space for us,” Vermaas said.
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marc.kitteringham@campbellrivermirror.com
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