On Oct. 25th, Central Alberta Youth Unlimited held its annual dessert and comedy night fundraiser. Executive Director Jake Schellenberg said the event was well-received and pulled in about $25,000 in fundraising.
Youth Unlimited has been doing the dessert and comedy nights fundraiser for the last eight years or so, said Schellenberg. Before that, the organization had more of a banquet gala style fundraiser.
He said Youth Unlimited has three fundraisers throughout the year including the comedy and dessert night. The other two are the Lacombe Half-Marathon and a charity golf tournament held in May.
Central Alberta Youth Unlimited is a not-for-profit group based here in Lacombe that works on improving the lives of young people. Schellenberg said their mission is aptly summed up in the organization motto, ‘We see the hope and potential in every young person.’
“Today is the hardest day and age to grow up in, right?” said Schellenberg. “So we just want to be there for kids. Help them through the tough times and inspire them to live a life of purpose.”
Eighty-one per cent of Central Alberta Youth Unlimited’s funding is through individual donors and donations from fundraisers like Saturday’s. Schellenberg said the monies raised Saturday night will go towards the general operation of Central Alberta Youth Unlimited and the YU-Turn Drop-In Centre in Lacombe.
“It keeps the lights on in the youth centre, pays the mortgage, keeps our newsletter fl owing and trains our staff.”
Not that long ago, Central Alberta Youth Unlimited changed its name from Wolf Creek Youth Unlimited. Schellenberg said the name change was the result of some expansion from the organization in order to cover more of Central Alberta.
Central Alberta Youth Unlimited now has a presence in Lacombe, Red Deer, Ponoka, and Rimbey.
Schellenberg said Central Alberta Youth Unlimited is incredibly grateful for the support they have received from the community and he hopes it continues.
“Honestly, there is just no way that an organization like ours could exist, let alone grow (without that support),” said Schellenberg. He added that he likes to tell donors the more money Youth Unlimited raises, the more the organization is capable of.
“Resources equal impact,” said Schellenberg. “The more resources we have the more we are able to give back.”