BGC of Wolf Creek — Lacombe has plenty in store for local youth via its summer camp program.
“Our summer camps run in Lacombe, Ponoka, and Rimbey starting July 2 and run through to Aug. 23, Monday to Friday in each of those locations,” said Angela Olson, director of child care with the Ponoka Youth Centre/BGC Wolf Creek.
“Children have to have completed Kindergarten to come, and the age range includes those who have just completed Grade 6.
“In each community, the programs are divided into two age groups between the younger and older kids, and we try to give them some different opportunities and activities that are age-appropriate,” she explained.
Monica Leonardis, Lacombe’s program director, said there are many exciting adventures planned for the summer here in the city, too.
“We have tried to make it as exciting and as eventful as we can,” she said.
Highlights run the gamut from touring the Blacksmith Museum, and the local airport to making chocolate at Oodles of Chocolate and pizza at Boston Pizza.
“We will be visiting Youth Unlimited plus we’ve got all kinds of sports organizations from Lacombe and Red Deer coming in to teach our kids new and exciting sports, which will also be in time for registrations.
“For our Explorers International Week, West Edmonton Mall is bringing us three penguins here for the day,” she said.
“The kids will get to feed them and also learn about them. And the very next day after that, we are taking them to the Calgary Zoo to see more about the penguins’ habitat, and to see the other animals as well.”
Each week through the summer follows a different theme.
“Our first week is Art Week, where we will be doing some tie-dying, and we will be spending some time at the Lacombe Performing Arts Centre as well. We also have an Indigenous Day, where we will be learning about Indigenous art forms.
“The next week is our Athletic Week, so we’ve got Red Deer Minor Basketball coming in, Dancer’s Edge coming by, and the Buccaneers and Lacombe Ringette coming here, too.”
The kids will also get a look at martial arts, she said.
“So either we are taking them out, or we’ve got things coming here for the kids.”
For further questions or information, email lacombe@bgcwolfcreek.com or call 403-704-4216.
The online registration link is https://app.bgcwolfcreek.com/sign-out.
Subsidies are also available — for more about those, head to https://applychildcaresubsidy.alberta.ca/
She also pointed out that there is a Gamer Week included in the mix as well.
“We will be doing retro games — we are bringing in older games systems so the kids can see some games that their parents played,” she explained.
“We will also be taking them to the Allstars (Indoor Playland) in Edmonton.”
There is also a week devoted to all things ‘green’, so the youth will be visiting a community garden, and there will be a visit to the Kraay Family Farm.
Meanwhile, BGC’s presence in Lacombe continues to grow.
After-school programs have been launched at Ecole Lacombe Upper Elementary School and later at Terrace Ridge Elementary School.
These programs provide kids with lots of fun activities, indoor and outdoor play, and snacks, too.
This program runs Monday through Friday from 3:15 to 5:30 p.m. and is for youth from Kindergarten to Grade 6.
Another program available in Lacombe is the School’s Out Day Program which runs from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. during the school year and includes life-skills instruction, leadership training, recreation, field trips, and other activities on Professional Development days, school breaks and ‘in lieu’ days for schools.