A $5 million fundraising campaign for the Youth Wellness Hub Windsor Essex was officially launched on Tuesday, and it got off to a great start with a $1-million lead gift announced by Kyrsten Solcz of the Solcz Family Foundation.
A permanent site for the hub is now closer to reality thanks to the generosity and support from the community.
The 10,000 square foot youth-friendly space, located at 215 Eugenie Ave. will offer mental health and addiction services for youth between the ages of 12 and 25 including primary care, employment and housing supports, as well as recreational and educational activities.
Solcz says the foundation is proud to support Windsor's first Youth Wellness Hub, which is a space that's safe and barrier-free, providing local youth with a multitude of services all under one roof.
"We hope our community will join us by supporting this wonderful cause to help bring the right services to our youth at the right time and in the right place," she added.
While operational funding has been provided by the province, officials say there is a great need to continue with fundraising to bring the full vision of the Youth Wellness Hub to life.
Kim Willis, local Communications Director and Mental Health Promotion with CMHA, says they're grateful to the Solcz family for giving them such a boost early in the campaign.
"Which is a game changer and it's allowing us to move forward on the permanent location," she continued. "Which is integral to the model which is all about a youth friendly environment, providing programs and services for youth by youth."
More funds will need to be raised and Willis says community support is vital.
"Our goal is $5-million which will allow us to complete all the renovations at that permanent site, support ongoing programming needs, and also develop satellite sites or workshops in the county."
She added that the reality is youth were struggling before the pandemic, and it's only gotten worse following the pandemic, so when they're in crisis they need help immediately.
At the Youth Wellness Hub, Willis says there are no wait times and no referral needed with walk-in services available.
"We know depression, anxiety, stress, addiction, eating disorders, loneliness, these are all realities for a lot of youth living in our community. The nice thing about the Youth Hub is it's low barrier service, so what that means if anyone who walks in will see someone that day," Willis said.
In addition to the Solcz Family Foundation donation, the total raised towards the $5-million goal is closer to $2-million which accounts for support from the Tim Hortons Smile Cookie campaign, the 2021 Corporate Challenge, the Jackson Oglan Memorial Golf Tournament, private donors and special events.
Willis says they hope more businesses, individuals and organizations will step up to lend a hand, with all donations receiving a charitable tax receipt.