News and Stories

Volunteering has a direct impact on the lives of Canadians — whether it is teaching and supporting children, helping Canadians live healthier lives, or giving companionship. For Bryan Wentworth, the Y’s staff and volunteers have become a second family.

After retiring, in 1981, I moved to the Okanagan with my husband where we built a home. We were looking for something in the way of entertainment, so our friends asked if we wanted to come to the Y. That was 37 years ago and we’ve been coming ever since.

Myself (Leonardo), my wife Claudia, and my son Miguel moved from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Kelowna in May 2017. We were in search of a better future for Miguel that would be safer, as well as more economically and politically stable.

Joyce has been a Kelowna Family YMCA member for the last five years. Neither financial barriers nor living with COPD and osteoporosis has stopped Joyce from attending the Y’s Healthy Hearts program three days a week.

As the Family Support Facilitator for the YMCA Young Parents Program, I am grateful to be able to make a difference in the lives of young mothers and families in our community.

When we first moved to Kelowna, my mom, dad and two sisters were sharing a one-bedroom hotel room and there was no space for me, so I lived out of a van on the street. I was in a really bad spot — both emotionally and mentally. I had low self-esteem, was fighting depression and didn’t have the confidence to be independent or employable.