Amanda Stephenson
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The halls of the old Earl Kitchener school hummed with activity Wednesday as Medicine Hat’s Volunteer and Community Information Centre celebrated its grand reopening in its new location.
Mayor Norm Boucher, on hand to cut the ribbon, commented on how nice it was to see the old school building put to new use.
“When we have a facility like this, it’s really important to use it for the benefit of the community,” Boucher said. “Good luck in how you progress this. The more space you have, the more room you’ll have to grow, and the more need there will be for your service as the community grows.”
In its new location, the Volunteer Centre will have more than three times the space it had in its former home in the REDI Enterprises building. With more room, the centre will be better able to accommodate its 108 member agencies who are able to book the facility free of charge for meetings and training sessions.
“Meeting space is a real issue in town, especially for non-profits who sometimes have to spend $200 for one meeting just to rent a room,” Volunteer Centre executive director Kim McClymont explained.
In addition to the meeting rooms, the new Volunteer Centre houses a computer room open for drop-in public use. McClymont said the goal is to eventually get SuperNet capacity in the building, so that member agencies can make use of videoconferencing. She would also like to see a playground outside to make the centre family-friendly, and the board hopes to find the funds to make the building wheelchair-accessible. A $30,000 grant from the City of Medicine Hat will go to pay the rent and utilities in the building, and will ensure the centre won’t have to raise fees for its members.
“We really want to create a culture of use here,” McClymont said. “We want to make it as affordable as possible, make sure it is used and that it is a community space.”
McClymont added all of the furnishings in the new facility were donated by local businesses and community groups.
“If it wasn’t for them, we could never have gotten moved,” she said. |
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