A community investing in well-being
When members of the Thompson / Wipp family heard the plans for the Wellness Centre, the one going into the neighbourhood learning space at the new New Westminster Secondary School, they got excited.
After all, it’s not every day you see high schools host holistic care centres – operated in collaboration with community partners – that will help deliver physical care options, mental health supports, preventative resources and educational opportunities, targeted counselling services and referrals to additional specialized supports.
It was the emotional support and prevention work that was particularly exciting to the family. “Mental health issues are often overlooked or considered an ‘after thought’ when in fact they should be a core part of our health care dialogue,” said Jennifer Thompson. “It affects us all, and the sooner we start this conversation with our children, the better.”
The Thompson / Wipp family are not the only ones: people start lighting up when they hear about the possibility around what’s taking shape. And we already know there’s need for both students and the wider community to take advantage of something like this. But as a District, we hit a challenge. There was something missing: the space divisions, furniture and other physical resources needed to turn the vision into a reality.
Inspired, that’s where the Thompson / Wipp family has stepped forward, with astounding generosity, to make a legacy investment in this community. They have committed to donating $100,000 to the Wellness Centre! And not only that … they are willing to match up to another $50,000 to help inspire others to support it as well!
And that’s why we’re calling on you: help us get this wellness hub up and going! Help us deliver on this vital service our students and community so desperately need.
| MAKE A DONATION TO THE WELLNESS CENTRE TODAY, and see your dollars go twice as far through this amazing matching opportunity! (To take advantage of the matching donation offer, please make sure to select “Wellness Centre” when picking your ‘fund destination.’) |
Your donation could help a worried student get immediate help from a health practitioner or counsellor. It could empower a new student with the healthy eating or sleep pattern lessons that will set them up for greater success. It could help a young parent learn how to better support their child who may be struggling. It could help a kid in need get faster access to a program or specialist … someone who can prevent them from falling through the cracks.
A donation today could help your neighbour, your child … or, given how long lasting the investment in this centre will be, maybe even a grandchild. Really, we don’t know who it will help, but we know the support is needed.
And we’re not alone in that. Convinced that we are on the right track in addressing this critical need, Kurt Wipp graciously joked with us about cutting the cheque being the easy part, when compared with the work ahead. However, at the day, it all comes down to something very simple for the Thompson / Wipp family, “Our community needs this.”
| You can MAKE A DONATION TO THE WELLNESS CENTRE TODAY, and see your dollars go twice as far through this amazing matching opportunity! (To take advantage of the matching donation offer, please make sure to select “Wellness Centre” when picking your ‘fund destination.’) |
With deepest thanks
In recognition of the invaluable support you may be able to give, we would like to acknowledge our appreciation for your donation. Details about various donation levels can be found at the below link.
To learn more about the proposed Wellness Centre, and the neighbouring Welcome Centre, read more here: https://newwestschools.ca/welcoming-and-wellness-in-the-centre-of-learning/