BGC Okanagan receives $10,000 Community Board grant from the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation
Funding will help BGC Okanagan reach Kelowna youth earlier through school-based homelessness prevention
Kelowna, B.C., June 1, 2026 – BGC Okanagan has received a $10,000 Community Board grant from the TELUS Interior and Northern B.C. Community Board, through the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation supporting Upstream Kelowna.
Upstream Kelowna is a school-based prevention program that helps identify and support youth who may be struggling quietly at home, at school, or with their mental health before those challenges turn into crisis.
“Youth homelessness does not begin when a young person has nowhere to sleep. It often beings earlier, when a student starts to feel disconnected from school, family, community or their own sense of wellbeing,” said Jeremy Welder, President and CEO of BGC Okanagan. “This grant helps us turn off the tap to homelessness so we can shift help upstream before crisis hits.”
Reaching Okanagan youth before crisis hits
The $10,000 grant will support Upstream Kelowna’s work to help more young people succeed with school, strengthen family relationships, and improve their wellbeing. Through this project, we provide individualized supports and community resources at the right time in collaboration with schools and community partners.
“Upstream has had an incredible impact in the community since it was first implemented in 2021. We are grateful for investments that help us reach our goals of sustainability and scaling the project to ensure that every Grade 8 student in the Central Okanagan has access to early identification and support. No one should have to wait until they are in crisis to get help,” said Welder.
For youth, that support can mean having a safe space to talk, help advocating for their learning needs at school, life skills support, help resolving conflicts, or someone who can connect them to additional services before challenges escalate. As one Upstream participant shared, “Without Upstream, I would likely have never gotten support and would not have grown to be the person that I am today. I feel confident in myself and my abilities to handle any obstacles that are thrown at me.”
“Through our partnerships with charities supporting youth we understand the challenges young people in these situations face,” said Nimmi Kanji, Executive Director of the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation. “We are proud to be able to support BGC Okanagan with a Community Board grant in order to help them reach youth earlier, strengthen stability around each young person and connect students to the supports they need before crisis escalates.”
For more information on BGC Okanagan and Upstream Kelowna please visit bgco.ca, and for more information on the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation visit friendlyfuture.com
About BGC Okanagan:
Community-based services. Positive relationships. Life-changing programs.
Since opening the first Club in Kelowna in 1959, BGC Okanagan (formerly known as Okanagan Boys and Girls Club) has continued to provide vital before and after school care, daycare, recreation and youth and family support programs and services that help all young people discover who they are, what they can do, and how they can get there. Our trained staff and volunteers give kids and teens at our 42 service locations across the Okanagan Valley the tools to realize positive outcomes in self-expression, academics, healthy living, physical activity, mental health, leadership and more. If a young person needs it, our Club provides it. Learn more at bgco.ca and follow us on social media @BGCOkanagan.
The TELUS Friendly Future Foundation is a Canadian registered charity that believes all youth, regardless of circumstance, deserve an equal opportunity to reach their full potential. By funding more than 500 charities each year that provide education and health programs, many enabled by technology, along with providing educational bursaries, the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation is helping more than 2 million youth in communities across Canada build skills, confidence and feel a sense of belonging. In 2023 alone, we provided more than $9 million in grants to 550+ charitable programs across Canada, and close to $2 million in bursaries to 400+ post-secondary students in financial need who are committed to making a difference in their communities. For more information on the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, visit friendlyfuture.com.