All those quarters and dimes add up.
By the end of the 2016/17 school year, a local charity will have invested $73,000 into Burnaby schools.
Laurie Molstad with the Burnaby Association for South East Side (BASES for short) told the NOW that’s the most amount of money the non-profit has ever doled out since its inception in 2010.
“Our goal is to level the playing field so that every child who lives in that community has access to programs that enrich their lives,” she said, adding $48,000 was given out in 2015/16.
BASES was created to support out-of-school programming at six schools: Edmonds, Stride Avenue, Morley, Twelfth Avenue, Windsor and Byrne Creek Secondary.
In 2013, the founders (mostly retired Burnaby teachers) opened up a thrift store on Kingsway, between 14th and 15th avenues, to help with their fundraising efforts. (BASES moved to 7825 Edmonds St. in 2015.)
Since it launched, BASES has been all about making sure kids in that part of town aren’t left on the sidelines, according to Molstad.
“There are many beautiful homes in those neighbourhoods, and so there is sort of that disparity. There are kids who have everything and there are kids who have nothing,” she said.
Some of the programs BASES has funded include summer camps, dance clubs, arts and crafts clubs, music programs and much more.
One popular initiative is the charity’s annual book giveaway in June. Volunteers haul 20,000 titles to three elementary schools, where kids pick 10 books to take home.
“The looks on their faces when they realize they can have 10; also, when they write their name on it, to know they own it, it’s really powerful,” said Molstad. “Research has shown that children who don’t have access to print materials, their reading level over summer break slides back.”
Molstad, who retired from Stoney Creek Community School five years ago, credited BASES’ success to a couple of factors.
She said relocating to Edmonds Street was a good move.
“That’s been a really great location for us. It’s very accessible. It has better visibility.”
The closure of the nearby Value Village in 2015 also helped, added Molstad.
The retiree also believes thrift store shopping is enjoyed by many.
“(It’s) kind of cool I think. Our store is full of people all day long. It does give newcomers a place to get low-cost goods,” she said, noting the shop is environmentally friendly, having recycled 35,000 pounds of clothes last year.
Besides offering up “good quality, in-shape items,” the thrift store is also a place where some 80 volunteers spend their time.
“We’ve got people giving back who are retired, teenagers for high school work experience and some newcomers,” noted Molstad. “We’ve got some really great success stories of young people getting the experience and then being able to move on from us and get a full-time job at Safeway, where they’re praised for the skills that they’ve got.”
Looking ahead to 2017/18, the former teacher said the non-profit is currently working on a strategic plan.
“We want this to be a sustainable venture in the long haul, so we can continue to support the schools.”
To learn more, visit basesburnaby.ca.
