Historical Time Line
January, 2004 – Community meeting called to promote interest in organizing a Boys and Girls Club in Whitecourt.
March, 2004 – Group formed to work towards requirements for provisional membership into Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada. This group was formed under the name of Whitecourt and District Youth Initiative.
April, 2004 – First board is voted in and consisted of: Theresa Juuti, Myrna Woyewoda, Linda Jung, Robin Schmitke, Art Potter, Shauna Bruneau, Karen Bougie, Dave Brown, Kerrie Dickson (Executive Director), Barb Goodwin (Secretary), Dorothy Wilson (Treasurer), Kathy Walker (Vice President) and Irene Scott (President). The mission statement and core values from the Boys and Girls Club organization were voted on and accepted by the board.
February, 2005 – Provisional membership is obtained with the Boys and Girls Club organization.
March, 2005 – First Annual General Meeting held.
April, 2005 – First Much Music Dance held.
June, 2005 – Our first lease for the former bowling alley (across from the Town of Whitecourt offices) began. These are our present facilities.
July, 2005 – We became a registered society, incorporated through the Alberta Societies Act. Our first program, the teen drop-in, was approved by the Boys and Girls Club organization. This program ran Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. as well as Fridays and Saturdays from 7:00 to midnight. It was targeting ages twelve to seventeen.
September, 2005 – We held our official grand opening. Our hours were cut back to Fridays and Saturdays from 7:00 to midnight.
February, 2006 – We hired our first employee, Kathi Walker, as Program Coordinator.
October, 2006 – Our first after school program began for ages six to twelve years old. It was held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. We held our first Halloween Haunted House.
March, 2007 – We sent a group of six youth members to a YOUCAN conference in Ottawa.
June 26, 2007 - We obtained our Charitable Status through Revenue Canada. We can now issue charitable receipts.
July/August, 2007 - We held our first summer day camps.
August, 2007 - We hired our first Executive Director on a part-time basis.
September, 2007 - We offered our first full-time, Monday through Friday after school program.
February, 2009 - We received our Full Membership Status through the Boys and Girls Club national organization after receiving this status through the Boys and Girls Club regional organization in December, 2008