Christine Bellerose, Pre-Teen Program Co-ordinator for the Valley East Youth Centre, is very pleased with the participation of the boys and girls between the ages of 7 and 11 in the new initiative this summer.

“We get about ten or twelve regulars here every day, and they have been just fantastic,” explained Bellerose. “The kids are very respectful and well-behaved. They enjoy the activities we organize and are very helpful around the facility.”

Several of the children who have enjoyed the summer experience are seated on the sofa with Christine. They include: Tyler Haney (10) from St. Anne School; Mike Pelland (11), also from St. Anne School; Nicky Desjardins, a volunteer assistant; Christine Bellerose; and Merrisa Lavoie (9) from Redwood Acres.

The program for the Pre-Teens was begun this summer in order to help the younger crowd see how they can get more use out of the Valley East Youth Centre, located beside Centennial Arena in Hanmer. Boys and girls who have been registered may drop in between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The teenagers arrive at 3:00 p.m. and remain until 10:00 p.m. They can remain until 11:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Sunday it is open from 2 until 8.

The pre-teens have access to all of the equipment and facilities that the older members have. Plus, stated Bellerose, “We organize craft activities, movies and a wide variety of games which are not done with the older kids. The nice thing is that ”

Several excursions were also planned with the participants including a fishing trip on August 18, nature walks  and a bus trip to Wonderland on August 29^th.

While the Pre-teen program is scheduled to end on August 25, plans are already in the works to offer a weekly afternoon program every Sunday beginning in September. Christine encourages anyone interested in finding out more about this program to contact the Youth Centre at 969-5188.

It is very likely that the pre-teens will continue to utilize the facilities as they grow through their teen years and perhaps give a little something back to the Youth Centre when they become adults.

“It is a great way for kids to meet new friends and to spend quality time with each other,” explained Christine.

When asked what he would be doing if he wasn’t at the Centre, Tyler Haney quickly responded, “Probably sleeping or watching television.”

The Centre very much appreciates the generous donations which are made by local residents and merchants. Marcel Moncion, for example, of Moncion’s Your Independent Grocers, provides the Centre with a couple of baskets of food every Friday. The food is stored in the fridge and the participants are free to have snacks while at the Centre.