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Boys and Girls Club takes part in Orange Door campaign

The Boys and Girls Club of Airdrie (BGCA) unveiled a fresh look at its headquarters Jan. 22, while simultaneously recognizing its partnership with the city’s Home Depot branch and bringing awareness to the hardware chain's Orange Door campaign.

The Boys and Girls Club of Airdrie (BGCA) unveiled a fresh look at its headquarters Jan. 22, while simultaneously recognizing its partnership with the city’s Home Depot branch and bringing awareness to the hardware chain's Orange Door campaign.

Staff members of BGCA and Home Depot were on hand at the club’s youth centre at the Ron Ebbesen Arena to present the facility’s recent renovations. In addition to a new paint job and other improvements, staff also unveiled the conference room's new orange door, which was painted in honour of Home Depot's campaign.

Sammy Morros, BGCA’s coordinator of youth programs and services, said the Orange Door campaign is a fundraising drive held twice a year at Home Depot stores across Canada. Proceeds from the campaign support community organizations that aim to alleviate youth homelessness.

Morros said BGCA receives a semi-annual donation from Airdrie’s Home Depot, courtesy of the campaign.

“The whole idea is combatting youth homelessness, and whatever that looks like community by community,” she said. “They run a campaign when shoppers can make a donation and then at the end, that money comes to us and directly goes to support programs and services and connecting youth who are experiencing homelessness with the resources they need to change their situation.”

According to Home Depot’s website, the Orange Door campaign has raised more than $9 million toward housing and support services for homeless youth and helped tens of thousands of vulnerable youth across Canada.

While the unveiling of BGCA’s renovations was intended to be a public open house, Morros said pandemic-related restrictions meant the event was limited to a small group of representatives from the club, Home Depot, the City of Airdrie and local media.

She added Home Depot supplied the paint, equipment and caulking needed to help with BGCA’s renovations, which occurred in early January and took roughly a week to complete. 

“It had been a couple years since we’d had the opportunity to paint, [so] our walls were starting to get a little banged up and we had a lot of dents and scratches,” Morros said.

“[Home Depot’s donations] enabled us to do a whole top-to-bottom refresh of our centre. We got to change up our colours, paint the walls, do some colour matching and touch up other things that needed a facelift.”

The club also added a mural and had new signage installed throughout its youth centre, courtesy of Sign Concepts. Above BGCA’s new orange door is a sign that states, ‘One door can change everything,’ which is the Orange Door campaign’s slogan. Morros said it’s a statement that reflects the mandate of BGCA, as well.

“We wanted to dedicate something in the spirit of the campaign and honour the long-standing partnership we have with Home Depot,” she said. “But we also wanted to create a focal point in the centre that is really dedicated to the spirit or the ideals behind the Orange Door campaign.

“Their slogan is ‘One door can change everything’ and obviously at BGCA, we try to be that door – we try to be the place where youth can come to find what they need,” Morros added. “It was a chance for us to make a dedication to that partnership and bring that spirit into the youth centre as well.”

Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19

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