The new Ladner Reach Child Development Centre is one step closer to a reality.
On June 23, Mayor Lois Jackson was joined by Delta North MLA Scott Hamilton and representatives from the Reach Child and Youth Development Society, the Corporation of Delta, the Kinsmen Club of Ladner-Tsawwassen, Variety - The Children’s Charity and Tsawwassen First Nation for the official groundbreaking ceremony for the new centre.
“Since 2009, the good people at Reach have tirelessly fundraised to see this groundbreaking come to fruition,” said Jackson in a press release. “On behalf of council and the Corporation of Delta, we are proud to contribute to this community cost-sharing project and join together with Reach to celebrate the start of a facility that will double the number of families they are able to assist, enhance the valuable services they offer to families and youth in Delta, and improve accessibility for the Reach community.”
Construction on the new three-story, 20,000 square foot centre will begin in September and is expected to take about a year to complete. Once built it will allow the society to double the number of children it helps, serving as a place of learning and belonging for children with special needs and their families. Reach currently provides programs and services to families in Delta, Surrey and Langley, serving over 1,000 children annually.
The new facility will provide therapy and counselling rooms, youth social and prevocational training, specialized lending libraries, and an inclusive pre- school with accessible playground. It will also serve as the new home for the Kinsmen Club of Ladner and Tsawwassen as well as an expanded event space for municipal, business and community use.
To date more than $4.6 million of the approximately $5.6 million needed to erect and furnish the new centre has been donated including a $1 million plus a similar value in kind contribution from the Corporation of Delta and $250,000 from Delta Agricultural Society, in addition to a myriad of community, business and individual donations.