The Rotary Club of Edmonton is pleased to share news of a recent contribution to one of central Edmonton's most important community hubs. On May 25, 2026, J.J. Tremblay, Chair of the club's Community Service Committee, met with Ashton Raeyr, Director of Fund Development and Association Services at the YMCA of Northern Alberta, along with Kristi McNicoll from the YMCA Family Resource Centre team, to present a Rotary Club donation of $6,250.00 in support of the Family Resource Centre's Technology Retrofit.
The funds will help the Centre acquire new terminals and docking stations, enabling staff to run programming sessions, connect families to services, and manage day-to-day operations more effectively. In a setting where technology is the gateway to everything from intake forms to digital literacy workshops, this kind of infrastructure investment has an outsized impact on the people the Centre serves.
Located at Boyle Street Plaza on 103A Avenue — directly across from the Melcor YMCA Village — the YMCA Family Resource Centre is a vital community anchor in central Edmonton. It offers essential supports and programs for families through group workshops, one-on-one support, and daily resource access, responding to the needs of children, youth, parents, and seniors alike. The Centre sits within a unique partnership between the City of Edmonton and the YMCA of Northern Alberta, designed to bring housing, child care, recreation, and social services together in one accessible location.
The following is a brief overview of some of the programs that are provided at Boyle Street Plaza's Family Resource Centre:
- Through programs such as Youth Transitions, SKY High, Youth For Entrepreneurship, YMCA Alternative Suspension and more, teens and young adults have a space at Boyle Street Plaza where they can develop life skills, find educational enrichment, and experience health, wellness, and recreation programs. Participation rates for these programs vary but have a significant impact for young people in our city. For instance, the Youth Transitions Program alone served over 500 youth across Edmonton in 2024.
- Collective Kitchen is a free program helping individuals and families make sustainable and affordable food choices, learn about healthy food preparation, and develop better eating habits through food nutrition and literacy. In 2023, over 116 unique participants benefited from accessing this program and other kitchen activities hosted at Boyle Street Plaza. 2024 numbers are still being tabulated.
- Employment, leadership, and mental health support programs are available for teens and young adults.
- Housing First supports are provided for individuals and families experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness.
- Early intervention programs focused on youth restorative justice help divert young people from the criminal justice system and set them on a healthy path to success.
Taken together, these programs paint a picture of an organization doing exactly the kind of upstream, preventative work that strengthens families and communities for the long term. The Rotary Club of Edmonton is proud to play a small part in that work by ensuring the Centre's staff and clients have the technology they need to keep it going.
Our sincere thanks go to Ashton Raeyr, Kristi McNicoll, and the entire YMCA Family Resource Centre team for the warm welcome and for their continued dedication to families in our city.
Service projects like this one are at the heart of what the Rotary Club of Edmonton is about, and they are made possible by the generosity and engagement of our members. If you would like to learn more about the club or join us at one of our weekly lunch meetings at the Chateau Lacombe, we'd love to hear from you. To learn more about the YMCA Family Resource Centre and its programs, visit northernalberta.ymca.ca.
