The new B.O.S.S Enrichment Centre is looking to help the youth of Ashcroft develop as artists and entrepreneurs.
B.O.S.S., which stands for Building Opportunities Towards Self Sufficiency, was founded in May of this year by director Sherri McKinlay and executive director Tova White. McKinlay said they're looking to both give back to the community and the youth in need throughout Ashcroft.
"At B.O.S.S Enrichment Centre we believe in empowering individuals through the transformative power of creative arts," McKinlay said. "Our mission is to foster a community where self-sufficiency is not just a goal, but a reality."
The Boss Enrichment Centre originally started as the Ashcroft Print Shop which McKinlay opened shortly after moving to Ashcroft three years ago. While raised in the Lower Mainland, she had spent close to 30 years living in California, noting moving to a Canadian small town after all that time was a bit of a culture shock.
A year ago, McKinlay hired a young man with autism named Collin who worked with her for the summer. Helping him develop and grow made her realize the shop would work better as a non-profit foundation focused on helping young people develop their skills.
McKinlay is no stranger to working on behalf of her community. During her time living in Oakland, California she also owned a print shop and started a non-profit called Citizens for the Lost where she worked with the families of murder victims and missing people.
"It did start with a little five-year-old boy who was missing in the community. It really grew because we realized you don't have to be missing to be lost," McKinlay said. "I'm finding the same thing in Ashcroft. There are a lot of people walking around our community who are completely lost. So while (B.O.S.S) is a different program, some of the work I did in the States is instrumental in putting B.O.S.S together here."
Currently, McKinlay said she is working with Evelynn White who also is on the autism spectrum and has Irlen Syndrome, a condition that impacts her eyesight. McKinlay helped her discover a talent for creating custom pens which she is now selling at markets and online.
Recently, thanks to the revenue her pens have brought in, Evelyn was able to pay for her own horse riding lessons. When she called McKinlay to tell her that, McKinlay remarked she felt a sense of pride in Evelyn's accomplishment.
Going forward McKinlay said she plans to give youth in the community, ages 14 to 19, the chance to learn graphic design, digital art and how to print designs into merchandise. The centre currently has enough equipment that 10 students could be in there at any once, each working on completely different projects. She has also formed partnerships with some local contractors who are interested in bringing youth into their companies and teaching them what they know.
"We're going to see what we can do and how much more we can help. We're really in the early stages and right now we're trying to partner with different organizations and companies that can teach more youth different aspects of business," McKinlay explained. "It's really about the individual, we have to work with them for a period of time to pull their skills from them. Evelynn was here for about a year before we realized pens were her thing."
McKinlay said one of her ultimate goals is to purchase the Grand Central Restaurant and Hotel, the building that hosts the centre, which is currently up for sale. The current owner has offered to sell it to the non-profit for around $400,000. If they're able to buy it Mckinlay said the interior needs to be completely redone, and she envisions that work being done by youth working with contractors to learn a trade.
"The number of trades we could teach just in putting the building back together, we could probably teach 20 people over three years an actual trade. Contracting, plumbing electrical, flooring, painting," McKinlay remarked, noting the building also has a restaurant where youth could apprentice under a chef.
At the moment buying the building is still a dream as McKinlay said they would have to raise the capital or find investors willing to back them. She does plan to hold a year-end fundraiser for it, however.
Anyone looking to join the enrichment centre or help out is invited to come by its location or contact McKinlay via bossenrichmentcentre@gmail.com and 250-457-1380.
"We're fortunate we're in a small community because really it's about adopting an entire community. It's not just for one or two people, everyone in our community can be more self-sufficient," McKinlay said. "As long as that's what we can teach and we can teach them a little bit of independence, then I think we're doing the right thing moving forward."
