MOOSE JAW — One small group of Briercrest College students united to start a home church program supporting big changes in the community and have selected Joe's Place Youth Centre as their first charitable recipient this month.
The group of five launched its first GoFundMe campaign on Jan. 9, and as of Jan. 11, the campaign has already received $1,200. Their goal is to raise a total of $7,500 for the local youth centre.
“As students and disciples, we started a home church with the idea that we would do as much life together as possible, live in intense community, and meet the needs of our community,” announced Jacob Bueckert, the student who created the GoFundMe campaign.
“Our current goal is (to raise) $7,500, but we know that Moose Jaw’s generosity can exceed our expectations!”
The decision to support Joe’s Place came at the perfect time as owner and founder Joe Dueck shared that the centre is still recovering from its extensive electrical system upgrade.
“All the work is done; we’re just waiting for that final bill to see what it is so we can hopefully get that out of our minds and focus on youth, which is what we’re all about,” Dueck said.
“We don’t want to be raising money for all kinds of physical projects, but it’s necessary. You have to have power in order to run a youth centre, and you certainly need voltage in order to run Voltage,” he quipped with a smile.
Although the timing lined up well, it was simply a coincidence as the church group was now in a position to launch their first campaign.
“As the GoFundMe states, I am part of a group of Briercrest College students who are serious about what it means to follow the Lord. We believe that God cares deeply about those who are struggling and the orphans and widows,” Bueckert said.
“At the end of last semester, a couple of us made it our goal to give… $20,000 by the end of the winter semester.”
To raise these funds, the group has been selling anything they don’t need, which also helps them combat “our own consumerism and luxury while many go hungry.”
“We felt that, at this time, the best way to bring others along was to start a GoFundMe for local organizations that are meeting needs in the communities of Caronport and Moose Jaw.”
The decision to go with Joe’s Place was easy as Bueckert volunteered there during his first year at Briercrest and said, “it was cool to see everyone’s heart for the youth who came through the doors.”
“I have also seen how the lives of my peers have been positively changed through their time at Joe’s Place, as they learned what it looks like to sacrificially serve others.”
When he learned about the organization’s electrical repair issue, he knew what to do.
“However, they have been struggling financially, and we hope to rally the Moose Jaw — and extended — community around us to help them keep their doors open.”
Dueck was quite surprised to learn of the fundraiser and said it was clearly “good news.”
“It’s just so encouraging to see that so many people across Canada have either volunteered here or were a youth here…,” Dueck said. “We’re just so thankful for the support that we receive, and it allows us to keep offering great programs for Moose Jaw’s youth.”
You can help support the campaign by visiting https://gofund.me/39df3ee1 or by searching for ‘Help Give Moose Jaw Youth Hope’ on GoFundMe.com.
Joe’s Place is located at 402 Main Street North and can be reached at 306-693-5637. For more information visit JPYC.org.
