The Rotary Club of Langley Central gave a $45,000 donation to the Focus Foundation, the benefits of this year’s Fraser Valley Wine Festival.
The annual festival’s 24th edition was held in November, and proved highly successful once again. At a late-January luncheon meeting, Focus Foundation’s executive director Robert Kissner told the club members where the money will go.
“You provide joy, and you provide hope,†he said. The Focus Foundation provides integrated mental health programs for at-risk teens. They see kids out of school, sometimes on the streets, and they have typically had a large number of bad things happen to them. Focus tries to help them get their lives back on track.
Kissner told the story of one boy from Langley who had dropped out in Grade 8, but has now caught up in one year on three years of missed schooling. He’s now headed off to take pre-med at UBC.
The many sponsors of the annual Wine Festival were given thanks by the Rotary Club. Numerous firms have provided the support that has helped the event raise funds for 24 years.