The Trouw Nutrition Multipurpose Room is where the Tea, Coffee & Conversation Group meets each Tuesday and Thursday at the Bob Chan-Kent Family YMCA.
Versatile spaces at the Bob Chan-Kent Family YMCA are allowing members throughout the Chilliwack community to come together in ways not previously seen.
Prior to the facility’s refresh that was completed in 2019 thanks to donations made to our What Really Matters Capital Campaign, the centre of community was lacking permanent, adaptable spaces to host events and gatherings. But the multipurpose rooms added to the Bob Chan-Kent Family YMCA—sponsored by Chilliwack Ford and Trouw Nutrition—are now providing that function, allowing for social connections and important initiatives to take place inside the building.
A great example can be seen in the Trouw Nutrition Multipurpose Room each Tuesday and Thursday morning when the Tea, Coffee and Conversation group gets together for its regular meetings. What started as a way to welcome members back to the Y following the pandemic has grown into a vital social gathering for its participants.
“It’s a truly magical program that has really taken on a life of its own,” said General Manager Karen Price.
The group formed in late 2021 after Price sat down with volunteers Joanne Granger and Gillian Grant to brainstorm ideas on how to help community members feel comfortable returning to activities outside of their homes as the impacts of COVID-19 lessened.
“We were itching to do something, but we didn’t know what it was,” said Granger. “We thought, ‘What really matters? What do people want to talk about?’ We came up with this, and it just kind of took off after a month or two.
“We were starved for conversation, which people today don’t get enough of, because we’re in such a fast world and on our phones all the time.”
The group started out small but has grown to more than a dozen regulars, and some meetings welcome more than 20 people to stop by to chat over a hot drink. Participants range in age from late-40s to mid-80s, each with their own unique stories to share. Granger said the sessions are scheduled for an hour but typically run long as the members aren’t in any hurry to wrap up their conversations.
“It’s just so amazing—we’ve made so many new friendships,” she said. These newfound connections have led to more social interactions both inside and outside the Y, as the group often meets for dinners around Chilliwack and has taken to other YMCA programming en masse.
“It’s really opened up a lot of peoples’ lives in an amazing way.”
The Trouw Nutrition Multipurpose Room is utilized for many other key Y programs such as Youth Leadership. Its adaptive space is conducive to both physical activity and a classroom-style setup, so it’s also been an effective place to conduct recent training for new yoga instructors who will ultimately provide more robust programming at the Bob Chan-Kent Family YMCA in the future.
Meanwhile, the Chilliwack Ford Multipurpose Room offers family programming for the community, a playtime space for children with no shortage of toys, and a place for parents to make social connections.
“Any time we’re not in program use, we open the doors,” said Price. “We’re finding that parents are meeting other parents there, and on rainy days parents can bring their kids into the Y to be active.”
It’s become a favourite for many local parents.
“Our family loves coming to the Family and Creative Play rooms,” said Chantelle Stoesz, a frequent visitor with her children. “It helps our kids burn off all their extra energy during the day. They enjoy the selection of toys, and the staff is always so friendly and helpful if we ever need anything.”
As the Y strives to provide the communities it serves with so much more than just “gym and swim,” it’s inspiring to see how these spaces inside the Bob Chan-Kent Family YMCA have become important amenities for all.