The Harlow and Mary Ann Burrows Family Foundation has made a generous $75,000 donation to Take a Hike Foundation in support of youth who experience vulnerabilities in Delta.
The Burrows’ family support Take a Hike because of the program’s focus on mental health and well-being in young people, as well as the value of the outdoors and adventure-based learning component, which helps keeps youth engaged in school.
“The support the Harlow and Mary Ann Burrows Family Foundation have shown Take a Hike is making a big impact in the lives of vulnerable youth in Delta,” said Gordon Matchett, CEO at Take a Hike Foundation. “This year especially, when young people with existing mental health issues are experiencing the impacts of the pandemic more than most, inspiring acts of generosity from our community mean vulnerable youth will receive the support they need to get through this challenging time.”
With a 93 per cent graduation rate, Take a Hike is one of the few programs in the province with full-time early intervention and prevention mental health supports embedded in a classroom setting, supporting youth to overcome obstacles to their academic and personal success.
Opened in February 2019, the Delta program, located at North Delta’s Delview Secondary, is providing support to 18 youth and their families this school year.
The community-funded Take a Hike program has seen an increase in demand for the mental health and well-being supports it provides in schools across B.C. When the pandemic broke in March, Take a Hike turned its mental health program completely online to not only continue supporting the 130 vulnerable youth and their families across the province, but also expand its services to provide an additional 600 counselling sessions to support 180 youth and their families, including Take a Hike alumni and other youth and families referred by school district partners.
