The Tong Louie YMCA has received $250,000 in community gaming grants to upgrade its aquatic centre.
Jinny Sims, Surrey-Panorama MLA, made the announcement at the YMCA on Thursday (Dec. 12).
“Our government values the work of the Greater Vancouver YMCA, ensuring everyone has access to programs and services for people to learn life skills while making connections with their neighbours in the community,” said Sims, on behalf of Selina Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “We are pleased to support the upgrade to ensure the longevity of the Surrey aquatic centre, so people of all ages and backgrounds can continue to stay active together at the Tong Louie Family YMCA.”
The upgrades will include new pool mechanical systems and treatment systems to improve water quality, automatic pool-level controls, new direct digital controls and new boilers, according to a new release.
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“Sport can play a powerful role in helping people lead healthy, productive lives,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture. “We want people of all ages, backgrounds and levels of ability to choose active living. That starts with having access to facilities and developing physical literacy. By investing in the Tong Louie Family YMCA, we are helping families in Surrey learn how to swim, which is the first step toward both recreational and competitive aquatic sport.”
David Woollven, general manager of Tong Louie Family YMCA, said the upgrades “will ensure that generations of children and families are active and connected through swimming, both now and in the future.”
“When children and families swim at the Tong Louie Family YMCA, they not only are physically active and learn to swim – a critical life skill – but they also connect with friends and meet others who live in the same community,” added Woollven.
The YMCA of Greater Vancouver is one of 63 not-for-profits receiving a total of $5 million in capital project grants through the Community Gaming Grants program this year. The capital project category was launched in fall 2017 to enable not-for-profit organizations to buy equipment and make renovations essential to their operations.
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