A Kelowna photographer has gathered federal candidates from across the Okanagan to take their photos in an effort to help fundraise money for a local youth treatment centre.
Nicole Richard, of Wax Pencil Imagery, has combined her passion for photography and politics to support the Youth Recovery House Project through a fundrasier called the Kelowna Photo Vote.
To fundraise money, voters can choose their favourite photo of the candidates running in Kelowna-Lake Country and Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola. In order to cast a vote, each person must donate an amount of money of their chosing to help build the Youth Recovery House Project, a treatment centre for youth aged 18 and under who are struggling with addiction.
“A youth recovery house is so desperately needed in the Okanagan,” said Richard.
“We currently have zero youth recovery beds in Kelowna. The great people at The Bridge have set out to change that. I’ve created a fun way for people to get involved with the upcoming election buzz and give back to the community at the same time.”
According to the Bridge Youth and Family Services website, which is spearheading the project, there are no publicly funded treatment beds in the Okanagan for anyone younger than 17.
READ MORE: Kelowna firefighters give back to young boy who had bike stolen
READ MORE: Lake Country Chamber of Commerce hosts all-candidates forum
The voting runs from Oct. 8 to Oct. 14 on Richard’s Socially Anxious People Person (SAPP) website.
Candidates from the Okanagan who are partaking in Richard’s Kelowna Photo Vote include Conservative candidate Dan Albas, Green Party candidate Travis Ashley, Marijuana Party candidate Darrin Fiddler, Conservative candidate Tracy Gray and many others.
The photos also include short bios on the candidates.
“Politicians have always been a great inspiration to me,” Richard said.
“Anyone willing to work the long hard hours a campaign requires, deserves to be recognized and celebrated for their commitment towards creating a thriving community.”
To cast a vote and see the candidate’s photos click here.
More information on The Bridges’ Recovery House Project can be found at www.youthrecoveryhouse.ca.
Voting closes on Oct. 14 with the winning candidate being featured on Richard’s website for the week leading into the election.
To report a typo, email:newstips@kelownacapnews.com.
@KelownaCapNewsnewstips@kelownacapnews.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
