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Groundbreaking ceremony for I Belong Centre

Monday, April 18, rain or shine
Joe Newell Architect Inc.
Architectural drawings

Wendy Dyck

Submitted to The Record

The official groundbreaking ceremony for the L’Arche Comox Valley I Belong Centre takes place Monday, April 18.

This is an amazing project that has garnered whole-hearted community support, and we would like to invite anyone who is part of the vision for a more inclusive community to join us on Monday, rain or shine, at 9:30 a.m.

We will put a shovel into the ground at 1465 Grieve Ave. in Courtenay and celebrate the incredible vision and support our community has shown for this project.

From the beginning, this project has been about local people taking care of other local people, enriching the Comox Valley by including everyone in the life of the community. The I Belong Centre will be a community hub open to all, with innovative arts programming, in addition to six residential suites that will provide much-needed affordable and safe housing for adults with disabilities.

With ground broken, construction managers Muchalat Construction will commence work on the 8,000-plus square foot facility with projected completion in early spring of 2017. Close to the downtown core, the I Belong Centre will feature four large activity rooms and studios, a large drop-in foyer, kitchen and administrative offices with capacity to accommodate up to 50 people in a range of activities, including creative arts, life-skills training, employment and volunteer-readiness training, cooking, socializing, community gatherings and recreation.

To date, the I Belong! campaign has raised $1 million, with another $500,000 to go. You can still “join us on the journey” by donating to the campaign via the L’Arche Comox Valley website, larchecomoxvalley.org, or by participating in one of our fundraising events. Get involved, check it out!