“They gave me more possibilities to believe in myself.”

Elizabeth Mabie
Special to Spur Ottawa

CityKidz Ottawa is preparing for the return of their Saturday kids program, beginning March 5, at their Playhouse Theatre. The faith-based program provides a safe and supportive environment for kids aged six to 12 from low-income families.

The program targets kids from the Overbrook area, where a CityKidz bus picks them up every Saturday. On average, about 50 kids participate each week, learning about God’s love and receiving hope through the object lessons, activities, music.

“It’s a long-term effect when you’re working with kids,” says CityKidz Ottawa manager, Wendy Turpin. “You are going through a lot of relationship building, but I do see a positive change in their demeanor. They’re happy to come and they keep coming back.”

CityKidz also offers a junior leadership program, geared toward youth aged 12 to 15. Junior leaders and volunteers work together to run the weekly activities.

“Practically, my job is to make the kids happy,” says Alyssa, a current junior leader. But junior leaders play a very significant role.

One of the program’s strengths is that all the junior leaders are alumni of the Saturday morning programs. Junior leaders act as role models for the kids guiding them down the right path and steering them away from life’s temptations.

As a participant in the Saturday programs, Alyssa was inspired watching the junior leaders performing their role. After graduating the program, she wanted to continue attending, so she became a junior leader.

“I was bullied my whole life and I was having issues with school,” Alyssa says. “CityKidz helped me with my faith. I started saying that they were giving out ‘tricks’ and that they were giving me more possibilities to believe in myself. They gave me a chance to have my own space, with different people, which helped me with school.”

CityKidz staff and volunteers also visit the children at their homes on a weekly basis. Their website states that they visit more than 80 children per week.

“It’s just a quick touch-base and sometimes just a ‘hello,’” says volunteer Mark Lovell. “It gives the opportunity to talk more with the parents and kids in their home. That’s very important in building relationships.”

Ultimately, CityKidz aims to invest in struggling and at risk children, helping them find their way and pointing them to God.

“By inspiring a child to have faith, they realize there is something greater out there than themselves—a benevolent God who loves them and wants to see them do well. We try to instill positive values in them,” explains Turpin, adding, “We are here to inspire kids to dream big dreams.”