Just $23,000 away from getting a new location for the Underground Gym and Youth Centre.
The Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board along with the staff and students of Pope John Paul II School presented a $2,000 cheque to Peter Panetta, the Owner and Founder of the centre that helps less fortunate youth.
“The facility is going to happen, it’s just a matter of days at this pace. Five days? $67,000? That’s unreal, this is unheard of,” says Panetta. “When the pandemic started I wasn’t even thinking of attempting to try and find funding [for this venture]. [All of sudden] things just started happening [which is unreal]. I didn’t expect this. This is unbelievable.”
$90,000 is the fundraising goal to get a new building erected to replace the current one at 634 Simpson Street.
“We always collect money [through the dress down initiative] but about ten years ago, I decided we should do something more formal than to just drop a toonie in the bin which often didn’t happen. I started collecting $40 from the staff around the school, which led to a total of $1,560 this year. The school itself topped up the total to $2,000,” says teacher Mary Ellen Cain. “The dress down money has always been for charity, we choose one charity every year. Our heart is with the Underground Gym and Youth Centre and their desire to have a building and take care of some of our kids.”
You can find the gym’s homepage here
