Abbotsford/Chilliwack – (Cyrus Centre Ministries) Cyrus Centre has been helping youth in need for 20 years. Starting in Abbotsford and eventually opening in Chilliwack.
From their social media (in part):
It’s almost hard to believe it’s been 20 years. 20 years since a group of people and an entire community decided to say, youth here matter. That the youth here deserve a safe place. For 20 years now, the youth of Abbotsford have had access to a safe place to get a warm meal, a safe place to shower and do laundry, and most importantly, a safe place to be heard and given the opportunity to heal.
Throughout 2024 we encourage you to follow along with us on social media as we reflect on the past 20 years. We encourage you to attend our fundraisers where we will celebrate the good work that has been done and share our visions for the future.
Thank you for your continued support.
Important Dates to Note:
Leap of Faith: July 11, 2024 @ Skydive Vancouver
Coming Home Gala: October 24, 2024 @ Clarion Abbotsford
While he certainly does not need an introduction, what better staff to feature during our 20th Anniversary than Les Talvio! If you don’t know Les, he is a co-founder and the executive director of Cyrus Centre Ministries.
1. What is your favorite aspect of working at Cyrus Centre?
The people! Those we serve, those we serve along side with and those who come along side us to make a difference. Everyone has a story so building a relationship allows us to better serve those in need and to bringing people together to make that difference.
2. What is an important memory for you from your time at Cyrus Centre?
There are so many memories from youth being restored to their families, donors who have come along side our youth and have done everything from paying for their post-secondary education, clothing and feeding entire families. There’re the youth who have gone on to being homeowners, business owners, some have volunteered for us and others have worked for us. However one that really stands out is when there was a tragedy that included the loss of life where in a few days of each other 4 youth perished suddenly in different incidents, these youth were ones that were engaged in services and making some incredible headway in their journey, their deaths were very impacting on the staff who came together to grieve and support the youth in grieving and through this the community reached out to Cyrus Centre and came and served, answered phones, prepared meals, and really just took over so Cyrus Centre staff and youth could grieve together. This outpouring of love and support will never be forgotten.
3. What do you like to do for self care?
This definitely is not my strong point, however I like to cook and serve BBQ cuisine to friends and neighbours and just hang out with them. My wife Kristin and I enjoy time with our grand children and our dog Hemi. I also like to do crafting (wood working) with reclaimed wood. Most importantly I like to spend time alone in prayer.
