Members of the Okanagan Boys and Girls Club in Rutland gave Canada’s lone Major League Baseball team a loud show of support on Friday.
The charitable arm of the Toronto Blue Jays was on hand to celebrate the grand re-opening of the club’s gym.
The Jays Care Foundation provided a $75,000 “field of dreams” investment in 2015 to help improve the gym. Those improvements included a new floor, new lighting and sound-absorbing panelling.
But the highlight is a 20-foot automated kids climbing wall.
“It’s amazing. It’s our second rock wall that we have here in the Okanagan and the kids absolutely love it,” said Jeremy Welder of the Okanagan Boys and Girls Club.
After a customary ribbon cutting, the kids headed out of the gym to a ball diamond to show off their newly acquired Blue Jays t-shirts and ball caps, and to practice their baseball skills.
“We get so much support all across the country, and especially here in B.C., and we’re just thrilled to be able to invest in programs that help kids overcome barriers in their lives and to achieve what they want to achieve,” said Robert Witchel of the Jays Care Foundation.