Rutland Secondary event to benefit Foundry, promote youth mental wellness
Published 10:00 am Saturday, December 13, 2025
A special community fundraiser to benefit the Foundry youth mental health care services will be held at Rutland Senior Secondary School on Monday, Dec. 15, from 4-8 p.m.
Called RSS Fun Lock-In Rooms, the event is designed to bring students from middle and secondary schools together to learn more about mental health wellness while also enjoying fun entertainment activities and supporting a cause in Foundry that directly impacts youth in the Rutland community.
Kevin Low, RSS leadership teacher, says the evening also serves as an introduction for middle school students to RSS to ease what can be a stressful transition from middle to secondary school.
To that end, invitations to participate have been extended to Rutland Middle and Springvalley Middle students.
Among the activities in various rooms will include Just Dance, board games, karaoke, arts and crafts, volleyball and dodgeball games, Foundry services information booth and donation section, and the the UBC Okanagan BARK therapy dogs (from 5-6 p.m.)
Low said the fundraiser is tailored after a similar successful annual event organized by students at Mount Boucherie Secondary three years ago, which has since raised more than $30,000 for Foundry.
Low was part of the organizational effort for the MBSS event, and is attempting to create a similar community support signature activity for students to embrace at RSS annually.
He said six students from his leadership class are spearheading this event, with the support of other volunteers and the local business community who have donated prizes and other support.
Those students are Emma Dolman, Mckenna Wiggin, Presley Hutchins, Nour Bendali, Mason Horne and Parneet Dhanoa.
“The leadership excellence class students meet outside regular class hours with a core objective to encourage students to thrive as leaders. This event is run by students for students,” Low said.
“This class is outside of their regular timetable….it is a volunteer driven thing and our kids do this not to get credits, but to do something good for their community.
“It is a pretty positive and amazing group.”
Besides the activities, RSS Fun Lock-In Rooms will include food and prizes donated by the Rutland business community. Students will receive complementary pizza, Sun-Rype juice boxes, candy, desserts and other treats throughout the event.
Admission is $5 for middle school students, $10 for high school students. Contact Kevin Low at [email protected] for a fee waiver due to financial limitations.
“This event is a wonderful opportunity to come together as a community in support of mental wellness, and enjoy a night with entertainment to help raise funds for a cause that directly impacts youth in our community,” stated an email post from the RSS leadership group.
link