Our Profile
What’s at Cornerstone
Who We Are
The Cornerstone Youth Centre is strategically located between the local 7-11 and Sir John Franklin Junior High School in the Mayland Heights community. Our facility is a 1000 square foot bungalow that belongs to the Crossroads Community Church. Cornerstone first opened its doors to the community youth in 1993 and has been an important part of the community for the youth since then. However, the centre has struggled to stay open over the past 10 years and has had to close its doors a few times due to lack of funding. The centre closed in June, 2002 but re-opened on October 22nd, 2004.
In May, 2003, Herb White accepted the Executive Director’s position for Cornerstone Youth Centre. The major task at hand was, and is, the raising of the funds to operate the youth centre. The funding for the centre had always come from the Crossroads Community Church. Because the church was no longer able to fund the centre, a group of individuals, from the greater Calgary area formed a board of directors to tackle the problem of fundraising. The centre was registered as a non-profit corporation and has received it’s charitable registration status from Ottawa. The centre is now its own entity and it is the hope of the board and the executive director that the residents, small businesses, and corporations in the surrounding community will adopt the youth centre. We hope that through their philanthropic initiatives it will be possible for Cornerstone to operate to its full potential now and for years to come.
Cornerstone is a place where the community’s youth can come to find solace from whatever issues that life may be dealing them. They can be assured that here, they will be greeted by friendly staff and volunteers who are willing to lend an ear and who can be positive role models. They will find numerous fun things to do and will be able to build relationships with other youth, staff and volunteers. The centre is a place where the youth won’t have to worry about trying to be accepted at any cost. They can come here and just be themselves, and not worry about rejection.
It has been said that the greatest problem for today’s youth is boredom. It has also been said that boredom is what leads to other kinds of problems like drug and alcohol abuse, petty crime, and other not-so-productive activities. Through Cornerstone, our community youth will find wholesome activities that will dispel some of the boredom they experience. Some of the activities the youth can participate in are pool, foosball, Nintendo and arcade games. We also have some exercise equipment. The youth can obtain help with their school work from tutors and peer volunteers and receive informal music instruction as well. Youth can also take part in our various off-site activities such as hiking, swimming, zoo trips, and local sporting events. Chat sessions and educational opportunities are also available to the youth as well as one-on-one crisis counseling intervention when needed.
The Snack Shack is also available where youth can purchase snacks at a modest cost.
Ministries like Cornerstone are needed in every community in our city. They can be the community’s way of letting the youth know that they are important to us and that we care about them.
Would you like to partner with us to ensure that Cornerstone can stay open once and for all? If so, please contact us to see how you can help.