Adopt-A-School: Students' struggles prompt additional $25,000 donation from Vancouver lawyer

Vancouver lawyer Jack Kowarsky, a trustee of the Lohn Foundation, said he was increasing his support for Adopt-A-School after reading the articles

Published Jan 01, 2025  •  Last updated 0 minutes ago  •  2 minute read

Vancouver lawyer Jack Kowarsky increased support of Adopt-A-School on behalf of the Lohn Foundation. Photo by Gerry Bellett /PNG

The Lohn Foundation, a longtime donor to the Vancouver Sun’s Adopt-A-School campaign, is donating a further $25,000 to AAS in response to stories concerning the plight of students in the province’s alternate school system.

AAS stories about youth who attend alternate programs in Surrey, Vancouver and Mission have highlighted the difficulties such students face in graduating. Many live in poverty, have mental health issues, substance abuse problems, are involved in the youth justice system or are vulnerable to exploitation by criminal gangs in the drug or sex trades.

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Vancouver lawyer Jack Kowarsky, a trustee of the Lohn Foundation, said he was increasing his support for AAS after reading the articles.

“On behalf of the Lohn Foundation, I will contribute a further $25,000 to the program this year. I find it very disturbing that young people find themselves in this situation, unable to attend a regular school, and being burdened with such problems,” said Kowarsky.

Kowarsky had already donated $125,000 this year from the Lohn Foundation to Adopt-A-School.

Teachers and youth care workers such as Kirsten Castonguay in Mission’s Fraserview Learning Centre have described the many difficulties facing such students, some of whom were homeless.

She has requested $20,000 from AAS to feed, clothe and provide necessities including personal hygiene products for students in the school, which has an enrolment of 120.

“One of the most common (obstacles to attending school) we encounter is hunger,” Castonguay told The Vancouver Sun, “which luckily is one of the easiest to overcome given we have the funding to do it.”

In Vancouver, the Vancouver Alternate Secondary School, which has 13 schools scattered throughout the city, is seeking $51,300 to assist students.

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Its teams often have to search Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside to locate students sometimes living in tent encampments.

Once they find students, they try to persuade them to renew their education. They will teach them in coffee shops or recreation centres and hope to persuade them to come into one of their teaching centres.

Again, food and the offer of clothing and other forms of help are key to doing this, said Bryce Recsky, the district principal of the alternate schools.

In Surrey one of the alternate programs that deals with the most vulnerable youth in the city is the Safe Schools Wraparound Program which is made up of school district personnel, city of Surrey staff and police officers.

This program needs $25,000 to provide food, clothes and other necessities to youth.

The Vancouver Sun interviewed a number of alternate students in both Surrey and Mission who told of their difficulties — usually the result of poverty or parental neglect — and how much they owed school staff who helped them deal with their many problems.

“Honestly, without what … the team did for me I wouldn’t be here. I’d be in jail, a drug addict or dead,” said one former Wraparound program student.

“It is these accounts which have convinced me to increase my support for the Adopt-A-School program,” said Kowarsky.

“These young people need all the help we can give them.”

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How to donate

1. ONLINE: Donate online with a credit card at www.vansunkidsfund.ca

2. PHONE: To pay by credit card, call 604-813-8673.

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