Performers wanted for 52nd annual Child Development Centre Talent Show

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The latest iteration of an annual staple and fundraiser for the Child Development Centre of Fort St. John and District is set to return in a few weeks.

Staff at the facility are preparing for its 52nd annual Talent Show, scheduled for March 7th at the North Peace Cultural Centre.

According to executive director Tana Milner, the money raised at the show will go towards an ongoing capital campaign to create additional space at the facility for new programming.

“Our ‘Build the Fort’ campaign was finished two years ago,” Milner says. “The fort is built, hallelujah. It was a long process, we started in 2008 with our construction and did a really big expansion, and now, as big as the expansion was, we’ve ran out of space.”

This new campaign began last year, successfully raising the money to purchase a new building adjacent to the centre’s current property. 

This year, the money from the talent show and other fundraising initiatives will go towards renovating that building, Milner says.

Milner says the fundraising talent show began as a way to supplement the centre’s provincial funding.

“Though we’re funded by some provincial initiatives, it’s not enough for the needs in our community,” she says.

“Back 52 years ago, it was families that were like, ‘hey, we need to get some funds so that we can get therapists to our community’, and that’s how it started.”

Milner says it’s now the centre’s largest fundraiser every year.

Crystal Kalas, the coordinator of the show, says some performers have already begun to sign up to take part.

“We ask that [performers] raise, at minimum, $50 to go towards our fundraising goal, but this year we’re actually implementing a bit of a contest,” Kalas says. 

“The performer that raises the most money will receive a prize for that, and then we’re also going to have a ‘viewer’s choice’ award of sorts.”

The show is being held at 6:00 p.m. on March 7th. The Child Development Centre hopes to raise $100,000 through the event.

Anyone interested in performing can email the coordinating team to learn more. There’s no set price for tickets; instead, attendees will be asked to leave a cash or debit donation of their choice when they arrive at the show.

To view the full interview with Tana Milner and Crystal Kalas, look below.