Marla Kerr is shown here with a photo of her son Ryan Kerr who passed away in 1997. (Submitted photo/Marla Kerr)

By Angela Brown

Support for youth

Former Battlefords resident donates to Territorial Youth Services in memory of her son

Jul 21, 2022 | 6:00 PM

A former Battlefords resident is showing her support for a local youth program in memory of her son.

Marla Kerr, who lived here for many years, wants to help Territorial Youth Services [TYS] as a gift to remember her son, Ryan Kerr, who passed away tragically in a collision in 1997.

Marla hopes this donation of $10,000 from her and Ryan’s sister, Marquelle Katzell, will make a difference for other youth, as the program helped Ryan so much in the past when he was facing challenges in his teen years.

She said it’s been 25 years since Ryan passed and this will help keep his memory alive.

“Territorial Drive Alliance Church [TDAC], its Youth Group and Territorial Youth Services were very important to Ryan,” she said in her letter. “TYS in particular was always there for him, providing support, guidance and the opportunity to learn from his choices and mistakes, as well as helping him make restitution when needed. Besides the care and understanding the entire TDAC family extended to him, you loved him and showed appreciation for the spirit and the beauty and the brightness that also shone through him.”

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Marla said TYS could use the donation for its capital campaign or for programming, however, it can best help the organization assist other at-risk youth in Ryan’s memory.

“Ryan was blessed to have Territorial Youth Services and the TDAC family in his life,” she said. “The Battlefords are blessed to have you in their communities. And, although this is many, many years late in coming (but no less sincere), I, too, was truly blessed by your support, and thank you from the very bottom of my heart for all you did for our Ryan.”

TYS announced in April 2022 it was building a new larger centre for programming, located behind the Territorial Drive Alliance Church.

Marla read about many groups stepping up to support the capital campaign so she wanted to help also in some way.

Ben Harris, TYS acting co-director, said the organization is tremendously grateful to Marla’s and all the community’s donations.

“Donations are huge,” he said. “The whole project — we wouldn’t have been able to make it without donations from donors. I definitely appreciate any support we get.”

The ongoing capital campaign fund is being used to build a new facility for programming, with the project expected to be completed by wintertime.

In the meantime, youth programming is still being held in the old shop until everything is ready to move into the larger site. The new facility will feature two floors and will be three times the size of the existing space.

Harris said TYS does all it can to help young people succeed.

“I’m glad we can help the young guys that come here,” he said. “We can give them some work skills and life skills. It’s an important program to the community.”

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow