Foundry’s anniversary a ‘committment to keep growing’: Cariboo Chilcotin Foundry
Published 5:00 am Tuesday, December 2, 2025
Foundry is celebrating 10 years of building a province-wide network of health centres in B.C., and its centre in Williams Lake is thrilled to be a part of it.
“Were so fortunate to have one in our community,” said Vanessa Riplinger, executive director of Foundry Cariboo Chilcotin. “It’s made such a difference.”
Riplinger said she knew the Cariboo Chilcotin region needed its own Foundry centre from the moment she learned about its approach to improving youth access to health and wellness services. In 2023, that dream came true with the grand opening of a Foundry centre in Williams Lake.
Read more: Cariboo Chilcotin Foundry invites community to grand opening June 16
The organization has opened 19 centres in B.C. which bring together integrated health and wellness services for youth between the ages of 12 and 24 and their families, all under one roof. The services are free and confidential, and do not require referrals.
“It sort of reshaped how youth access services,” Riplinger said. “You don’t need to navigate fragmented systems.”
She said one young Canadian in every five struggles with mental health and substance use issues, and many don’t go for help. Not knowing where or how to access the services they need also makes it that much harder for youth to seek help.
Riplinger shared a testimonial from a local youth to demonstrate the Foundry’s impact: “If Foundry wasn’t here, I don’t know where I would be.”
For Riplinger, Foundry’s milestone is more than just an anniversary.
“It’s a commitment to keep growing a system where young people in B.C. can find hope and help exactly when they need it and in one welcoming place,” she said. “Foundry is proof that when we meet young people with care and trust and simplicity, they reach back.”
As an example of its impact, Riplinger said that from April to December 2024, Foundry Cariboo Chilcotin provided 6,232 services, and 428 new youth came through the Foundry’s doors. Riplinger said one parent has told them they don’t know if they would have a connection with their child if it weren’t for the Foundry, and another youth said they are going to school because of Foundry.
Province-wide in 2024-2025, more than 17,000 youth walked through Foundry’s doors over 83,000 times, and nearly half of these visits were from youth accessing the Foundry for the first time.
Foundry has become part of the province’s strategy to improve mental health and addictions care for young people, and has 16 more centres on the way. Its services, which range from mental health and substance use supports, peer support, physical & sexual health care, and work, education and community services, can also be accessed virtually across the province on the Foundry BC App.
In Williams Lake, the Foundry partners with organizations such as Denisiqi Services Society to offer a myriad of programming and opportunities, from wood carving and bannock making to music sessions and work skills development.
Riplinger describes Foundry as a place that puts youth and family first, with youth and family advisory committees even being part of the decision-making when it was first being designed.
“There’s some ownership in how our Foundry feels,” she said. “They just felt really strongly that it needed to feel like home.”
The centre’s nod to the local region, including the use of wooden beams and room names such as Prickly Pear, contribute to a welcoming, homey feeling.
By 2030, Foundry aims to support up to 40,000 youth across B.C. per year, including in the Cariboo Chilcotin.
Read more: Cariboo Chilcotin Foundry grows in supporting youth
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