Cars lined up in the parking lot of Shawville’s Bethel Pentecostal Church on Saturday morning, waiting for their turn to be sprayed down and shined up, in support of a local Christian youth group’s fundraiser for its ongoing activities.

After treating their cars, supporters could also treat themselves, thanks to the bake sale organized by youth group volunteer Trish Racine.

The group raised over $2,000 through the carwash, bake sale, and donations from the community.

This was the first fundraiser for Thrive Youth, which has about 30 members from the Shawville area – some whom are active members at a church, and some who are not.

Leah Beardsley-Chamberlain, a youth ministry leader at the Bethel Pentecostal church, formed the group in Sept. 2024 to fill a hole she saw in the community.

She said the youth group and retreats in which she took part when she was younger had a positive impact on her life, so she wanted to make this experience possible for others.

The money raised will be used to help support the group’s programming throughout the year, which Beardsley-Chamberlain said has involved special monthly trips throughout the summer, and hopes will involve participation in a youth retreat in either Toronto or Ottawa.

She said Saturday’s fundraiser will be key to making these activities as accessible to as many of the group’s members as possible.

“Times are getting tougher. And for us to have a special event – for example, we rented the ball field and we did hot dogs and barbecues – we wanted to keep costs minimal for the kids. So we want to provide free events, as well as do conferences and retreats,” Beardsley-Chamberlain said.

“It’s neat to see the community support something like this, and it encourages the kids, too.”

The church has a budget to support the group’s weekly meetings, but the group needs to raise funds to be able to host and attend activities that are free or very low cost.

“We are teaching them to learn to thrive on things that are not just of the world, but filled with Christ,” she said. “That’s why it’s called Thrive Youth.”