https://www.facebook.com/638123152718170/

Root and Rise Kamloops, Kamloops, BC (2026)

12/15/2025

Hello Kamloops! I’m Lyndsay, and I am the founder and creator of Root and Rise Kamloops. After a long night of thinking of solutions for our vulnerable populations, I had a great idea come to mind and I would love for the communities support and advocacy in making this happen!

Community Stability & Access Initiative (Pilot Proposal)

City of Kamloops

Purpose

To provide immediate, low-barrier safety and stability supports for individuals experiencing homelessness who are unable to access traditional shelter services—by addressing two critical unmet needs:
1. Secure personal storage
2. Safe, supervised indoor accommodation during off-hours

This initiative is designed to reduce daily harm, increase dignity, and create safer public spaces through structured, accountable community care.

⸻

Program Component 1: Secure Belongings Storage Facility

Problem Being Addressed

Many individuals experiencing homelessness:
• Lose essential belongings due to theft, bylaw seizures, or exposure
• Are unable to attend appointments, work opportunities, or services due to carrying possessions
• Avoid shelters specifically because storage is unavailable or unsafe

Lack of secure storage directly perpetuates instability, increases conflict, and undermines pathways out of homelessness.

⸻

Proposed Solution

Establish a secure storage office facility with controlled access for individuals who cannot access shelter-based storage.

Key Features
• Individually assigned, size-graded lockers
• Lockers secured with padlocks + user-issued key
• Key-card access system for registered participants
• 24/7 on-site security staff
• Camera-monitored common areas (privacy-respecting, no locker surveillance)
• Intake and usage agreements outlining responsibilities and expectations

⸻

Operational Model
• Users register through referral or direct intake
• Storage access tied to compliance with basic safety and conduct guidelines
• Time-limited usage with renewals to ensure fairness and availability
• Clear protocols for abandoned items, emergency access, and disputes

⸻

Outcomes
• Reduced theft and loss of critical documents and medication
• Increased engagement with services and employment opportunities
• Reduced visible street clutter and conflict
• Improved dignity and stability for users

⸻

Program Component 2: After-Hours Safe Indoor Accommodation Using Church Facilities

Problem Being Addressed
• Emergency shelters operate at capacity
• Many individuals are barred, excluded, or unable to tolerate shelter environments
• Churches remain unused overnight despite being safe, heated, and community-embedded spaces

Without alternatives, people are left outdoors in unsafe conditions—placing strain on emergency services, hospitals, and public infrastructure.

⸻

Proposed Solution

Partner with local churches to provide overnight accommodations during closed hours, staffed and supervised as a professional care service.

⸻

Key Features
• Overnight access only (e.g., 9:00 pm – 7:00 am)
• Defined sleeping areas (floor mats, cots, or modular sleeping systems)
• 24/7 security staff
• On-site care staff trained in trauma-informed support and de-escalation
• Clear entry, exit, and conduct expectations
• No drop-in chaos: structured intake and monitoring

⸻

Community & Participant Responsibility Model

This service operates on mutual accountability, including:

For Participants
• Respect for space, staff, and fellow users
• Compliance with safety rules
• Participation in basic check-in/check-out procedures

For Community & Partners
• Safe, respectful environments
• Consistent staffing and supervision
• Fair enforcement of rules without criminalization

Failure to uphold expectations results in temporary suspension, not permanent exclusion—promoting learning, not punishment.

⸻

Why Churches?
• Trusted community anchors
• Existing facilities that are underutilized overnight
• Strong alignment with humanitarian and community care values
• Reduced infrastructure costs compared to new builds

⸻

Safety, Liability & Risk Management
• Formal agreements with property owners
• Insurance coverage secured by program operator
• Staff trained in:
• Trauma-informed care
• Crisis response
• De-escalation
• Overdose awareness
• Emergency protocols coordinated with local services

⸻

Benefits to the City of Kamloops
• Reduced pressure on emergency shelters
• Reduced strain on RCMP, bylaw, and ER services
• Improved public safety and cleanliness
• Cost-effective use of existing infrastructure
• Demonstrates compassionate, practical leadership

⸻

Pilot Implementation Recommendation
• 6–12 month pilot
• Limited number of participants to ensure success
• Ongoing data collection:
• Usage rates
• Incident reduction
• Service engagement outcomes
• Evaluation prior to expansion

⸻

Closing Statement

This initiative does not attempt to “solve homelessness overnight.”
It addresses what people need today to survive with dignity while pathways to housing are built.

Safe storage and safe indoor space are not luxuries—they are foundational supports.

Comment below, I SUPPORT and let’s make our home a more safe and secure place for ALL!

12/04/2025

Our Christmas Wellness Baskets are starting to come together and I am so excited to share with what we have currently have put together!

What is this? We made Wellness Christmas Hampers for as many loved ones as we can in need!

What does it include? A selection of different wellness products to help ease a person into transition. *As an added bonus we will also be offering ONE FREE service alongside a 50% discount for another of our many services available.

Cost? $50 per basket.

Inquire about yours today!

*more products are going to be added to this specific basket and I have other emotional support stuffies that will present a different basket, images to come.

11/21/2025

This holiday season, Root & Rise Kamloops is launching something truly meaningful…
🌟 Letters of Light — a community initiative to bring warmth, encouragement, and connection to individuals spending the holidays in shelters, hospitals, recovery programs, or transitional housing.

For a $10 donation, you can sponsor a hand-written letter filled with hope, compassion, and gentle encouragement.
Each letter reminds someone that they are seen, valued, and not alone during a time that can feel especially heavy.

💛 What Your $10 Does:

✔️ Sends a heartfelt, handwritten letter to someone who needs it
✔️ Helps fund Root & Rise wellness programming for 2026
✔️ Spreads kindness in our community, one message at a time
✔️ Supports women, families, and individuals rebuilding their lives

🌿 How to Participate:

Comment “✨Letter” below or send me a message.
You can sponsor 1 letter or as many as you’d like.
(We can also keep your sponsorship anonymous if preferred.)

Let’s fill Kamloops with compassion this Christmas — one letter, one heart, one light at a time. 🤍✨

11/19/2025

🌿✨ Gift of Growth Bundles Are Here! ✨🌿

This Christmas, give a gift that grows long after the holidays. 💛

I’m excited to share that Root & Rise Kamloops is offering limited-edition Gift of Growth Bundles — beautiful, heart-centered packages designed to support wellness, reflection, and community belonging.

Each bundle includes a mix of cozy self-care items, uplifting tools, and a little Root & Rise magic. 🌱
And the best part? Every purchase directly supports our 2026 Build & Belong programs, helping local women and families move toward stability, healing, and new beginnings.

🎁 Available Bundles:

TO BE ANNOUNCED

Prices range from $35–$75 and make beautiful gifts for friends, parents, teachers, caregivers, or anyone needing a little extra encouragement this time of year.

If you’d like to pre-order a Gift of Growth Bundle, comment below or send me a message.
✨ Pickup & limited delivery available in Kamloops. Orders will be available mid December.

Thank you for helping Root & Rise Kamloops grow.
Together, we’re planting seeds of hope, healing, and community strength. 🌿💛

11/03/2025

Hi everyone — it’s Lyndsay here 💛

It’s been a little while since I’ve been active on this page, and I wanted to take a moment to reconnect and share where things are at. The past few months have been challenging — full of growth, reflection, and healing — and I’m finally in a place where I’m ready to get back on track with launching the community projects that mean so much to me (and to many of you).

✨ What’s Coming Next:

• Family Support Circle: After my own negative experiences navigating these systems alone, I am creating a safe, understanding space for families navigating involvement with MCFD. This group will offer a place for open conversation, shared experiences, and collective support as we work toward stronger, healthier family systems.

• Collaborative Mom Group: I’ve joined forces with my dear friend Aireal as a co-admin in a local support group for moms. Together, we’ll host crafting days, fun activities, and gentle gatherings to help build safe spaces and meaningful connections for our fellow mamas.

• Build & Belong – Shelter Services Pilot: The Build & Belong project has now been shifted to begin with shelter services before expanding into the full transitional housing and economic development program. This first phase will provide a safe, supportive space for myself and others to receive the trauma-informed care and community supports needed to heal, rebuild, and reach our true potential. This foundation will guide the larger vision of helping women and families move from crisis to stability, and eventually into empowerment and independence.

📚 What’s Coming Back:

• Rest & Reflect – Weekly Wellness Book Circle: Our beloved book circle returns Wednesday, November 12th! We’ll begin online as we rebuild the group and prepare for an in-person location soon. This circle is a space for connection, reflection, and gentle personal growth — and I can’t wait to dive back into new readings and conversations with you all.

• Root & Rise Kamloops – Community Pre-Launch Offer: To help reopen our doors and cover start-up costs, we’re relaunching the Community Pre-Launch Offer 🌸 — 6 Sessions for the Price of 3! When you purchase 3 sessions at $45 each ($135 total), you’ll receive 3 more free — a 50% savings. (See our pinned post for more information)

• Christmas Campaign Launch: A special Root & Rise Christmas Campaign is also on the way 🎄 — raising funds to support the Build & Belong shelter pilot and family support initiatives through the holidays. Together, we can help create stability and hope for families who need it most.

💛 Thank you to everyone who’s checked in, offered encouragement, or simply held space during this pause. Root & Rise Kamloops has always been about community, healing, and empowerment — and that mission is stronger than ever.

If you’ve been waiting for a place to connect, create, or contribute — now’s the time to jump back in. Let’s rebuild, reimagine, and rise together.

07/13/2025

A clippet of the book I plan on publishing. If anyone has leads to help with this stuff, it would be so helpful in preparing!

This is just an introduction to….

The Gifts of Perfection : Rooting and Rising through it all!

By Lyndsay McDonald

As I begin to write this book, almost on a vain title, I want to explain that I have chosen the title mainly on the preface that I’m writing it as response to The Gifts of Imperfection, Written by Brene Brown Ph.D L.M.S.W.

Something that initially caught my interest from the very beginning of reading the book, was that Brene had studied shame and fear throughout her experience. An extensive amount at that. Well, I had not studied shame and fear exactly myself, I had certainly for the last decade studied more about unexplained behaviors, such as narcissism and other DSM-5 diagnoses that would help me understand how I could begin to better redirect public behavior in my line of profession.

I find it almost coincidental that many of the things that Brene talks about in her book, also talk about things that I’ve learned on my journey as well. My counselor recently was talking with me about narcissism. She mentioned “Lyndsay, why do we give this label to men who simply do not want to take accountability for their own actions?” And it was like a lightbulb went off! As per the DSM-5, narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is the inability to change a human behavior. Most of what we exhibit in society today is the unwillingness to change. What this concludes, is that narcissism is a much harder diagnosis to lend to an individual experiencing or exhibiting such behaviors. Not even the worst of human beings such as our serial killers, and sociopaths are labeled as narcissists, because they themselves have even admitted to a wrong behavior. The more that we delve into this the more that we’re going to dwell into what I had learned over my journey. We will go into the depths of social media, and how it affects our somatic awareness and situational sensitivity development within society.

We are going to address how my experience and others directly explains how we as individuals are not actually dominant to one side of the brain, but with the right support and education, we can actually access as much information as we put into our minds, both analytically and emotionally.

I look forward to sharing this journey with others, and I hope that in reading these words that you’re able to learn some of the things that took me so long to learn myself. For a long time, I had labeled them as a spiritual awakening, a psychosis, or mania, but the truth is my brain was just developing to a level that society wasn’t ready to accept yet, and I had a hard time navigating the compartmentalization of it. This book and page are made to help not only myself, but others compartmentalize the barriers that we will all face in systems today.

We will focus on all five socioeconomic factors to ensure that each of us have the ability to create and maintain a true sustainable lifestyle, and together we will form the ability to root and rise through a perfect imperfection.

07/13/2025

Coming soon to a root near you! 🔔

We’ve got some nifty products for sale to help us build a foundation for our roots to rise.

Included:

Succulent Art - $ 5 - $ 35
Campfire Cones - 6 for $20
Threaded Root and Rise Logo Shirts and Sweaters - SR- $15 -SW- $25

*images are general idea of products. Actual photos to come next weekend.

Made to order!

Place your order today 🚨

07/08/2025

Root & Rise Kamloops: Growing Stronger, Together 🌱

We believe everyone deserves the chance to feel supported, inspired, and empowered. Over the past months, we’ve started this mission with free programs like Rest & Reflect, creating spaces for connection and healing.

Now, we’re ready to take the next step—offering a circle of services designed to nurture well-being and lasting transformation. To make this possible through July and August, we’re inviting 13 community members to join us as founding participants.

✨ Pre-Launch Special ✨
6 services for the price of 3 — only $45 per session.
Sessions can be used any time in 2025 or shared with someone you care about.

💚 Your sessions can include:
• A personalized care plan to guide your journey
• Warm-up counseling to renew your mindset
• Light housekeeping to create a calm space
• Meal planning for vibrant health
• Financial and family coaching to build confidence and stability
• Ongoing encouragement to help you keep moving forward

When you register, you’re not only investing in yourself—you’re helping build a community where everyone has the chance to thrive.

💬 Questions or ready to reserve your spot?
Send us a message or call/text 236-313-2884.

Let’s Root & Rise together. 🌼

07/04/2025

🌿✨ Root & Rise Kamloops - Community Pre-Launch Offer ✨🌿

Hi everyone,

I’m excited (and a little nervous) to share that I’ve been working hard to open Root & Rise Kamloops, a new community development and wellness space dedicated to supporting individuals and families through:

✅ Wellness & life coaching
✅ Parenting support
✅ Directions towards mental healing
✅ Assisted living consultations
✅ Digital support for everyday needs
✅ Guidance navigating legal and community systems

To help cover start-up costs and officially launch this month, I’m offering a limited-time presale package:

🌸 6 Sessions for the Price of 3 🌸
When you purchase 3 sessions at $45 each ($135 total), you’ll receive 3 additional sessions free—a 50% savings.

These sessions can be booked any time in 2025 and gifted to friends or family if you choose.

Your support now helps me open the doors, sustain our space, and begin serving our community in a meaningful way.

If you’d like to claim a presale package (or know someone who might), please message me directly.

💛 Thank you for believing in this vision and helping Root & Rise take its first steps.

🌱 Lyndsay
📍 Root & Rise Kamloops
📱 (236) 313 - 2884
📩 [email protected]

07/04/2025

Our name has officially been approved and we are updating logos accordingly.

Welcome to Root and Rise Kamloops Community Development!

06/25/2025

Weather Cancellation ⚠️

I was hopeful that the weather app would hold strong on the rain clearing before our book circle this evening, but with it still raining now at 3, I think it’s best we carry on next week to be safe.

I’m still going to take the time for mental wellness at home and you hope you do the same 💕

06/25/2025

Hello Members!

Don’t forget this evening is our weekly wellness book circle at Riverside Park.

You’ll see our setup photo later to find us. Hope to see you there 😊

Root and Rise Kamloops

12/15/2025

12/04/2025

11/21/2025

11/19/2025

11/03/2025

07/13/2025

07/13/2025

07/08/2025

07/04/2025

07/04/2025

06/25/2025

06/25/2025

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category