David Payne was born and raised in Kamloops. He started a group called Living and Growing Up in Kamloops on social media that is approaching 20K members.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ David Payne

Some people have taken various initiatives to spread joy and combat negativity since the beginning of the pandemic.

A Kamloops man chose to share the positive vibes through a Facebook group he started in April, 2020, which has expanded to 19,400 members in the past year and a half.

David Payne was born and raised in Kamloops. He started the group Living and Growing Up in Kamloops in an effort to shift the conversation from COVID-19 and onto nostalgic recollections from his city.

READ MORE: Where thousands of Kamloopsians are sharing memories of the River City

“At the time I was dealing with some depression,” Payne said. “I got sick and tired of logging onto social media where everyone was talking about COVID and being unkind to one another. I created the group so that people could share memories and connect with one another in a happier way.”

Payne said people continue to do an awesome job of posting old photos and memories of bygone days on the page feed. He said members have reached out to him with personal messages.

“Some members say they have reconnected with others they haven’t seen for a long time,” Payne said. “People continue to invite others to join the group. Almost all of them are from Kamloops but there seem to be more out of towners wanting to join lately, to see what we are doing.”

Payne is a father, husband and real estate agent who said he is proud of his hometown and feels lucky to live here.

Kamloops resident, Bryan Craig, has been a part of the group since its inception.

“Both David Payne and the Living and Growing Up In Kamloops page have been a ray of light and positivity in a time where darkness and negativity has taken over social media,” Craig said. “The feeling of community, and lack of division, on the page is a great reminder that we are all in this together.

Payne said most of the posts are positive and respectful and he doesn’t often need to delete comments. He said he is currently focused on bringing conversations about health and wellness to the page in hopes of inspiring others to be healthy and get outside more.

“It is so easy to go for a walk for twenty minutes or half an hour,” he said. “I probably look crazy when I’m walking down the street, singing away. We need to eat healthy and take our vitamins. Maybe some who feel isolated will find the encouragement they need to get out and move.”

READ MORE: Kamloops mayor 'more than frustrated' by lack of communication from health officials

The end goal for Payne is to have a party for members called Loopsapalooza after the COVID-19 pandemic clears up, which would require a lot of planning and a gigantic venue.

“This is about everybody in Kamloops coming together and treating everybody with respect and understanding we’re all going through something, but if we all stick together it’s going to be that much better,” he said.

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