The Winkler Family Resource Centre was recently the recipient of a grant from the Raffi Foundation—a foundation that recognizes and grants projects that honour children.
Chantal Human, Executive Director of the Winkler Family Resource Centre, explains why they reached out to the Raffi Foundation, and what the grant has been used for.
“Last summer, I had met with a bunch of community organizations just to talk about what is needed in the Pembina Valley area, and one of the people I met, her name is Jenna, she is an occupational therapist, and she runs her own little private practice called Beautiful Bend.”
A collaboration
From that point, Human says that they had talked about how the Winkler Family Resource Centre and Beautiful Bend could collaborate in some way.
“Is there a way to be able to offer this for free for lots of families? So that’s kind of where we got started, and I saw the Raffi Foundation... I applied through them and then we got granted a program so that we can share OT skills and tips, and activities with a variety of caregivers in the area.”
The foundation approved a grant for $3,500, and the first iteration of the collaborative OT caregiver and program was set in motion. The six-week program started near the beginning of March on the 13th and is slated to continue to the second-to-last week of April on the 24th.
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Public reception
Human shared that the feedback that the WFRC has received from parents utilizing the service has been positive, with many sharing that they appreciate having access to simply speak with an OT.
“If you go to your doctor and they’re like, ‘Oh, we’re noticing this, this and this, so we’re going to refer you to occupational therapy.’ That can sound scary, but this program has made it so that it’s not scary.”
She continued saying that the program isn’t just for children who are severely delayed in a specific area, but also for parents facing difficulties in parenting their kids.
Human reminds everyone that if people are interested in looking at the free programs the Winkler Family Resource Centre provides, they can do so by visiting their website or subscribing to their newsletter.