This Thursday, July 3rd, DiscoverWeyburn, Magic 103, Country 106.7, AM1190, along with the City of Weyburn, are kicking off the Great Plains Taste of Summer Charity BBQs!
Every other Thursday, we will set up at Memorial Park (right beside City Hall) to raise funds for five Weyburn charities.
This week, we are raising money for Inclusion Weyburn.
Launched in 2017, Inclusion Weyburn is a branch of Inclusion Saskatchewan, which is part of Inclusion Canada. Their mission is to build and inspire an inclusive Weyburn and area by empowering and valuing people with diverse needs and abilities.
Jackie Wilson, with Inclusion Weyburn, noted that Inclusion Weyburn was launched after she noted a lack of inclusive programs for her grandson, who is on the autism spectrum.
“These kids often just really rely on structure and routine to maintain their happiness,” she said. “So when summertime came, he became really agitated without the routine that school provided. So I thought, well, let’s just go get him in a program; there are lots of things for kids in the summertime. I went looking, and the responses I got were sort of a deer caught in the headlights. I understand that, I get it. I shouldn’t have been surprised because when you don’t know these kids or how to best work with them, it can be a little bit daunting and kind of scary, too. Then I realized that if this is happening to him, it’s happening to many other kids in our community. So I knew something had to happen, and that’s when a group of us formed and went looking for ways that we could help.”
Wilson said that the first thing they did was partner with the Leisure Center and Tina Clay to create an inclusive summer camp. When it launched, there were six children in the camp. Last year, that number was up to 40, and they have since partnered with the Weyburn Credit Union Spark Center and The Family Place and have created their own teen camp, which features one-on-one staff that makes it possible for the kids to be at camp and participate in the best way they can.
“Because of that, our summer camps are our biggest expense,” she said. “It’s also our most positive thing we’ve done.”
She also noted that the camps aren’t the only thing that has grown over the years.
“Inclusion is growing everywhere,” she said. “People care, people are learning and want to be supportive. They do give us so much emotional support as well as financial support, which is really important to us, both of those. It’s empowered families to have their children participate in camp just like all the other kids.”
She added that the financial support is what ultimately keeps the doors open.
“We wouldn’t exist if we didn’t receive the grants that we do and the donations that we receive,” she said. “Funding for our programs is absolutely necessary. We get sponsorships from Rona or our swimming and sponsorship from [Weyburn] Dodge to year-round teen programs, and we also have the library helping us with an empower ability program that they provide for our teams throughout the winter months.”
To help with the financial support, all you need to do is come down to Memorial Park on Thursday, July 3rd, between 11:30 and 1:30. We will be set up, along with all our participating sponsors, selling hot dogs and a drink for $3. All proceeds from that day will go to Inclusion Weyburn.
“I’d really like to encourage people to come to the barbecue on July 3rd,” Wilson said. “As I said before, we rely on these kinds of donations and help, and it will also give you a chance to meet some of us and learn a little bit about inclusion.”