MAB-MACKAY Foundation Fall 2015 Newsletter · PDF fileMAB-MACKAY Foundation Fall 2015...

MAB-MACKAY Foundation Fall 2015 Newsletter

YOUR SUPPORT AT WORK

Alexandre Bilodeau Fund for Adapted Sports4Aging with Hope, Dignity and Autonomy 9

FOUNDATION

MEET ASELINPAGE 7: Nine-year old Aselin gives back to the MAB-Mackay for their support.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Mission 2

Times of Change 3

Alexandre Bilodeau Fund 4

Aging With Hope & Dignity 6

Next Gen of Philanthropists 7

Golf Tournament 8

Community Outreach 10

The Gift that Keeps on Giving 11

Governors’ Circle Members 11

American Sign Language 12

Liam Learns to Shine 13

Magic of the Centre 14

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

David Stenason, ChairmanNeil Matheson, Vice-ChairmanMichael Newton, Treasurer Vivian Cyriacopoulos, SecretaryEdward BerryBob FilippelliBryan FitzpatrickCharlotte LibmanGiselle MurphyAnthony RossSara Saber-FreedmanAlexander SteinhouseCorry Terfloth-Walker

OUR TEAM

Theodora Brinckman, LeadershipVéronique Courey, CommunityHeather Geary, KnowledgeIsabelle Hartnell, KnowledgeJenny Jacob, Team FacilitatorGlenn Massad, PresenceSean Zikman, Philanthropy

CONTACT US

7010 Sherbrooke Street West Montreal Quebec H4B 1R3 Tel (514) 488-0043 [email protected]

JOIN US ONLINE

foundation.mabmackay.ca

OUR MISSION

The MAB-Mackay Foundation exists to support the realization of the Centre’s mission through its new strategic plan that includes:

•Strengthening and elevating the working dynamic between theFoundation and the Centre;

•IncreasingtheCentre’sglobalpresencebycreatingandimplementinga strategic communications and marketing plan that showcases the Centre’s continuously growing expertise and its dedication to improving quality of life for its clientele;

• Nurturing an exemplary and contagious culture of philanthropy thatoriginates from within the Foundation and the Centre;

•Growingsustainableanddynamicfundraisingprograms;

•Runninganefficientorganizationthatvalueseverydollarraised;

•Providingstronggovernancethatpromotestheobjectivesandidealsofthe Foundation and the Centre.

With renewed spirit, leadership and vision, the Foundation is proud to create an increasing and lasting impact on the MAB-Mackay Rehabilitation Centre. The Foundation is proud to report that in 2014 - 2015 it contributed over $2 million to the Centre for operations, equipment and the clinical services foroneoutoffiveclientsservedbytheCentre.

HOW CAN I GET INvOLvED?

For more information and to begin a rewarding relationship with our Foundation, please contact

veronique Courey at [email protected] or call (514) 488-0043, ext. 1408

REAL PEOPLE • REAL STORIES • REAL SUCCESS

•Volunteer at the Foundation

•Invite the Foundation team to speak at my school, company or organization

•Organize an event

•Initiate a matched gift program

•Follow the Foundation on social media

foundation.mabmackay.ca | 3

Times of Change

Our Foundation is truly excited about the future! This year of government mandated consolidation had the potential of destabilizing our organization. However, it has inspired us to reflect and focus strategically with an eye on longer-term planning for a sustainable organization. Our Foundation’s board and staff are unwavering in their commitment to our clients and our donors.

We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you, our generous donors – those who have supported our work forgenerations.Wewelcomethosewhohavejustjoinedourphilanthropic movement this year.

This year we expanded our storytelling activities to better communicate the work that we do for the lives that we change – taking more pictures, shooting more videos, writing more copy, increasing our social media presence and raising ouroverallprofile.

We will continue to tell the personal and riveting stories of our courageous and inspiring clients to our generous donors, volunteers, clients, and involved community members.

On the fundraising front, we had many exciting initiatives. Just to name a few:

•We launched the Alexandre Bilodeau Fund for Adapted Sports with a $1 million campaign goal. Our heartfelt thanks to Joel and Marlene King for their inspiration, support and spark. We are already more than 25% of the way there!

•We conducted a Thank-a-thon with volunteers and Board members – reaching out to donors with our gratitude for their support.

•Our Golf Tournament honoured our outgoing Chairman Stuart F. Webster, achieving new heights in terms of attendance and funds generated.

•Our Philanthropy Committee has evolved and is ready to build on its momentum.

Moving forward, we will maintain our momentum, adapting to a changing landscape, continuing to seek out and capitalize on new opportunities.

Our fundraising goals to finance life-changing programsremains unchanged: raise money, manage resources and allocate funds for programming. Our Foundation’s roots have been growing in the community for over a century and we are excited for the blossoming our foundation will be doing in the next year to help expand our reach.

We would like to acknowledge the efforts of Christine Boyle, the Centre’s former Executive Director, as a champion and partner to the Foundation for over a decade. We are enthusiastically working with Keith Hardie, Suzanne Cloutier and the rest of the Centre’s management and staff in order to help them in their mission of serving thousands of clients.

We sincerely thank you, our generous donors – those who have supported our work for generations. We extend a heartfelt welcometothosewhohavejustjoinedourphilanthropic movement this year.

David StenasonChairman, Board of Directors

Theodora BrinckmanExecutive Director

4 | FOUNDATION Newsletter Fall 2015

Adapted Sports at the MAB-Mackay

The MAB-Mackay Foundation is deeply proud to have a local hero, two-time Olympic gold medalist Alexandre Bilodeau, to help promote our ambitious new fundraising campaign supporting adapted sports at our centre.

The inspiration for this campaign draws upon the vision of Joel King, a loyal donor to our foundation and prominent philanthropist in Montreal. Like millions of Canadians, Joel was watching the winter 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi on his television at home, following the performance and medal count of our athletes. “I was watching Alex in his freestyle skiing run” explains Joel. “I was so moved by his embrace with his brother, how it made me feel.”

ForAlexandre, thefitwith theMAB-Mackaywasnatural.Hehadvisited the Centre before and had an immediate connection with the children he met. When approached by the Foundation to help us launch a campaign to secure our adapted sports programs (currently at risk due to government funding cutbacks), Alexandre stepped up to the plate.

Ben Gives Back on his Birthday! “Since I was two years old, in lieu of birthday presents I have been supporting initiatives for kids. When I heard that Alex my hero was doing something I wanted to be oneofthefirstpeopletosupporthiscampaign.Formy10th birthday, I was proud to ask my friends and family to make a donation to the Alexandre Bilodeau Fund for Adapted Sports at the MAB-Mackay instead of giving me a present. This is a way for me to help children with disabilitiestohavetheopportunitytoenjoysportsasmuch as I do.

I was so happy to have the chance to meet Alexandre in person, and to hear him talk about his special relationship with his older brother who has cerebral palsy. When Alexandre told the story of how he cried when his brother was no longer able to ski, it made me realize how lucky I am.”

- Benjamin Hare

“Here’s a photo of me with Alexandre, and the poster I made of him winning the gold medal in Sochi.”


Sports and physical activity play an important role in child development. Physically impaired children however, like the ones cared for at the MAB-Mackay, have limited enjoyment and access to sports, leisure and communityactivities.Theymissoutontheconsiderablebenefitsthatsports have in enhancing their motor, psychosocial skills and self-esteem.

“At the MAB-Mackay, we’ve never met a child whose potential we couldn’t see” explains Suzanne Cloutier, Director of Programs and Clinical Services at the rehabilitation centre.“The sports that we offer are carefully chosen based on the uniqueprofileofeachchildanduponhisneeds,hisinterestand motivation.”

We are pleased to announce that we have recently received a generous matched gift challenge from the Rossy Family Foundation, that has committed to matching the next $500,000 in donations towards this fund. Just imagine how your gift today can go twice as far in providing opportunities for disabled children to attain new levels of achievement previously believed to be out of their reach through adapted sports.

A special website for this campaign has been created complete with videos and testimonials of the impact of the

MAB-Mackay’s adapted sports programs. To learn more you can visit:

www.alexbilodeaufund.com

“At the MAB-Mackay, we’ve never met a child whose potential we couldn’t see.”

L-R Frédéric Bilodeau, Joel and Marlene King, Alexandre Bilodeau


“When we work with clients of this age, we’re notjustseeingtheindividualasasetofeyes.We recognize that they are individuals with feelings, a lifetime of experiences, coping skills and resilience,” explains Alter. “It is wonderful to witness clients who are adapting to their visual impairment, successfully maintaining their autonomy, sense of hope and purpose, and improved quality of life.”

An increasing number of people in our community who are 65 years and over are developing age-related eye disease such as macular degeneration, cataracts, or diabetic retinopathy, to name a few.

The effects of these conditions can be devastating and isolating, with potential consequences on these individuals’ safety and capacity for independence. Many of the simplest every-day tasks, such as reading the newspaper or watching television become a challenge. More importantly, following instructions for the administration of medication couldcome to be a potential hazard.

“When we first meet our clients, they are very distressed. They’ve just been to see their ophthalmologist, who may have told them that from a medical perspective, there’s little that can be done for them,” says Rebecca Alter, a Social Worker at the MAB-Mackay since 1997. “They’re often shocked, anxious, depressed, and sometimes in denial about their diagnosis, hoping for those ‘miracle glasses’ that will improve their vision. In essence, clients go through similar stages to a reaction to a diagnosis of a given illness or confronting death. Concurrently, many of our clients are also dealing with other losses in their life, including the death of a spouse, departure of their children, and other health problems.”

Over our more than 100 year history, the MAB-Mackay has become a leader in serving seniors who are blind and visually impaired. We offer a wide variety of programs aimed at helping this population to reclaim their quality of life.

Our team provides instruction in orientation and mobility, which includes learning techniques to be able to travel safely in and out of one’s home and the surrounding environment. Help furthering their independence training in the use of public transportation is provided to clients with the use of a white cane, if indicated. Training in activities of daily living is also available, including home management skills such as cleaning, use of appliances, food preparation and clean-up. Personal care such as grooming, dressing and hygiene are addressed so one may maintain positive self-esteem. All of these activities are things healthy people take for granted.

Another important tool is basic Braille, which is often used as a technique to label prescriptions or pantry items, as well as for filing and personal paperwork. We also provide training on adapted computer software, helping seniors to remain connected to the world around them. Among the technology tools available are computer programs that enlarge screen size or use voice and sound to read out web pages and text files, or Braille keyboards that make it easier to keep in touch via email.

The MAB-Mackay is also home to the popular Day Centre, which offers seniors facing vision loss the opportunity to interact with others sharing similar experiences. Participants come once a week for a day full of activities, where they enjoy exercise, peer support that fosters friendships, mental stimulation, and social contact. The program helps in promoting coping skills, preventing loneliness, isolation and its associated health risks, and delaying institutionalization. It also offers valued respite to the spouse or family members who are affected just as much as the individual who has lost their vision.

Aging with Hope, Dignity and Autonomy

Joybert Skyers, MAB-Mackay Client


The Next Generationof Philanthropists

Forfivemonthsduringthispastschoolyear,threefriends and I, from my Grade 10 class at Miss Edgar’s and Miss Cramp’s School, worked on the Youth Philanthropy Initiative. Aspartofthisproject,wehadtoprepareapresentationonalocalcharityandconvince our school of the organization’s needs. We chose the MAB-Mackay because each of us had our own personal connection to this organization, one of Jennifer’s friends is a former student of the Mackay Centre School; Leela’s grandmother used to record audio books for the blind; Lauren is family friends with staff at the Foundation, and in my case, my father was a counsellor at the MAB-Mackay’s adapted summer camp many years ago.

We started researching, contacting, and setting up meetings as soon as possible and tried to come up with the best presentation method we could think of. We thought outside of the box, incorporated elements not asked of us that we believed were important to share, and spoke from the heart. We also took the time to learn about the children, and their stories, and a little bit of sign language, which we used to introduce ourselves to our audience duringthebigprojectreveal.

Our group is still in awe about winning the $5,000 grant towards the MAB-Mackay Foundation. I believe that we won because after having a limitedtimeframetoexplainjustafractionofwhattheorganizationdoesfor our community, it was evident that our audience was moved and felt a connection to what we had to say. Being able to witness and even feel the tremendous impact the MAB-Mackay has on our Montreal community was so special that it cannot be explained in words.

This prize is going towards lessening the obstacles that people face in life by improving the special programs offered at the MAB-Mackay. These being: the Deaf Buddies Program, the Employment Program, the Day Center for seniors with visual impairments, the Visual Aids Boutique, and more. All oftheseimprovementswillbenefitthefutureoftheclientsandkidsattheMAB-Mackay, for which they will be thankful forever.

- Keili, Grade 10

Nine-year old Aselin Bates has hearing loss and has been a client of the MAB-Mackay since she was three.

To give back to the Centre for all their support, and to help the other children she’s seen during her visits to the MAB-Mackay, Aselin and her sister Caileigh set up a lemonade stand again this summer.

They collected $161 which they proudly donated to the MAB-Mackay Foundation. Aselin wants her gift to go to the Deaf and hard of hearing children’s department, so that they can buy toys for the children to play with when they have to do hearing tests or speech therapy.


L-R Leela Riddle-Merritte, Keili Moore, Lauren Khoury and Jennifer Bilbul


As our biggest annual fundraiser, the Golf Tournament is something we all look forward to. This year’s tournament on the Blue Course of the Royal Montreal Golf Club was especially exciting, as we honoured outgoing Chairman of the Board Stuart F. Webster, and introduced the new Alexandre Bilodeau Fund for AdaptedSports,whichbenefittedfromthe$120,000raised at the tournament.

As this year’s honoree, we celebrated long-time member and Chairman of the Foundation Board, Stuart F. Webster, and his family for their commitment to our cause as well as their heightened sense of philanthropy. As a special treat for Mr. Webster, the ever-smiling nine year-old North American Irish Dancing Champion Aselin Bates (client of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program) wowed our guests with a flawless and touching performance. In return, Mr. Webster spoke with gratitude and deep emotion about his attachment to the MAB-Mackay, the importance of philanthropy which was instilled in him by his parents, and how he will continue to support the mission of the MAB-Mackay.

Fore the Foundation

Longstanding MAB-Mackay Foundation champions - Philip and Emily Webster


Alexandre Bilodeau attended the event with his parents, sister Béatrice and his brother Frédéric, and took the crowd’s breath away with his moving speech.

Alexandre spoke about the meaning of sports in his life, and the importance of the independence, confidence and sheerjoyadaptedsportscangivechildren with disabilities. His connection to the MAB-Mackay is strong, and he is proud of it.

Knowing very well the effect that neuro-motor impairment can have on a person comes from his brother Fréderic who lives with cerebral palsy. He could not emphasize enough how necessary it is to continue to develop the Adapted Sports Program,asitbenefitsthelivesofsomany.

Golf Committee members gifted Mr. Kenneth Tooke for his 10 years of service as Golf Committee member and Chair, as he stepped down but pledged his continued support to the event.

MAB-Mackay Foundation Golf

If you would like to get involved with next year’s event, please contact Véronique at [email protected]

or call (514) 488-0043, ext. 1408

Aselin Bates with Alexandre and Frédéric Bilodeau


TENNIS TOURNAMENT SUPPORTS BRAILLEThe MAB-Mackay Foundation is deeply grateful to the Krychman family for their leadership in organizing a Mixed Doubles Tennis Tournament again this summer. Since they launched theeventfiveyearsago,more than$50,000 has been raised to support the Braille Services Department at the MAB-Mackay, whose mandate is to transcribe textbooks, exams and academic materials for all English-speaking elementary and high school students in Quebec.

Community Outreach

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MAB-MACKAY RAISES OvER $22,000 AT BANQUE SCOTIA 5K/21KOver the years the Scotiabank 5k run and half-marathon has become one of our main events, and we are grateful! We raised over $22,000 from the run this year.

Notonlydofamiliesofclientsjoininbutstaffparticipatesaswell;givingeveryonethechance to come together and help fundraise for our very special MAB-Mackay. Start training and getting ready for next year’s race!

To walk or run for MAB-Mackay, contact Véronique Courey at [email protected] or (514) 488.0043, ext. 1408.

U OF M OPTOMETRY SCHOOL BENEFIT TALENT SHOW: THE OPTOSHOWOn February 10th, the Optometry Program at Université de Montréal hosted the OptoShow at Café Campus. Multi-talented students got up and wowed the crowd with their incredible musical talent, all in the name of the MAB-Mackay Foundation. There is certainly more to these science-minded university students than meets the eye!

SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY ROAD SHOWWith the impressive Lucio D’Intino, Kim Holdbrook, Ioana Gandrabur and their guide dogs in tow, we continue to tour different schools and community centres in the city.

Our message is clear: The MAB-Mackay Foundation helps people living with one or more of the following four impairments: visual, hearing, motor and communications. We illustrate this with clients who are living their best life and who are willing to share their experience.

Our American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters come with us for all of our presentations, and through live demonstrations of the newest in visual and hearing aids and products, we have witnessed the beauty of new dialogue, ideas and questions coming from our youngest audiences.

This year we visited Externat Mont-Jesus Marie, Villa Sainte-Marcelline and The Rotary Club of Old Montreal. Organize a visit by contacting [email protected] or (514) 488.0043, ext. 1408.

An important goal of ours is to raise public awareness about what we do, and how it impacts the children, the adults and the seniors we serve.

Here are some of the creative ways we and our friends in the community raised awareness and funds this year!


Stephen AllattRoberto Buffone & Michelina BrunoIan CalvertSimonne ClarkeGuiseppina A. Di GiacomoElizabeth EbertsSheldon ElmanNicole FauréEduardo FrancoCynthia M. GordonGloria M. GreenRose GreenbergLucy HarperMeredith & Judith HayesPeter & Marie-Claire HollandMichael Huberman & Sally ColeGordon P. JacksonNatalia JakonisRobert Kurlender & Alysa LangburtMarjolaineLachanceDaniel LalondeAnouk LaurentSaul & Pearl LighterReford MacDougallRichard & Janet MacklemGlenn MassadGary & Rosalie MintzJohn OhbergTed PhillipsDiane ProvostMichael & Doreen RennertArnold RosnerMichael SamuelsonJeremy SearleJoel & Eileen SegalEddie ShamashMarco Vendramini

The Governors’ Circle provides the MAB-Mackay Foundation a reliable base of funds to help us ensure that the MAB-Mackay Rehabilitation Centre can continue to offer the excellence in services and programs to those who depend on it. It helps recruit and retain the brightest and most dedicated clinicians in the business.

NEW GOvERNORS’ CIRCLE MEMBERS

THANK YOU!

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

If you would like to include the MAB-Mackay Foundation in your testament,

please contact:

Sean Zikman [email protected]

(514) 488-0043, ext. 1410

All my life, I couldn’t hear the birds or the wind. As a little girl, my parents didn’t know that I was unable to hear. Even with my hearing aids and the lip-reading skills I learned, I felt that I was still missing so much.

The MAB-Mackay means a great deal to me, and the staff I met here are the most wonderful people. They helped me to feel free to hear and to see the world around me. They accepted me to be a free and normal person with my handicap.

The MAB-Mackay introduced me to the possibility of getting a cochlear implant in my right ear. This has really changed my life. It helped to open up the world around me. I’m learning how to use my hearing on my own forthefirsttime–ittakesagreatdealofeffort,butthesupportiveteamat the MAB-Mackay is helping me tremendously.

I wanted to make the personal decision to leave the MAB-Mackay Foundation in my will because I feel it is important to give back to an organization that has made such a difference to me.

I know that my family would be proud that I am able to help others have the same opportunities as I have experienced. I want others to know how rich a life the MAB-Mackay has given me, and how much I appreciate all their support, understanding, and encouragement.

- Arlene Fels



ASL is a visual language in which the shape, placement and movement of the hands, as well as facial expressions and body movements, play an important role in conveying information.

Whetheritispoetry,lyrics,philosophyoranyothersubject,ASL can easily be used to instruct, inform or illustrate an abstract concept just as simply as any spoken language. The MAB-Mackay Rehabilitation Centre is proud to offer classes in ASL, ranging from basic knowledge to advanced signing, and include an introduction to Deaf culture and history.

All instructors are Deaf, which helps to ensure students gain immediate immersion into the culture, which is intimately connected to the language.

“We typically have parents of deaf children, and often even grandparents, in our ASL classes,” explains Marie-Annick Guénette, who manages the Deaf and Hard of Hearing programs at the MAB-Mackay.“ These classes, which are available to adults 18 years and older, help equip families with tools necessary to support communication with their children in their daily life activities. The classes are also open to the general public who want to learn ASL for personal interest.

We are very proud to provide instruction in ASL, and to play an important role in the lives of Deaf people in the English community in our city.”

What Makes ASL So Special?

For people who are born with no hearing, spoken language is almost completely useless. American Sign Language (or ASL) is the natural language for people who are deaf in North America, and is a most valuable part of Deaf Culture. It is primarily used by deaf individuals to communicate with each other, as well as with the larger hearing world.


Liam: Learning to Shine

We took Liam for hearing tests and we ruled out hearing loss. The pediatricians assured us that he would eventually speak, but by the time he was three and a half years old, he still couldn’t say the words “I love you.”Thesewereextremelydifficultyears for us as parents, as we were desperate to figureoutwhyLiamwouldn’ttalkandwhatresourceswecouldfindtosupporthim.

It was painful to see our son who wanted so badly to communicate verbally like other kids his age. He clearly understood others and knew what he wanted to say, but his brain was unable to coordinate the muscles in his mouthrequiredtospeak.Ittookawhile,butweeventuallyreceivedanofficialdiagnosis of his disorder, known as childhood apraxia.

Our referral to the MAB-Mackay changed everything for us. Here, we felt safe forthefirsttimesinceLiamwasababy.EveryoneunderstoodwhatLiamwasgoing through, as well as the distress and isolation we felt as parents. The entire team was so supportive, and we met many other parents like us who had been enduring similar experiences. It was wonderful to watch Liam begin to use his voice and express himself verbally in his sessions with his speechtherapist. His personality started to shine through – it was as if Liam was a different child!

Liam has come so far, and we are so proud of his progress. He recently started Grade 2, is doing well in school, and has many friends. We still visit the MAB-Mackay regularly to work on his language development, which Liam really looks forward to. Our support team at the MAB-Mackay helped to open the world up for Liam – for this we are so grateful.

- Catherine & Danny, Liam,s Parents

635 children provided with a specialized wheelchair, adapted stroller or walker

24,519 pages of braille produced

780 visits with an audiologist

80% jobplacement successrate for people with visual or hearing impairments

3,838 visits to our Boutique for Specialized Visual Aids

108 yearsthe age of the oldest person served

1,100specialty toys and games in our Adapted Toy Library

3 months - the age of the youngest person served

Thanks To our generous donors!

“As a baby, our son Liam was developing at the same pace as his older brother and sister. But when he was about 15 months old, he abruptly stopped the typical babbling that babies do. We knew something wasn’t right.”


How long did you work at the MAB-Mackay Rehabilitation Centre?

Most recently for about 10 years but I started at the Mackay School and Residence during the ‘80s.

What was the scope of your work?

Having fun and playing with children! My primary goal was to engage the child and the family to develop trust. I worked to help that child and family develop some important functional skills – skills that would help that child from day to day - always within the capacity of that child. Working with the members of my team we took a global approach – anything from adapted sports, special equipment, communications and feeding – anything that the child or family needed.

I considered myself a part of the larger team – the child, the family, my colleagues and myself made up one team in the pursuit of bettering the child’s quality of life.

What would you say is the magic of the Centre in what it gives to the children?

I think of the MAB-Mackay as a family – everyone at the Centre has a commitment to the child and their family as soon as they enter the building. As the families come in with so many questions, the magic is that we reach out to them in the context of the community that they live in - that is wherethemagiccomesin.NomatterwhatyourjobisattheCentre, the magic is that we are a family and that is what we

offer to our clients – our combined strength.

Q & A with Alison Steel

After decades of valued service, Alison Steel retired this year as a Physiotherapist at the MAB-Mackay Rehabilitation Centre and is now entering the next chapter of her life.

We sat down with Alison to discuss her career, her use of fun as a therapeutic methodology and why she thinks the MAB-Mackay Foundation has far-reaching impact.

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“I adore finding ways to help a child accomplish a task or to do an activity through play.”

Can you describe a memorable child you’ve worked with – in terms of the difference your therapies made in their lives and their progress?

Every child and every family has been memorable to me. For the most part we work with a child for a long time so improvements may seem slow in coming but even tiny progress can be huge for the child.

Recently, I had a two-year-old client who could not sit up and had to lean on his mother and was afraid of moving. Soon after his therapy began he was able to move and he enjoyedmoving.WhenhefirstarrivedattheCentrehewasin a bubble in terms of what he thought he could do – my role was to poke holes in his bubble.

Once we started working together his world exploded - he loves exploring his surroundings and new found sense of freedom. He is learning to communicate and his parents understand his needs better.

Why do you like your job – why did you find it so meaningful and rewarding?

Ihavealways lovedwhat Ido– Ienjoy itbecause Iadorefindingwaystohelpachildaccomplishataskortodoanactivity through play. Not necessarily using toys in a traditional way – discovering what they can do…I love problem solving, I love teaching parents, I love movement – I love seeing the lights go on when they understand what I’m trying to do.

Understanding is the key to relating to a child in their unique situation. If a child can’t sit-up for example, I work with the parents to understand what that really means so they can effectively help their child. Creating a bridge of understanding is what is so rewarding.

What do you think is the Foundation’s impact on our community?

The Foundation allows us to go places where we can’t normally go with our clients and their families. The Foundation provides us with the resources, education, and materials that would not otherwise be available to us or our clients.

The Foundation is an important link between the families, the Centre and the community. The impact of the Foundation is far greater than just the dollars it gives to the Centre– it encourages and facilitates programs, services and equipment that are above and beyond what is normally available in the public healthcare system.

For this reason I see the impact of the Foundation as having a ripple effect that starts with the donor and flows throughtheFoundationtotheCentreandultimatelybenefits our clients and their families and consequently society as a whole.

Alison’s legacy of love and commitment will continue to resonate with her former colleagues, clients and the families she touched with her warmth and inimitable passion for her work.

$1 Million CaMpaign

Help Us Help our KidsThrough adapted Sports!

foundation.mabmackay.ca

Your Gift Will Be Matched by The Rossy Family Foundation

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