2014 Spring UpdateJoys&Successes

As a parent, how do you prepare for that moment when you’re told your child has cerebral palsy? You can’t. Just ask Greg and Leslie Dawn Fiss. At 13 months of age, their son, Blaine, was diagnosed with the condition.

For some time, the family commuted to London so that Blaine could receive treatment. Then one day he was referred to KidsAbility in Waterloo – and his remarkable journey truly began. As Blaine explains, “The kindness, support and determination of my therapists helped me to become the best version of myself. They gave me a focus and helped me achieve my goals.”

Today, Blaine studies Nanoscience at the University of Guelph. As part of his co-op program, he applied and was given a position at FPInnovations in Quebec. Yet, when he reflects on his life, he feels one of his greatest achievements occurred when he was much younger.

As he notes, “One of the key moments occurred when I took three steps independently at age 5. Those first steps – both literally and figuratively – started me on a pathway to success.”

From those “first steps,” Blaine continued on his journey – with KidsAbility at his side. He received physiotherapy (which helped him recover his mobility after undergoing various surgeries) and occupational therapy (which provided him with adaptive technology and speech recognition programs to help with his education). By the time he reached high school, Blaine was able to walk

independently without the use of a walker. And in grade 12, with the assistance of a very encouraging coach, he was included on the football team and participated in track and field.

Then, in 2012, Blaine was awarded the Carol Shantz Bursary Award, which is given to a current client or alumnus of KidsAbility who has been accepted into a post-secondary institution. For Blaine, this award held special meaning. “I was surprised and honoured to have been the recipient,” says Blaine. “Yet, this was just another way that KidsAbility supported me in achieving my personal goals.”

With all of his individual achievements, one stands out for Blaine. “When I look back, it was truly an honour to be chosen as a KidsAbility children’s ambassador and help represent the organization at various events. Even though I was quite young, it was important to me to give back to KidsAbility for their help. After all, they gave me a sense of direction and provided me with the best life I could possibly imagine. Today, when asked, I tell people that donating to KidsAbility provides an individual with the opportunity to impact the lives of many other children. This support is the first step in changing a child’s life!”

Looking forward, the future seems exceptionally bright for Blaine. And with KidsAbility by his side, who knows what he will accomplish!

A Future So Bright

When you want to do something badly enough, you find a way to make it happen. In the case of Lynda and John Moseley-Williams, they wanted to ensure a brighter future for children and youth with special needs. That’s why they decided to create Wills that included Legacy Gifts to KidsAbility.

As a long-time volunteer at KidsAbility (23 years and counting), Lynda works closely with staff and sees the positive effect they have on the children. “I knew there was a long waiting list for the kids in our community and I wanted to make a difference,” says Lynda. “After discussing matters with John, we decided a Legacy Gift was a great way to support the needs of the children – for generations to come.”

As the owner of five McDonald’s in the area, John and several other McDonald’s owners have actively supported KidsAbility via McHappy Day. But John wanted to do more. “Every child deserves a chance to reach their full potential. Our grandson came here for speech therapy and we wanted to find a way to give back.”

For both Lynda and John, this financial plan wouldn’t have worked without the support of their entire family. The fact that two of their children had volunteered at KidsAbility in the past made it an easy decision for all concerned. “Our kids witnessed firsthand how children with special needs rise to their full potential with the help of this organization,” says Lynda. “They thought it was a great idea to include KidsAbility in our Wills.”

The next step was talking to their financial planner. After learning of the many benefits of a Legacy Gift, including certain tax advantages, they adjusted their Wills to include KidsAbility. As John states, “I really feel more people need to get on board and be proactive with their estate planning. By leaving a Legacy Gift to KidsAbility, you’re giving kids a chance.”

In the end, both Lynda and John knew they were doing the right thing. “All you need to do is come into KidsAbility and see how the children flourish here,” explains Lynda. “Helping in the classroom, I’ve worked with children who were barely able to communicate. When it’s time for them to move on, the kids have a voice, enjoy interacting with others and love giving hugs!”

For Lynda and John, leaving Legacy Gifts to KidsAbility in their Wills ensured that their final wish – to continue supporting KidsAbility and the many families that need help – would have a meaningful impact once they were gone. And in their minds, there is no legacy more fitting.

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For many of us, we take the simple things in life for granted…like eating. Imagine, for a moment, if you couldn’t feed yourself. This was indeed the case for one three-year-old KidsAbility client with autism. Fortunately, KidsAbility’s new Spark! program was able to help.For Carolyn Slomka, an occupational therapist at KidsAbility, this was a unique challenge. While most children are able to feed themselves at one, this child was struggling and needed some extra support. As she explains, “At our first meeting, I sat down to listen to Mom share her son’s story. One of her main concerns

was that she needed to spoon-feed her son every meal. Together we set a goal: help her son eat with a spoon on his own!”After the family left, Carolyn came up with a creative strategy to help the young boy. In the second session, she put her plan into effect. Carolyn and the mother sat down with the child to enjoy a picnic with pretend food and a weighted spoon. “Through play and some hand-over-hand help, we watched as this little guy lifted the spoon to his mouth and ate a spoonful of food all by himself – for the very first time ever!” states Carolyn.

The mother was overjoyed at her son’s success. Today, her child is eating rice at school by himself, using a normal spoon – something she thought would never be possible. “It was just joyful to watch this little guy succeed at mastering a spoon,” says Carolyn. “For me, it was the reminder that a little bit of input can make a huge difference in a child’s life.” And that’s what Spark! is all about.

Upcoming Events - Join Us!Saturday, April 26 THE ATHLETIC CLUB’S ROCK THE FOUnDATIOn

Thursday, May 1 PLASMA CAR RACES

Sunday, May 4 ROTARY DOWnTOWn MUDPUPPY CHASE

Sunday, May 25 CAMBRIDGE TIMES ROTARY CLASSIC FUn RUn

Monday, June 16 ROTARY CLUB OF WATERLOO’S GOLF “FORE” KIDSABILITY

Sunday, June 22 KIDSABILITY GUELPH SUPERHERO RUn

For full details visit kidsability.ca/en/events

An E-newsletter with Impact!Coming soon to an inbox near you – the inaugural issue of Impact! As the name suggests, this monthly e-newsletter from KidsAbility Foundation is all about the power of our donors, volunteers and staff to make a difference in the lives of children and youth with special needs. So stay tuned. The first issue of Impact! launches in May!

There are many ways to give back to your community – financial donations, fundraising and volunteering (to name just a few). For Scotiabank, they decided to do all three in support of KidsAbility. As Diane Wagg (Investment Sales Coach at Scotiabank) says, “We really wanted to support

an organization in the Waterloo-Wellington region. It was important for us to make a difference in our own backyard. When we looked at KidsAbility, it seemed like a perfect fit because we wanted to help local families and their children too.”And help they did. Scotiabank was one of the driving forces behind KidsAbility’s Centre of Excellence. In fact, they pledged $100,000 over a five-year period to this project. “Funding from Scotiabank has enabled the KidsAbility Centre of Excellence to support the life journey of our families beyond direct therapy,” explains Barbara Hill (Lead, Centre of Excellence). “Families have been connected with peer-to-peer support networks, parent mentoring, service navigation and

annual community forums with leading researchers and practical strategies.”But Scotiabank’s commitment to KidsAbility doesn’t end there. As the Butterfly Sponsor for the Kids Can’t Wait Radiothon, they continue to provide significant financial and volunteer support. “We know there’s a long waiting list and we want to get as many children the therapy they so desperately need,” says Diane. To that end, Scotiabank ensures that all of the local branches help out – whether it’s by selling chocolate butterflies and stuffed animals, holding bake sales, having barbeques or volunteering to work the phones on the day of the Radiothon. To date, Scotiabank has raised more than $250,000 for various KidsAbility initiatives.While Scotiabank has a national presence, it’s clear they support families and children at a local level – in Cambridge, Fergus, Guelph and Kitchener-Waterloo. “We believe in KidsAbility and their cause,” adds

Diane. “We know they make a difference and we want to do our part in supporting them.” From KidsAbility’s perspective, we couldn’t have asked for a better community partner.

The Perfect Partner

AccreditationKidsAbility Foundation is proud to announce that it has achieved the distinction of accreditation under Imagine Canada’s national Standards Program. The Standards Program is a Canada-wide set of shared standards for charities and nonprofits designed to demonstrate their compliance in five fundamental areas: board governance; financial accountability and transparency; fundraising; staff management; and volunteer involvement.

Lori Ann Gibson always lived her life to the fullest. A loving wife and caring mother, she was a manager at Scotiabank for 28 years. She was also a strong children’s advocate, who made a huge impact volunteering at KidsAbility.

Honour Someone Special with a Tribute Gift to KidsAbility A gift made to KidsAbility is a thoughtful way to celebrate a milestone or pay tribute to the life of

someone special. The following individuals have been honoured through Tribute Gifts to KidsAbility.

Tribute Gifts Layla Abdullah-GeorgeMarjorie AchesonDr. Anthony ChrisGordon and Adeline ClementsKay Dumart

BettyLou Evans-WhitleySteve FinlaysonPhyllis ForbesKathleen MacFarlaneJoe and Amy Martz

Nadine MuellerJim PeeplesHarvey Sims and Kim FolliottRobert SnyderMark and Marty van Vliet

Max WebberAlbert WilliamsYasna Yassini

Memorial GiftsGeorge Albert AshLou AyreKathleen BitschyNoreen BlakeLarry CarterDave DeppischMahesh DesaiDoris DoernerJim DonkersGordon EulerEugene FedakJeanette FischerJohn (Jack) ForbesMargaret ForbesPatricia George

Dr. David Glenn McFaddenMary Therese McIntyreMonti McReadyRudy OetlikerJoan PedersenHal ReidelRuth ReidelBetty RiedlingerGerald SchellWilliam (Bill) ScherrerEleanor (Dolly) SchnarrMargaret SchuldeHeinz SchutzMartha SlaterBob Snarr

Lori GibsonMary GirodatNick GramadaChristine HamillDavid Jackson Fred JankeBonnie Lynne KargesElsie KieswetterBrad LaFranceDoug LorentzMalvin LoveridgeKen MacGrayLisa Lynn ManningBruce MarlattDennis Martin

Gord SniderVernon SteinackerWalter TeraKenneth ThomasBill TrotterGeorge UhrigKeith VaughanHelen Jean VeidenheimerJack Weber Ralph WestfallNick (Nicolaas) WoltzVernon Wooddisse

Sept 1/13 to Feb 28/14

A Life to RememberA fighter all her life, Lori was intent on reducing the wait list of children needing life-changing therapy. And that she did, bringing in key sponsorship donations for KidsAbility. She brought that same intensity to her battle with pancreatic cancer. But, on August 1, 2013, she passed away at home surrounded by her family.

On November 27, 2013, Lori posthumously received the Elaine Ormston Outstanding Supporter Butterfly Award for her faithful dedication. “At KidsAbility, Lori’s legacy lives on,” says Elaine. “We all cherish our memories of this dedicated and loving woman.”

Friday, May 2, 2014Kids Can’t Wait Radiothon

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Founded and Supported by Rotarians Since 1957

Yes, I want to support the Kids Can’t Wait Radiothon!

1,100 – that’s the number of children and youth with special needs waiting for life-changing therapy. This year, you can make a difference. Simply by donating, you can help a child learn to talk, walk and even

run – the possibilities are endless…with your support.

On May 2, KidsAbility Foundation will be holding its annual Kids Can’t Wait Radiothon. For this one day, CHYM 96.7, Country 106.7, 570 news and Rogers TV will be broadcasting inspiring stories of hope. The goal? To reduce the wait list and provide much-needed therapy to

children so they can realize their full potential.

How can you help? Tune in, drop by and donate on the day of the event. Or simply fill in the form below and donate today.

After all, kids can’t wait for your helping hand!