The Columbia Valley Family Inclusion Network for Diverse Abilities was honoured to be provided with a grant to support our goal of increasing connection, community, and advocacy for individuals residing in the Columbia Valley and living with a disability/diverse ability. We are a small, parent-led group who have come together to build a better community for our children living with disabilities/diverse abilities.
With the money received, we were able to host 5 events for the community, supporting our bi-monthly family meet-ups, and bi-monthly evening coffee & connect! The grant allowed our group to take a burden off of families by providing fun, food, and a sense of community without the added stress of bringing food to share as we have in previous meetings. Our 2 big events were our End of Summer BBQ at the Radium Splash Park and our Sensory Friendly Halloween Bash at Eileen Madson Primary School.
We held our End of Summer BBQ in August and had an amazing turnout. We reached out to the community for youth volunteers and were not disappointed! Kids were able to play in the water, blow bubbles, and have their faces painted. Everyone who attended was provided with a hot dog lunch, snacks, and beverages free of charge. We had adult volunteers running the BBQ, others helping to keep the music going, and others helping to entertain the kids so parents could visit and, at least try to, relax.
In October, we held our Sensory Friendly Halloween Bash. This event took a team of dedicated parents and self-advocates to get organized, and once again, our youth volunteers showed up and stepped up to help in any way they could. Our event had a photo booth, dance floor, face painting, crafts, snacks, a cupcake decorating station, and a sensory-friendly zone. There were so many amazing costumes and smiles galore!
Each event brought out approximately 40 people – this is the biggest turnout we’ve had, and it was amazing to watch families connecting, sharing, and supporting one another! We loved seeing how fully inclusive our group is, and how the promotion of our events increased awareness of the diversity within our community. Both events were a huge success, and we will aim to do them both again next year! These two events would not have been possible without the support and commitment of each and every person who volunteered their time and energy to make it all happen – a HUGE THANK YOU to you all!
Due to the support from the Columbia Valley Community Foundation and Small Neighbourhood Grant Program, Columbia Valley, we have increased our presence in the community and have been able to connect with more families and community members! Thank you so very much!
