CEO Tom McHugh makes remarks at our Extensive Needs Service announcement

(read more below).

As we move into December, we ease into a period of rest and relaxation, including a break for Team Grandview. All Grandview Kids sites will be closed from December 22 at 5:00 p.m., re-opening at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 2. Phone lines are also shut down during this period. Please ensure you speak to your Grandview Kids therapist or our Scheduling team should you need to make changes to your appointments.

Gather will also be paused for January, with our next issue expected to be released in February 2024.

We also recognize that the winter holidays can be stressful. If you need support, there are many local agencies offering crisis intervention, access to food banks, and other services to support those who may be struggling.

December 3: International Day for People with Disabilities

This annual day of observance aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of people with disabilities and to celebrate their achievements. Read about how Grandview Grad, Amanda, uses her lived experience to influence change to support other Grandview clients and their families – an advocacy journey spanning nearly a decade!

December 5: International Volunteer Day (IVD)

Volunteers are leading social change around the world. This special day promotes the work of volunteers at all levels. Grandview Kids is fortunate to benefit from the support of many passionate, dedicated volunteers. Perhaps our most famous volunteer is Tulip the Mini Horse! Read about Tulip’s volunteer journey, as well as Robyn, who accompanies Tulip to visits and also volunteers on our Board of Trustees.

A commitment to ethical research

Grandview Kids has joined the Joint Research Ethics Board at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences. For caregivers and clients, this means Grandview Kids is committed to conducting ethical research to help children and youth live life at their full potential. Read more >

Bringing care closer to home

Grandview Kids announced our partnership with Holland Bloorview, Michael Garron Hospital and Surrey Place to deliver a new Extensive Needs Service, bringing wraparound care closer to home to children and youth with extensive, co-occurring medical, physical and developmental needs. Read more >

Program spotlight: Therapeutic Recreation

At Grandview Kids, our Therapeutic Recreation (TR) program works with clients and caregivers to increase clients’ independence, confidence, life skills, promote overall health and wellness, and reduce barriers to leisure participation. TR provides activity-based intervention to support children and youth and the development of social, play and leisure skills. Our recreation therapists work with clients and families to optimize participation and enjoyment in leisure.

What services are available?

After completing a leisure strengths assessment, a care plan is developed to help guide and support a child or youth's participation in recreation and leisure activities. TR provides 1:1 or group interventions to target specific goal areas. Recreation therapists also support families in accessing funding support, reducing anxiety, and removing barriers to participation.

What are the benefits of TR?

Participating in TR can improve or maintain physical and cognitive functioning, increase confidence and self-esteem, and provide opportunities and skills required for social engagement. Through a client's participation in TR services, you can foster enjoyable involvement in community recreation and create the foundations for a healthy leisure lifestyle. By participating in play and recreation, a client can feel a sense of accomplishment, improve coping skills, and navigate many social situations while having fun and making friends.

Who is eligible?

Children and youth ages 30 months to 19-years-old, living in Durham Region.

Additional criteria:

• Must be waiting to initiate or actively receiving core services (physiotherapy, occupational therapy and/or speech-language pathology services through our Early Years, School Years, which includes School Based Rehabilitation and Adolescent programs).
• The family’s need for Therapeutic Recreation services must be directly related to the client’s physical, communication and/or developmental needs.
• The client must also have challenges with successful participation in community recreation.

How can clients or families refer a child or youth?

Clients and caregivers can self-refer online. All clients must receive an initial assessment before receiving services.

For more information, visit our TR webpage or read our TR handout.

Events

Family Engagement events

Find all Family Engagement and Grandview Kids-hosted events here on our website!

• Sunday, December 10, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. – Safety Village Holiday Get Together Register here >
• Celebrate the magic of winter and the holiday season with us and a few special guests! This is a private event for Grandview Kids families and staff. Hot chocolate will be served, but please bring your own reusable mug. Don't forget to dress warm, as this is an outdoor event.

• Wednesday, December 13 at 6:00 p.m. – SSAH (Special Services At Home) Paperwork Party (Virtual) – Register for this event by emailing familyengagement@grandviewkids.ca.

• Wednesday, January 3, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. – Lexy the Rap Dad concert at the Ajax Library (Main Branch). Doors open at 10:30 a.m. Register here >

• Thursday, January 25, 2024 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. – Caregiver Café – Ajax Library (Main Branch). This exciting event is perfect for caregivers looking to meet and connect or bring your paperwork and get answers to your questions. Register here >

Project spotlight: Updating our waiting area

bulletin boards

The waiting area bulletin boards at Grandview Kids have always been a reliable access point for teams across our organization to share pertinent information with clients and caregivers. With an increasing number of program offerings, research opportunities, community events and other exciting projects being announced regularly at Grandview Kids, we acknowledged the need to consolidate all updates in one, easy-to-access location across our eight locations.

Over the next two months, Grandview Kids’ Communications Team is pleased to share that we will roll out refreshed content at each of our sites, shared digitally on our TVs (where applicable) and in print on bulletin boards. 

Examples of the content you can expect to find in our waiting areas include: 

• Information about our new program offerings 
• An updated snapshot of the progress of the New Grandview Kids 
• Details regarding our upcoming research opportunities 
• New opportunities to share your feedback with us... and more! 

The Communications Team will update content on our TVs and bulletin boards regularly to ensure they maintain relevancy. All printed and electronic resources shared through our bulletin board and TV content will include QR codes so you can access them quickly and easily. If you have questions regarding any content shared in our waiting areas, or have suggestions for topics, please email communications@grandviewkids.ca.

Get involved in research

Interested in participating? Want more information?

Please email the study team at mpoc2@mcmaster.ca.

This study has been reviewed by the Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board under project #15702.

From the Archives

This year, Grandview Kids celebrates its 70th anniversary. Since we started as the Oshawa and District Cerebral Palsy Parent Council back in 1953, much has changed – we have grown to eight locations, broadened service offerings, and scaled up our team. But, a lot has also stayed the same, including our focus on client and family-centred care, and our ability to work alongside strategic partners to better serve our community.

To honour our rich and meaningful history, our Archivist, Mitchell Daniels, has carefully curated an Archives Collection that will go on tour across all our sites! Staff, volunteers, visitors, clients and caregivers can engage with the displays in our waiting rooms. See below for the Archives Roadshow schedule, so you know when the display will be headed your way!

Archives Roadshow schedule

Unfortunately, the display is too large to bring to our smaller sites, but alternate arrangements will be made to showcase our history at these locations!

If you have items you’d like to donate to the Archives, please email mitchell.daniels@grandviewkids.ca. In your initial email, please tell us a little bit about the piece(s) that you wish to donate. Mitchell will then send you a copy of our artifact donation form. Please complete this and bring it with you or send it with the objects that you wish to donate. Once donated, the object will become part of the public trust and will be used for display, research and archival preservation.

Community corner

Did you know you can borrow these things with your library card?

• C-Pen Readers that read printed text aloud for you.
• iPads, Chromebooks and Mobile Hotspots that provide tech on the go.

What else is going on at the Library?

• Explore, learn and create with the Library’s Makerspace with activities ranging from coding and robotics to using the 3D Printer to graphic design to music.
• Attend upcoming Holly Jolly events.

Dates of significance

Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and Orthodox Christmas

In December and January, we acknowledge Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and Orthodox Christmas. Visit our website to read more about each holiday, written by members of our Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) Committee.

World Religion Day (January 21)

World Religion Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in January every year and is a reminder of the need for harmony and understanding between religions and faith systems. On this day, communities of different faiths can get together and listen to each other, as well as celebrate the differences and commonalities that the delicate intermingling of culture and religion brings. There are approximately 4,200 religions around the world. While many people live their lives without religion, faith in a higher being or power works for many people. Whatever the reasons, we are all for the idea of people being unified despite lifestyle differences and we encourage learning about and celebrating them.

International Day of Education (January 24)

January 24 is International Day of Education, and the United Nations has deemed education “a human right, a public good and a public responsibility.” Many children and adults worldwide do not have access to education, which can lead to poverty and missing out on learning basic life skills and lifelong opportunities. This day is created to campaign for better education reforms and improve access to education for all. It’s a day to celebrate and advocate for access to education.

Family Literacy Day (January 27)

Every year on January 27, ABC Life Literacy Canada hosts Family Literacy Day, the largest national family literacy event in Canada. Literacy organizations, schools, libraries and media groups will coordinate numerous literacy-themed events and activities across the country in honour of this special initiative. Family Literacy Day is a national awareness initiative created by ABC Life Literacy Canada in 1999 to raise awareness of the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family. For more information, visit the Family Literacy Day website.

Grandview Kids Foundation

Kids Eat for ONLY $2 on Mondays at Kelsey’s Ajax!

For the entire year, Kelsey’s Ajax is hosting a spectacular fundraiser for Grandview Kids Foundation. Every Monday, you and your family can indulge in a delightful dinner outing, and here's the cherry on top – your little ones will eat for just $2!

The future is bright

The second annual Dream Big, Dream Brighter: Making the Future a Brighter Place awards dinner, presented by Elexicon Energy, is complete! We are absolutely thrilled to report that the evening was a huge success – raising $42,330 for Grandview Kids Foundation as a result! Thank you to our volunteers and committee, who helped make this event happen. We are filled with gratitude, and we are so excited to see all that is in store for next year!

Watch the event video > View photos of the event >

Meet Clarissa, our Holiday Campaign Ambassador

As we reach the winter season, we begin to treasure the moments of warmth, belonging and friendship that the cold weather tends to bring. This year, Grandview Kids Foundation is excited to introduce Grandview Kids client, Clarissa, and her family, as our Holiday Campaign Ambassadors. Please visit this link, to watch their story.

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Content in Gather is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor. Views expressed in posts and resources listed do not signify endorsement by Grandview Kids.