May 9, 2017
Over this past year, your support has raised over $1.7 million. Every contribution directly improves the quality of life for children and adults with developmental disabilities supported by St.Amant every day!
Your generosity helps fund:
- The St.Amant Leisure Guide and FM Café– Your contributions have created the opportunity for nearly 400 people to participate in many different classes such as cooking, swimming, dance, art, basketball, Minecraft, and city tours. Your contributions also support the FM Café, a Friday evening party occurring every other week with live music, dancing, food & drink, and is free for individuals supported by St.Amant.
- Opportunities for recreation — Sports and cultural events, festivals, camping, movies, a trip to the spa, even expenses to attend one’s own high school graduation are important experiences that you helped make available to people with disabilities.
- Personal items and equipment — Specialized wheelchairs, modified bicycles, customized orthotic boots, major dental surgery, prescription glasses; these are important items that your donations support.
- Making education and technology accessible – Smart Boards and iPads, communication devices, guitar lessons, even a bartending course; your support is helping people with disabilities achieve a meaningful place in our community. By facilitating communication or developing a skill that can enable someone to have a job, your support fuels achievements.
- Renovations of the spaces people live and play – With your help, we are currently raising $5 million for renovations to the living areas in this building. Your donations also fund smaller renovations and purchases for the over 100 locations where we support people in the community. Sometimes it’s big purchases, like a new wheelchair accessible van, and other times it’s smaller gifts like new patio furniture, a BBQ or a TV.
- St.Amant Research Centre—Every day the research centre is working on projects for improved respite options, how best to help people with behavioural challenges, autism treatment effectiveness and best practice for people with intellectual disabilities as they age. They’re a constant source of support to our organization with partnerships worldwide.
Most of all, you are supporting friendships and connection in our community. David Pitonyak, an expert in supporting people with disabilities, says that no one is sick from a disability, people are sick from loneliness. Your help is ensuring the people in our community are connected in real relationships, and filling their days with things that are meaningful to them.
Thank you for acknowledging the value of children and adults with developmental disabilities every day.