July 22, 2020
Manitoba summers are glorious. They are sun filled beach days and dripping cones of ice cream followed by seemingly endless evenings around campfires with the scent of toasted marshmallows, wood smoke (and sometimes, bug spray).
This is the stuff Manitoba summers are made of, and because of your generosity, dozens of people supported by St.Amant each summer are able to get out of the city and escape to cottage country for a few days of rest and relaxation.
Researchers have found that there are important mental and physical health benefits to spending time outdoors and everyone needs a change of scenery. Thanks to you, “Villa St.Amant”, a cottage at Albert Beach, is available at no charge to people supported by St.Amant. This provides valuable respite from urban life and important access to a recreational getaway that would otherwise be out of reach. The cottage is booked nearly every day from June to September.
This week, Timothy, Tracy, and Adam, and support staff Olu and Bola are enjoying the cottage for a few days. Timothy will happily give a tour and point out the new wheelchair ramp. Tracy enjoys showing off her room and the new beds made possible by your support. Their upcoming plans include afternoons at the beach, evening bonfires, and an anticipated walk to the ice cream store. The excitement is contagious.
Olu is grateful to donors for all of the improvements to the cottage she has seen over the last few years. She also mentioned how excited the group was to be coming and said, “Timothy has been asking ‘how many days until I get to go to my new room?’ for more than a week.” The anticipation of the vacation is almost as much fun as the vacation itself.
Thank you for giving people with developmental disabilities and autism a chance to replace the bright lights and siren sounds of the city with starlight and the soothing melody of crickets and wind rustling through leaves. This is an amazing gift.
