Children’s joy bubbles over (and parents get a break)
KidsAbility hosts 75 kids who require specialized care
WATERLOO — It was 10 years ago that a group of social workers at KidsAbility in Waterloo Region decided to offer parents of children with special needs a little respite during the holiday season.
“We were having a discussion about how difficult it is sometimes for parents, especially around this time of year … to be able to rely on others and trust others to leave their kids with,” said Justin Small, a social worker at KidsAbility.
Traditional child care options aren’t always appropriate for KidsAbility children, who can require specialized care or who struggle transitioning into new situations.
So the social workers created the annual Oh Christmas Free event, allowing parents to drop off their children for a three-hour party with qualified staff and volunteers at KidsAbility in Waterloo.
Saturday marked the free event’s 10th year running. About 75 children from more than 40 local families came out to the holiday extravaganza.
Children were able to dance to live music, decorate gingerbread cookies, jump on a bouncy castle, choose from a selection of items to wrap and give to Mom and Dad for Christmas, play games, and they were even able to take a photograph with Santa — who took a break from his duties at Conestoga Mall.
“Over the past several years, we’ve grown quite a bit in terms of the numbers of families we’ve supported,” said Small, adding he hadn’t known when creating the event 10 years ago that he would one day have his own children participate.
Small has six-year-old twins. His son has an autism diagnosis and his daughter had to participate in speech therapy at KidsAbility for a period of time.
“This (has) really become personal,” he said.
And even though he was volunteering on Saturday, his spouse, who worked the night shift, was able to catch up on some much-
needed sleep.
“It means a whole lot,” he said.
That’s something Linda Kenny, chief executive officer, hears often from the parents whose children participate in the event.
“The first year that I was here, this mom arrives to pick up her child and I said, ‘Did you have a nice morning and did you get your Christmas shopping done?’” said Kenny.
“She said, ‘Oh, I didn’t go Christmas shopping … my husband and I went for breakfast. We haven’t had breakfast together in eight years.’”
That story still brings tears to Kenny’s eyes when she tells it — nearly five years later.
The event is also an opportunity for children with special needs to enjoy activities that may otherwise be difficult for them to participate in.
“For some of these kids, this is their only opportunity to visit with Santa, or the only opportunity parents might have to get a picture of their child with Santa,” said Kenny, explaining that some children can’t handle visiting Santa in the mall.
This year marks another milestone for the KidsAbility Centre for Child Development.
The organization, founded and supported by Rotarians since 1957, has been operating for 60 years.
Last year nearly 7,000 children received specialized support services at KidsAbility, which has sites in Cambridge, Fergus, Guelph, Kitchener and Waterloo.
The organization is funded primarily through the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services, but also relies on donations.