Adrian Polidano

A parcel of land donated by the Town of Ajax on Harwood Avenue North has officially been marked the future site of the new Grandview Children’s Centre headquarters.

The official sign unveiling took place on November 3 with Ajax Council, local MPPs and Grandview staff and families on hand.

“There is so much excitement about a sign,” explained Grandview Children’s Centre CEO Lorraine Sunstrum-Mann. “This sign is more than just an indicator of where the future centre will be built. It marks a monumental milestone on our long-awaited journey to create a new Grandview.”

Grandview’s main facility in Oshawa was built in 1983 to serve just 400 children. It now serves more than 6,000 children and youth with special needs annually in Durham Region and there are 3,000 more on a wait-list.

“Ajax Council is proud to be a partner in bringing a new Grandview Children’s Centre to Ajax. Recognizing the growing need for vital Grandview services, the Town donated a five-acre parcel of land for the new facility in 2015. We are excited to celebrate the next step in this process, and look forward to having a new Grandview in Ajax,” said Mayor Parish.

Grandview Children’s Centre received approval and $31 million in funding from the Province in May to build the new headquarters.

“After 12 years of hard work advocating on behalf of our Grandview Children’s Centre, we have taken another step forward with the sign reveal this morning,” said Ajax-Pickering MPP, Joe Dickson. “I look forward to the sod turning, and the day we cut the ribbon to officially open the new facility right here in Ajax.”

Grandview is working alongside the Province to complete the final architectural design, construction plan, budget and timelines.

The new Grandview is expected to cost $50 million. Grandview Children’s Foundation is embarking on the Believe capital campaign to raise the funds still needed to build the new headquarters and support the specialized programs and services offered by Grandview.

“We believe every child deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential and dream big. With the community’s help, we know we can help Grandview Kids achieve them,” said Grandview Children’s Foundation Executive Director of Development. Brigitte Tschinkel.

To donate to the Grandview Kids Believe campaign go to https://grandviewkidsfoundation.ca/capital-campaign/

Grandview Kids supporters and cookie lovers alike are responsible for the success of the 2017 Tim Hortons’ Smile Cookie campaign.

$136,081 was raised for Grandview Kids during the week of September 11-17.

“We are so thankful to the Tim Hortons restaurant owners for selecting Grandview Kids as the charity of choice for this year’s Smile Cookie campaign in Durham Region,” said Brigitte Tschinkel, Grandview Children’s Foundation’s Executive Director of Development. “The money raised will be put toward funding annual programs and services at the Centre.”

Local Tim Hortons franchise owners will present a cheque to Grandview Children’s Foundation on Friday, November 3 at noon.

Thanks again to everyone who bought a Smile Cookie in support of Grandview Kids. Every dollar counts!

Take a look around the next time you pay a visit to Grandview Kids in Oshawa. You’ll notice we’ve made a change. The accessibility symbols in our parking lot and throughout the centre have a new look.

Grandview Kids has adopted the new dynamic symbol of The Forward Movement, a symbol which shows the person in their ability, not disability.

The Forward Movement was founded by 23-year-old Dylan Itzikowitz. The idea came to fruition after Dylan became injured following an accident involving a vehicle. He was a pedestrian. The injuries he sustained resulted in him relying on the use of a wheelchair for mobility.

“I learned very quickly how inaccessible my old life was. Both physical barriers but also social. People began to see taking me out as a burden and strangers would think it was ‘so kind’ of my friends to be out with a kid in a wheelchair,” Dylan explained.

While in the hospital recovering, Dylan read about the Accessible Icon Project, the American organization that designed the Dynamic Symbol. He reached out to the organization about bringing the symbol to Canada.

“At first, I was doing it as a hobby to keep myself busy. But as it grew, I learned how it could be used as a vehicle for education and awareness. Also, our model around endorsements allowed me to develop strong personal relationships with other people doing similar work, which really nurtured my knowledge, passion, and empathy.”

Dylan has help from his friend and co-founder Jonathan. The pair are working to have the symbol adopted in towns and cities across the country. Grandview Children’s Centre is the first to display the symbols in Durham Region but we have hope that we won’t be the last.

Thank you to The Forward Movement for helping Grandview Kids move forward with accessibility and awareness. Let’s make this change in symbol spark conversations about the importance of physical and social inclusion for people of all abilities.

Get a Smile, Give a Smile!

From September 11-17, purchase a Smile Cookie for $1 at Tim Hortons restaurants in Durham Region and support Grandview Kids.

The Smile Cookie campaign started in 1996 in Hamilton, Ontario. Since then, more than $46 million has been raised to date.

Purchase a Smile Cookie at one of the 61 participating Tim Hortons locations in Durham Region and your full $1 from cookie sales will be donated to Grandview Children’s Centre & Foundation.

A full list of participating restaurants will be posted soon.

Want to treat your family, friends and/or office with Smile Cookies? Print and fill out the Smile Cookie PRE-ORDER form here. Completed forms can be submitted to your closest Durham Region Tim Hortons Restaurant. You must place your order no less than 48 hours before your desired pickup.

Thank you for your continued support of Grandview Kids.

For the past five years, the staff at Intact Insurance have gone above and beyond to support Grandview Kids. Grandview Kids has benefited not only from their generous donations but from their volunteer work as well.

On July 12, 2017 about 30 employees left their day jobs behind to come and help beautify and clean-up the Oshawa Grandview Kids site. The Intact team helped with a number of maintenance tasks, including painting parking spots, speed bumps and curbs, de-weeding and mulching flower beds, and washing the centre’s exterior windows. It was a hot day and there’s no doubt some of the work was tedious, but not one of you complained. We are so grateful for your time, hard work and your positive attitudes!  The Grandview Kids attending Summer Camp at the facility also enjoyed meeting you and helping out.

From all of us here at Grandview Kids, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We look forward to welcoming you back again next year!

The ‘I Am A Promise’ scholarship award was presented to two very deserving recipients this year. The award is a bursary for clients of Grandview Children’s Centre who have plans for post-secondary education. It was established by Ruth Althouse, a former principal of Campbell Children’s School, the co-located education partner of Grandview.

Ruth presented the awards recently to two clients of Grandview’s Adolescent Program; Carmen Lalonde and Sam Keane

Carmen Lalonde

Carmen has been accepted into the Bachelor of Business Administration program at the University of Toronto. Carmen said she applied for the ‘I Am A Promise’ award because it would be of great assistance in her post-secondary journey. She said it would lighten the load of costs that she will soon incur. Once Carmen has completed her degree, she would like to pursue a Chartered Professional Accountant accreditation or complete her Masters of Business Administration (MBA).  She recognizes that these are big goals that she has set for herself, and this award will help set her in the right direction. Grandview believes in you, Carmen!

Sam Keane

Sam will be attending Durham College’s Sports Administration Management program this September. It’s a program he’s been dreaming about attending since grade nine. Sam hopes that completing this program will help land him a job in the hockey world. That is his number one passion in life! He has been volunteering with the Oshawa Generals Hockey Club as a Fan Services Representative and plans to continue doing so while he’s studying at Durham College. Grandview is so proud of you, Sam! You’ll do great.

Congratulations to both Carmen and Sam! We wish you every success in your post-secondary adventures.