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This week, local father and police officer Nafis began his five-day journey by bicycle from Queens Park to Ottawa.

Officer Nafis decided to embark on this journey because of his son, who has been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy as well Autism. Nafis says that he aims to bring awareness to Autism and reduce the stigma that can surround a variety of special needs.

As a police officer, Nafis has seen a variety of family instances that has made him want to work towards further acceptance of all.

“What I’ve seen is during the calls that I’ve attended, is that there have been a lot of domestics where the husband blames the wife for the children having Autism or it’s the wife blaming the husband,” said Nafis.

Because of what he’s seen, Nafis thinks spreading awareness is incredibly important. He also hopes, though, to raise money for Grandview Kids.

“Even if I gained some money to reduce the wait times, I’m happy with that,” said Nafis. “A child shouldn’t have to wait to get treatment.”

As if riding his bike from Queens Park to Ottawa wasn’t challenging enough, Nafis has also decided to fast during the day.

“It’s the month of Ramadan and I’m a practicing Muslim. What I’ve done is for these five days of the bike ride, to show solidarity to the Muslims… I’m not eating meals during the daylight, but I am drinking fluids to keep hydrated,” said Nafis.

So far, his ride has been a success. He has met a variety of interesting and welcoming people.

“People in the small towns have been incredibly hospitable. They’ve offered for me to use their place to rest, or grab a meal or drink and always checked up on me to make sure I was okay whenever I stopped on my bike just to take a break,” said Nafis. “Canadians have been really hospitable, as they always are.”

What’s Next?

As of May 25th, Officer Nafis reached his final destination: Ottawa! Thanks for all your hard work, Nafis!

To support Nafis on his ride in support of Grandview Kids – visit his fundraising page.

After a long winter of playing in the snow, the kids at Campbell Children’s School are ready to embrace spring, with their teachers even bringing it into their learning curriculum.

Spring Gardens

In fact, April snow showers did indeed bring May flowers! The students are working on growing and caring for a variety of plants. From flowers, to vegetables and even grass, the students at Campbell’s have it all.

According to Janet Harper, the principal of Campbell Children’s School, “The gardens were part of the SCC (School Community Council) plan for last year, so we are continuing and growing the idea this year. We are also planting a medicine garden to support our Indigenous Studies.”

Walking into the classrooms over the last few weeks, students would be seen preparing their plants, learning about how they grow and watering them daily.

These gardens are another great example of the unique learning opportunities these kindergarten students receive. Around every corner, the teachers and early childhood educators at Campbell’s are coming up with new, fun and interactive ways for the kids to learn about day-to-day life.

Observing the Birds

Gardens aren’t the only way the students at Campbell’s are getting involved with nature, though.

Around the edges of the children’s accessible playground, soft wire cones full of material such as dryer lint, string and straw can be seen. What are these cones for? Building bird nests!

“Our School Community Council (SCC) created a plan at the beginning of the year to have bird nests that the students could observe,” said Janet. “The kits are incentive for the birds (to build their nests) and the bird houses will be attached to the classroom windows so the students can observe the building of the nests.”

These bird nest building kits will be a great way for the students to observe nature up-close in their school environment. We can’t wait to see what the birds build and if we’re lucky, see baby birds grow, too!

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On May 2, McHappy Day took place at McDonald’s restaurants nationwide, raising money in support of Ronald McDonald Houses and other local children’s charities.

This year, in the Durham Region, McDonald’s Restaurants were raising money for Ronald McDonald Houses and Grandview Kids!

After Durham Region McDonald’s owners pledged to raise $500,000 to build and support the new Grandview, they decided McHappy Day’s donations would be the first big fundraising initiative towards this total.

Last year, eight Durham McDonald’s partnered with Grandview Kids for McHappy Day. This year, 22 McDonald’s restaurants in Durham participated. Next year, McDonald’s Durham Region restaurants will be supporting Grandview once again. This time, all locations across the region will be donating to Grandview.

During McHappy day the community rallied together, lining up the McDonald’s drive-thrus throughout the community, donating change and purchasing Big Macs, Happy Meals and hot McCafe beverages throughout the day. By the end of the day, $161,441 was raised for Grandview Kids.

An entire classroom visited the Bowmanville location at lunch during their lunch break to support Grandview.

“I decided to take my students to McHappy day to support Grandview. I have a child that goes to Grandview and they know and care for him,” said local teacher Darlene Lomax. “They have always been supportive and thought it was a good cause. I was so proud of my class as they were very polite, patient and donated generously. They even sought out the donation collectors when they couldn’t see them. Another customer commented on how well behaved and respectful they were. These are a group of grade eight students that felt good about being able to help in their own way. I am proud of these students and proud to be their teacher!”

It was incredible to see the outpouring of support from all corners of Durham.

Grandview is so thankful for this partnership with McDonald’s as well as the support and involvement demonstrated by our community.

We can’t see what’s in store for Grandview next!

Want more information?

For information on what locations participated, or our partnership with McDonald’s, visit our blog about it!

Spring has sprung and just in time for Grandview’s Spring Into Literacy conference.

On Saturday, April 21st, Grandview hosted their annual Spring Into Literacy conference at the Durham District School Board. This yearly event is a collaborative effort with EarlyON Child and Family Centres – Durham, Durham Catholic District School Board, Durham District School Board and Carea Community Health Centre.

Over 150 participants, vendors and volunteers took part in this year’s conference, enjoying an engaging keynote address by Jill Javelosa-Alvarez, an Early Literacy Specialist. Participants also attended two break-out sessions from a choice of five.

Two different sessions were actually presented by Grandview staff members, like the “We Can Read Too: Early Literacy for Children with Complex Needs” session and the “Occupational Therapy Tools for Learning” session.

Throughout the day, participants could be found listening to incredible speakers and involved in hands on activities.

Participants, including Registered Early Childhood Educators, other early years professionals and parents reported that they enjoyed the format and content of the conference, learning new strategies to support the early literacy development of children from birth to six years.

The entire day was packed full of hands-on learning opportunities and the workshops were well received by all participants.

Congratulations to the entire organizational team for coordinating a successful conference this year. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2019.

Featured photo courtesy of Snapd Whitby.

On May 31, Grandview’s 21st Annual Golf Fore Grandview Kids Charity Golf Classic will be taking place on the north course of Deer Creek Golf & Banquet Facility.

The day will begin with registration at 9:30 a.m., followed by lunch, a silent auction and a raffle for a V.I.P. luxury golf cart. The shotgun start will happen promptly at 11a.m. followed by a 5p.m. reception with dinner, awards and auction shortly after at 5:30 p.m..

Students from Grandview Children’s Centre’s co-located educational partner Campbell Children’s School will be on hand for the day’s festivities. These Grandview Kids will greet each golfer when they arrive and hand out welcome prizes. They will also kick off the golf tournament by singing the national anthem.

Golfers will get the chance to learn about the exceptional programs and services offered by Grandview Children’s Centre at interactive displays throughout the course. Clinical staff members will team up with Grandview Kids clients to give a show and tell about different types of therapy, like Occupational Therapy, Social Work Services, Speech-Language Pathology, etc.

Last year more than $81,000 was raised for Grandview Children’s Foundation by the 176 golfers that participated. The money was raised through the initial registration fee for the links combined with sponsorship packages and the participants’ amazing generosity bidding on silent auction and raffle items during the dinner and awards portion of the day.

There is still time to become a sponsor or to register as an individual golfer or as a foursome.

For more information about the 22nd Annual Golf Fore Grandview Kids Charity Golf Classic or to register visit: https://grandviewkidsfoundation.ca/events/golf-fore-grandview-kids/

Grandview Kids is currently recruiting individuals to join our Board of Trustees.

Who are we?

Grandview Children’s Centre provides expert paediatric assessment, specialized medical and other treatment and rehabilitation services to children and youth with physical, communication and developmental needs. It is the only children’s treatment centre in Durham Region. Grandview’s work has a broad impact in our community, changing lives daily.

We need individuals who want to help our organization develop and grow to meet the needs of our expanding community and who are aligned with our mission and values.

As we enter the next 5 years of unprecedented growth and build our new facility, we are seeking those with expertise/experience in construction/facility design, information technology, public relations/ marketing, finance, governance and/or childhood disability.

In order to be eligible to stand for election as a Trustee, each nominee must:

1. Be a resident of Durham or in the opinion of the Board maintain a direct and substantial interest in Durham, or, in the opinion of the Board, have the potential to make a significant contribution to the Corporation, and
2. Support and promote the purposes and objectives of the Corporation

The Grandview Children’s Centre Board meets monthly, as do subcommittees of the Board. A minimum of 6 hours commitment per month is required. It is anticipated that members will also participate in agency events.

If you are interested in being considered for a position on the Board of Trustees, please submit a letter expressing your interest and a CV outlining your qualifications by email to: kelly.oconnor@grandviewkids.ca on or before Friday, April 27, 2018.

Please note this is a volunteer position.

Accessibility: Grandview Children’s Centre is committed to complying with all applicable standards as set out in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA). If you have accessibility needs and require alternate formats or other accommodations please contact Kelly O’Connor, Executive Assistant at 905-728-1673, extension 2224, or by email at kelly.oconnor@grandviewkids.ca