By Derek Cornet

Children North reaches halfway mark of pediatric therapy room fundraiser

Jan 21, 2019 | 4:51 PM

Children North in La Ronge has received two large donations totalling $22,500 to purchase equipment for a pediatric therapy room currently in the works.

With $12,500 coming from the La Ronge Elk Club last week and another $10,000 from Conexus this afternoon, Executive Director Daina Lapworth said the organization is around the halfway mark of their goal. Since Children North began requesting donations about eight months ago, she stated close to $42,000 has been raised. The remainder of the funds come from businesses or individuals.

“We bring in a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, and speech and language pathologist to use this space, as well as our local interventionists can also use this room for ongoing therapy,” Lapworth said. “The specialists come in one or two days per week and use this space. We bring the kids in from all over northern Saskatchewan and they work with them here.”

Lapworth noted most of the supplies currently being used in the room are borrowed from other places, adding the donations will enable them to purchase their own equipment and return anything on loan. She mentioned the $10,000 donated by Conexus will be used to purchase a stand for a specific kind of swing, which are used by occupational therapists. Specialists mainly use the room, but Lapworth said it’s also open to families Children North provide services to. 

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Lapworth hopes the pediatric therapy room, as well as the construction of a kitchen and enhancement of a second room, are completed in the coming months. She’s expecting to hold a grand opening some time this spring.

“I sincerely appreciate how our communities have come together to really make this happen,” Lapworth said. “We never would have been able to do this without the support from all of the communities we work in.”

According to Conexus Manager Coralie Ylioja, members of the credit union care a lot about the health and well-being of the communities they serve. By supporting causes like the pediatric therapy room, she said Conexus wants to encourage healthier regions.

“We feel if we’re supporting causes like this, it’s going to make the community stable,” Ylioja said.
 

derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno