HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1980-05-07, Page 2• HY HENRY HESS .
whipping cream in a jar and then ate ,it
Locally, the Flowers of Hope Campaign afterward,.'," learning where butter comes
will. be different this year, In ,hOpes of 'front and hoW'it feels and tasteso lMrS, Ricker
aghag a-greater-tesponseT-the'Ving----reperts,
h*m and District'. ASSOCiatiOn for :the "It's terri6c to see theft satisfaction at
Mentally Retarded will be conducting a doing things AM their own and then being
,.
door-to-door canvass in Wingham and the able to eat it themselves.''
villages.of LucknOW, Blyth and TeesWater, to Eating together alsO helps, the children,
supplement a 'mail out campaign in the stir- develop social skilli; as well -as teaching
rounding townshiris, them to use table utensils, she noted, and
Last yeat the Flowers of Hope raised the food is a good reward.
about $2,000 locally and the association Another popular pragram is held in the
appreciated the support but needs a lot more water mord, where the children get into their
to continue its programs according to bathing Snits and play in wading pools in the
treasurer,, Audrey Swatridge. ' specially heated room. This is excellent
Where does the money go? The best way therapy; helps the; children overcome their
to answer this question is to see the fear of water and teaches them coordination
Winghara children's centre on William • and how to dress and undress.
Street, where the Silver Circle Nursery In addition to the snack time and play
School rents a room for a group of special• periods, each child has •• an individual'
children. learning •program. Once a child is enrolled at,
Here a group of happy youngsters, under the nursery school he or.she is assessed by
the patient and loving care of Supervisor expertS from the Ontario SocietY far
Sylvia Ricker, Virginia Jessup and volun- Crippled Childteri or the Children's Psych-
teers from the Community, spends five iatric Research Institute, Individfial pro-
mornings each week having fun and learning grams of therapy are 'designed which are
to overcome the probleMs which make these followed by Mrs. Ricker and her assistants,
children different from their counterparts and each child is periodicallY reassessed and
next deor. his progress reviewed, .
Not all of them are mentally retarded, the The. Silver Circle takes in children aged
bvay most of tis think of retardation. One boy two to;10, although all the youngsters there' •
las cerebral palsy, which is a physical now are tinder, six; It• is currently at full
landicap, while others are jUst slow learners capacity with an enrolment of 10.
Ind-need the additional..stimulation to :help . Since the next closeit centre is in Dash
hem; catch up on their learning. wood, the children come from all around'the
These, if helped early, will probably be area and transportation costs are high,
able to rejoin their other friends and proceed Mrs. Ricker notes. The children are brought
through the normal education, syStem. to Witigha_m, together with the trainees at.
..14, Agri'
it's messy, but it feels nice. Darryl, on the standing board,, gets to. smear around shSving
cream, to his heart's delight under the guidance of Anne Hamilton, Lucknow, a volunteM.
from. Youth AcrOss Canada for the Mentally Retarded; [YACM14: This is ,lust one of many
types of stimulation. offered to mentally handicapped children at th&-Silver, Circle Nurkery
Sehool in. Wingham, [Photo by llenry•Hess]
"It's supposed to -be a learning situation
in a fun atmosphere," Mts. Ricker says of
the nursery school. "I really think that sums
40."
She noted the education for the children
Starts from the moment they arrive at the
school, when they learn to handle buttons
and zippers in taking off and hanging up
their coats. This is a start On the living skills
these youngsters will need to master.
Snack time provides another popular
learning experience. The children are helped
to make snacks for themselves, sueh as
eggs, paneakes, toast or perhaps-a birthday
cake, and then all sit down and enjoy them
together.
"We made butter last week by shaking
the JaCk Reavie adult workshopi-in -.station
wagon buses, and she praised the drivers for
their excellent care of the youngsters.
Operating costs for the nursery school,
including salaries for the two full-time staff,
trattsportation, rental and equipment expen-
ses are partially subsidized by the provincial
familY and social services program, with the
balance funded by:the local association for
the mentally retarded. There is no charge to
the parents of the children.
This year the association's share of the,
costs probably will exceed $8,000, Mrs.
---Swatridge-points-outi-and-she-is-hoping the
Flowers of Hope campaign will cover a large
part of that. That's.where the money goes -
these flowers are for the children.
Remember
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