More than 40 children participated in the 2014 ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) summer program which is put on by Children's Therapy depart of Sunrise Health Region.
The Autism Program received two donations that allowed the children to be involved in many more opportunities than would otherwise have been the case. In April the community of Stockholm held an Autism Awareness fundraiser, and raised $2,512 that assisted the summer program to take the kids to swimming pools, bowling, the Gallagher Centre water park, the Cherry Dale golf course and a host of other activities. The Stockholm fundraiser was organized by Jason and Erin Nichols, but the whole community pitched in and many local businesses made donations.
Michael and Dawn Smith of Smith Steel in Yorkton also made a $1,000 donation to the Autism program to ensure that all the kids were able to take part in all the activities. Both sets of parents were motivated to help the program because they have children who have used the program and have seen the tremendous benefit it provides to the kids.
"We know that not all the families can afford to participate in all the activities, and we wanted to make sure that all the kids could participate in everything the program does. That's what motivated us to raise money to help the program," said Jason Nichols.
The focus of the ASD Summer Program is "organized fun" - a combination of Day camps, group outings and individual respite. Planned activities included crafts, games, indoor and outdoor play, and activities in the community. The activities were specific to the age, interests and skill levels of the participants in each group. All programs were led by trained ASD staff with the focus on developing peer interaction skills through play and recreation.
