All families go through changes. The family of staff and patrons at the Family Place has some new faces and the facility has a fresh look, but when it really comes down to it, family is still family. There are still hugs, smiles, encourage-ment, play, learning, conversation and the ultimate criterion: nurturing. They say it takes a village to raise a child and the Family Place is the modern version of a devoted, tribal tent of matriarchs willing to support those who are raising children and to help improve the lives of the people in their community.
When the original Executive Director of the Family Place, Linda Rudachyk, announced her plans to retire on June 30, 2011, the flood gates seemed to open, literally and figuratively, for big changes at the Family Place.
Upon being chosen to fill the shoes of Rudachyk, who is a much-treasured community leader, Kathy Helfrick began shadowing Rudachyk in early June.
It's a good thing, too, that both of these capable women were at the helm, because on June 17, Weyburn's devastating flood waters ushered in an overflow of sewage, filling the basement and causing a genuine disaster at the Family Place.
Early that morning, the contents of the basement, including children's toys, books and clothing from the Clothing Closet, were floating in sewer water.
"You'd walk in here and the smell would just hit you," said Helfrick. There was no place in the building where one could escape the odour due to the crisis downstairs.
Members of the community perceived the urgent need for help and within about three hours, with 20 volunteers, the sewage was pumped out of the basement. Many of the volunteers also had water in their basements at home, but they made it a priority to help out at the place where the lives of so many children would be affected.
The remaining debris was cleared throughout the following week thanks to an additional 40 volunteers and the Family Place reopened its doors on June 27.
Helfrick counted it a profound experience to have seen so many people come together to help, even though she already knew Weyburn was full of helpful people.
"Every time we turned around, somebody was doing something that in our minds was beyond belief," said Helfrick. "These people gave all their time and never asked for anything in return."
Kathy Helfrick officially began serving as Executive Director in July. With fresh paint and a clear vision for moving forward, the new leadership at the Family Place is obvious upon entering the facility. But beyond appearances, the space of nurturing still offers everything it has been known and loved for throughout the past 16 years in Weyburn.
The Family Place provides a space for parents to bring their children to play, with all the comforts of home for kids. There are support groups for parents such as Smiles and Tears, for parents of very young children. Also offered are Preschool programs as well as Mini Go, which is a program for at-risk pre-school-aged children. Birthday parties and food services have been a mainstay, as have free gifts such as bread, which is available to anyone who can use it. Indeed, going to the Family Place for many kids is like going to Grandma's house, complete with hugs and fresh-baked cookies.
"A lot of people like the idea that we treat them like we treat our own children," said Helfrick while she packaged up fruitcakes the organization baked to sell as a pre-Christmas fundraiser.
The Family Place runs on community contributions. The 12th annual Festival of Trees raised more than $41,000 for the Family Place, with the highest amount of silent auction items and the most trees in the event's history. But the giving did not stop there.
Aldon Oils has continued a tradition of welcoming children and leaders from the Family Place to their office, where they donated a cheque for $10,000 to the Mini Go group and committed to future annual donations to the program.
Employees at SaskPower gathered together and donated 12 large boxes of clothing, which officially enabled the Family Place to reinstate the Clothing Closet, a room on the lower level that is devoted to offering clothing free of charge.
Several employees of Apache Canada approached the Family Place and donated their time and services by painting two large rooms on the main floor in just two days this December.
The Family Place is currently updating its volunteer database, which has more than 200 people listed. Nonetheless, they always welcome new volunteers and anyone wishing to serve should contact the Family Place. Volunteers can help out in a number of ways, from the Bubba Brigade to Playroom care, reading books to children, organizing clothing and sharing wisdom with parents.
"It's nice to know that in spite of some big changes this year, people still know they are welcome," said Kathy Helfrick in regard to the overwhelming number of offers for help the Family Place has received in the months following the flood damage. In fact, so ready and willing were this year's volunteers that it took only one afternoon of phone calls to arrange for every single time slot to be filled at the Festival of Trees!
Helfrick stated that the next year promises excitement and more great strides at the Family Place, including more birthday party theme options and a revival of the catering services.
"The Family Place is meant for everybody," said Helfrick. "There are no barriers."
