MEDIA RELEASE / WEB ANNOUNCEMENT
Support from CIBC Children’s Foundation helps kids living with disabilities access assistive devices and equipment
Toronto, April 17, 2019 – Easter Seals Canada is pleased to announce that CIBC has generously donated $75,000 in 2018 to support the Easter Seals AccessAbility Program for children living with disabilities.
“We want to thank CIBC and the CIBC Children’s Foundation for providing financial support to enable children 14 years and under who are living with disabilities to acquire the essential assistive, adaptive, communications and learning technology they require which will dramatically improve their quality of life and equip them for future success,” said Dave Starrett, President and CEO Easter Seals Canada.
Through the AccessAbility Program, Easter Seals removes barriers to participation and communication. By providing financial assistance to individuals and families, and delivering direct -to-client programs to help ensure that children living with disabilities have access to the essential assistive, adaptive and learning technology and equipment they need, Easter Seals is empowering recipients to be more active in their communities, to be more independent and confident in their own abilities, and enhance their day-to-day living and educational experiences.
Thanks to CIBC’s donation, Easter Seals was able to approve more applications, reduce the wait list for families in need of support and also reduced the financial strain and stress experienced by families of children living with disabilities.
Among the recipients is the Bravo family in Alberta. “Our son, Ramon, was diagnosed after birth with Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy. He is 8-years old now and is getting bigger everyday. It has been a big stress for us to be constantly lifting and transferring him safely within our home. Easter Seals has an amazing team that has helped us every step of the way. We want to give our most sincere thank you to CIBC and Easter Seals for providing the funding to purchase a Lift Track System and Chair Lift. Their generosity will help improve our daily lives.”
With the funding from CIBC, Easter Seals Canada and its provincial member organizations in five provinces (Alberta, Manitoba, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick) were able to provide direct financial support to 45 children and families, as well as 50 additional children who will now have access to assistive technology and equipment through a variety of Easter Seals summer camps and year-round programs.
“With the support from the CIBC Children’s Foundation, kids can attend camp and have ‘normal’ life experiences. The new commode chair levels the playing field as it provides support for kids with mild to severe physical impairments. Having this new equipment provides a safe, comfortable, effortless experience for the workers. It is adjustable, flexible and able to adapt to the varying needs of the kids, keeping them safe from harm. In enabling us to purchase this equipment, CIBC Children’s Foundation has provided a fundamental equipment necessary to create a safe, positive impact on the kids of this community and their families,” said Michelle Loader, a parent in Newfoundland.
Thank you to CIBC for supporting Easter Seals Canada and helping Canadians living with disabilties be #UNSTOPPABLETM.
About Easter Seals Canada
Easter Seals is Canada’s largest local provider of programs, services, and issues-leadership and development for the disability community. Since 1922, Easter Seals Canada and its provincial member organizations have been working to create a more inclusive and accessible society that includes and honours the contributions and potential of Canadians of all abilities. Easter Seals responds to the needs and aspirations of Canadians living with disabilities – and their families – by providing services that enhance their independence, well-being and quality of life; and by offering leadership that promote increased awareness, research and investment in disability issues.
For more information about Easter Seals, please contact:
- Ana Maria Faria, Vice-President of National Development, Easter Seals Canada. Email: afaria@easterseals.ca, Tel: 1877376-6362 ext. 226. www.easterseals.ca
- Follow Easter Seals: Facebook (EasterSealsCanada), Twitter (@EasterSeals)
“The EZEE-LIFE Tilt Shower and Commode chair is fantastic. My daughter uses a wheelchair and having to transfer her from her chair to the shower or tub can be strenuous and sometimes difficult. With the EZEE-LIFE Tilt Shower chair, she can easily transfer from her daily chair and I just roll her directly into the shower with little or no effort. By using the chair, it also reduces the chance of falling and injuring herself. The EXEE-LIFE chair makes bath time a whole lot easier. Thank You CIBC Foundation for providing my daughter and many other children with access to EZEE-LIFE Tilt Shower chair.”
“My son loves bath time but it has always been such a struggle due to him having cerebral palsy and not being able to sit up or have much control over his body movements. Also, it wasn’t easy on our backs having to constantly be bending over the tub. We looked into this bath seat and knew that it would enhance his bath time and make things much easier for all of us. He absolutely loves his new bath seat. Instead of just laying down in a few inches of water, he can sit up and splash in a bath tub full of water and see what’s going on around him. Due to this kind donation, bath time is far more enjoyable for the both of us. We thank you very much from the bottom of our heart, for helping to make a difference in his life.”
“Our son, Ramon, was diagnosed after birth with Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy. He is 8-years old now and is getting bigger everyday. It has been a big stress for us to be constantly lifting and transferring him safely within our home. Easter Seals has an amazing team that has helped us every step of the way. We want to give our most sincere thank you to CIBC and Easter Seals for providing the funding to purchase a Lift Track System and Chair Lift. Their generosity will help improve our daily lives.”
“Caden was born in 2008 with no hearing. Since receiving his cochlear implants he has made leaps and bounds. Caden is now able to hear the birds chirping, planes flying, sirens roaring, but most of all he is able to hear his parents and brother’s voices. Caden is now able to use the telephone and have a normal life like any other kid his age. The cochlear implants units are very expensive, but thanks to the financial support, his parents can now afford to pay for the ongoing maintenance costs including batteries and upgrades.”
“Finally, she feels like she is the smart girl I’ve always known her to be, and her confidence is coming back! It’s been 2 years that she has struggled with reading and writing as she is dyslexic and dysgraphic. Thank you CIBC and Easter Seals for changing my daughter’s life and helping her to succeed. I am forever grateful to Easter Seals for allowing my daughter to find her strengths by taking the burden of her challenges away.”
