GUELPH – The Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington has added mental health supports to the programs it provides for children and youth, thanks in part to a $10,000 donation from the Guelph Giving Pledge.
The foundation, through its Free to Grow program, normally funds extra-curricular programs for children whose families don’t have the means to pay – things like swimming lessons, summer camp, art and music classes, and driver education.
When public facilities closed last year and those opportunities were no longer possible, the foundation switched gears and put together recreation kits full of activities children could do at home.
“COVID stirred things up,” Karyn Kirkwood, director of programs, said in an interview. “We had to change to meet the needs of the moment.”
And while children still needed recreational opportunities, Kirkwood said it quickly became apparent that they also needed mental health supports.
“The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) was doing its best, but they were stretched thin,” Kirkwood said. “Kids were on waiting lists. We felt that was a place we could step in and support.”
The foundation doesn’t offer direct counselling but has partnered with CMHA and Five Star Relationships, a psychotherapy clinic.
The program is still in its early stages, but the expectation is that this partnership will shorten the waiting list for children and youth seeking counselling.
“We’re not the therapist but we’ll make sure kids have access,” Kirkwood said.
One in five youth struggled with mental health and well-being pre-pandemic and that’s only increased during the pandemic.
“We have seen an increase in requests for this type of support, and introducing mental health into our Free to Grow program has been such an important step to continue supporting the full well-being of local children and youth,” CEO Emma Rogers stated in a press release.
“With the additional funds supported by the Guelph Giving Pledge, we will be able to not only reach and support more children and youth, but also continue to grow this program to better support their needs and the needs of their families.”
As recreational programs open up, the Children’s Foundation will return to funding these programs for children, but spaces are limited this year. In the meantime, it distributed 600 activity kits in June. The kits contain books, games, arts and crafts, outdoor activities to try and a resource booklet.
Kirkwood said the Guelph Giving Pledge is a new organization and it has pledged $10,000 this year and $20,000 next year to the Children’s Foundation to get the program off the ground.
The Guelph Giving Pledge encourages people with the means to make a pledge to help people living in poverty and with homelessness.
“We are very excited for the opportunity to champion the (Children’s Foundation’s) mental health initiative,” stated Jason Haupt, a founding member of the Guelph Giving Pledge, in a press release.
“Without a strong mental health foundation, it is very difficult to succeed in life. Our goal is to give all children and youth in our community access to the mental health resources required to build that foundation.”
Information about the Guelph Giving Pledge can be found at www.guelphgivingpledge.ca.
Information about the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington can be found at www.childrensfoundation.org.
