As the legal guardian of the children and youth in their care, the Children's Aid Society has an obligation to ensure that children in the care of the society enjoy the same access to activities as other children and therefore have an opportunity to reach their full potential.
It has been proven that children involved in sports, recreation, cultural, and extra-curricular activities have a greater chance of reaching that potential.
Long-term benefits to children include:
- increased self-confidence
- skill development
- feeling of belonging
- social connection
- enhanced ability to achieve educational success
We do this by providing funding for:
General Mills Children's Picnic
Children and families need to play together in order to develop healthy family relationships and create special family memories. Thanks to the generosity of General Mills - Pillsbury Midland Plant the Children's Picnic provides just such an opportunity for more than 500 children and parents involved with the Children's Aid Society.
Sports, Recreation & Culture Fund
The Sports and Recreation Enhancement Fund supplements the individual allowance provided under Child Welfare funding and permits children in our care to enjoy those pursuits and activities common to a 'normalized' childhood experience.
Holiday Program
Many of the families we work with struggle financially just to make ends meet, to pay their rent and put food on the table. Programs such as this one help reduce the stress experienced by our families. With the knowledge that there are additional supports available, families can focus their attention in a positive way and enjoy the holidays with their children.
Special Friends' Group
The Special Friends Group not only provides the participants an opportunity to experience group activities in a healthy setting but also exposes them to positive role models and mentors by way of the volunteer facilitators. This experience helps to develop the skills necessary to become an independent and contributing member of society.
Welcome Kits & Independence Kits
A knapsack filled with personal items, a toy, book, socks and underwear, is a welcome sight for a child coming into the care with nothing to call their own. And a kit filled with items that are required to live independently is essential to the success of our youth moving from foster care into a place of their own in the community.
