LET’S KEEP ALL CHATHAM-KENT’S CHILDREN ACTIVE AND HEALTHY!

CHATHAM-KENT, ONTARIO (January 7, 2010) – In a couple months, Chatham native Derek Whitson will be competing at the 2010 Paralympics in Vancouver as a member of Canada’s sledge hockey team.  On January 7, he assisted in the launch of the Children’s Treatment Centre Foundation of Chatham-Kent’s new fundraising initiative in support of adapted sports programs for children with physical and developmental needs.  

The campaign, “Fitness Fun for ALL Kids!”, with its $100,000 goal, will enable the Children’s Treatment Centre of Chatham-Kent to offer adapted sports programs for physically disabled children for several years to come.  These programs include adapted swimming, sailing, baseball, soccer, sledge hockey, bocce, golf, dance and gymnastics.

Whitson, a recipient of therapy services at the Children’s Treatment Centre and participant in the Centre’s sledge hockey and other recreational programs, is helping the Foundation get the word out about the need for these valuable programs.

“Children with physical disabilities deserve and require the wellness benefits of regular physical activity as much as all children,” says Art Stirling, Foundation executive director, “but they have great difficulty participating in mainstream organized sports programs.  To participate in sports, children with significant physical and developmental needs require the active involvement of therapists and other support workers and, depending on the sport, costly modified equipment.”

“Not only are sports programs fun, but they play a key role in a child’s overall therapy regime, addressing goals such as balance, eye/hand co-ordination, motor skills development, concentration and endurance,” adds Centre executive director, Donna Litwin-Makey.  “And inclusion in adapted sports programming fulfills a child’s overall life goal of community participation and quality of life.”

In addition to physical exercise, sports programs expose children to other positive attributes such as the importance of teamwork, fair play and good sportsmanship, and the satisfaction of accomplishment. 

“This campaign, when achieved, will provide sufficient funds to cover the special sporting equipment, necessary expertise and facility rentals required to consistently offer these programs for the next three years,” says Centre recreation coordinator Heather Sarson. “To avoid disappointment and meet the needs of the children and their overall therapy goals, our ability to deliver these programs reliably over several consecutive years is critical.”

The delivery of these programs will, in some cases, be in partnership with community groups.