A Day in the Life of Russell

Posted in: Bridges To Belonging | On: July 23rd, 2015 | by Bridges To Belonging Waterloo Region

A snapshot of a day in the life of Russell, a young man with Down syndrome who is in his first year after high school. Thank you to Duncan Finnigan at the Multicultural Cinema Club, based at The Working Centre in Kitchener, Ontario, for this video. It is meant to inspire others that with a little planning and support you don’t have to fear the larger world after school finishes. Russell uses the services of Facile Waterloo Region and his facilitator Lori Maloney-Young.

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"My family is so fortunate to have found such an organization as Bridges to Belonging. The individuals who are responsive to our daughter's needs are caring, selfless, conscientious and dedicated. They are committed to making sure our family member is included within the community. I can't thank them enough."Kathleen and Margaret, Bridges to Belonging family members

“Our independent facilitator has brought people into my daughter’s life that she would never have met in a traditional program and now there are special relationships developing which we could never have imagined before.”Roslyn Vincent-Haven, Bridges to Belonging family member

"Having a facilitator in our lives has made a world of difference. All of a sudden I don't have to do everything myself, I'm not the one always asking for help, and I'm discovering every day things my son can succeed at that he might not have had the opportunity to try before."Clare Hitchens, Bridges to Belonging family member

"I have been working with my Facilitator for a while. We have tried quite a few things and slowly I am starting to put some passion back into my life."Graham, Bridges to Belonging Self-Advocate

"Cristin [my facilitator] is a special person in my life."Evie, Bridges to Belonging Self-Advocate

"We are grateful to Cristin [Evie's facilitator] for how well she has connected with Evie. She brings so many gifts to her relationship with Evie and to our family. She sees possibilities and potential in Evie and her community that we have not identified. We have an ally in Cristin and that is a great feeling."Doug and Wendy, Bridges to Belonging family members

"We sincerely appreciated meeting you today, Chaitali. Your attitude towards our son and his future development, especially supporting him to develop a personalized healthy way of cooking meals and team work with other supporters such as his social worker, job facilitator, etc. is most appreciated. Chaitali, you seem to understand a wholistic approach for our son."Marcy, Bridges to Belonging family member

“As Steph would say, ‘I like small steps.’ In this way, Steph’s independent housing journey is a work in progress, taking time and thoughtful planning.”Barb Prysnuk, Bridges to Belonging family member

“Please pass along my heartfelt thank to Bridges to Belonging. It's been a year with his facilitator and we are starting to see huge break-throughs! I know that where we are at is a direct result of having Danielle there to rely on, to encourage and to hear him, that we've gotten to this place. I'm feeling full of gratitude to your organization, for Wendy suggesting it, and for Danielle for being there so solidly for both my son and I every week for the past year.”Bridges to Belonging family member

"Both Cristin and Laura have treated Cailyn more as a friend than as a client, continue to instill trust and confidence in her, and in doing so have touched our hearts deeply. After 30 years in the system, we have seen a lot of workers come and go and after awhile, you become a little weary and disillusioned and start to lose faith in the process. A big thank you to Cristin, Laura and Bridges to Belonging for all you do!"Cara and Cailyn, Bridges to Belonging family members

"Many thanks for starting "Bridges to Belonging", and for all the good work you do daily in the community. You are making change one person at a time with your solutions to problems in a way that literally changes lives."Nina De Shane-Gill, community supporter

"So far, this has been the best, most useful program that Christina has participated in. Christina has experienced the largest strides toward independence, confidence and acceptance toward independent living ever. Independent Facilitation has been the most crucial program that Christina has been a part of and the most helpful to me, as the caregiver. Thank you for everything so far. I honestly don’t know what our lives would be like without you in them anymore!"Cathy, Bridges to Belonging Family Member

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