‘This is my way of giving back': Windsor Family Homes marks 50 years of service as demand for support grows
Windsor Family Homes and Community Partnerships marked 50 years of service on May 7, 2025. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
28 minutes ago
- CTV News
LemondAid Day raising thousands to send Elgin County kids to camp
An Elgin County-wide initiative could help send nearly 100 kids to summer camp. An Elgin County-wide initiative could help send nearly 100 kids to summer camp. LemondAid Day has 43 stands across the region selling lemonade by donation Saturday with 100 per cent of the proceeds going to the Elgin Children's Foundation (EFC). 'Kids, families and businesses are setting up lemonade stands all across town,' says Myles Proulx, a volunteer and community engagement advocate at Family & Children's Services of St. Thomas and Elgin County. 060725 - LemonAid Myles Proulx of Family and Children's Services is the coordinator of LemonAid Day in Elgin County (Source: Brent Lale/CTV London) 'Overnight camp costs about $700, and day camp is about $300. We have a bunch of kids that have requested camp this year, so we could potentially send about 86 kids to camp'. The goal is to raise $25,000 after bringing in $13,000 a year ago in the first annual event. At Geerlinks Home Hardware in St. Thomas, dozens of customers were stopping on their way into the store to purchase a lemonade. They were dropping anywhere from $5 to $50 in the bucket. 060725 - LemonAid A customer supporting LemonAid Day pours a glass into a cup in Aylmer, Ont. on Saturday, June 7, 2025. (Source: Brent Lale/CTV London) 'I think this is a big one for us because it's involving kids,' says Danielle Geerlinks. 'We're doing this to send kids in the community to camp, where a lot of these kids maybe wouldn't have the opportunity to do that otherwise. We like to involve our kids in it and show them, sending it down into different generations, how important it is to support the community'. Some of the camps involved include Camp Stevenson, Horseman's School of Equitation (HSE), Pearce Williams, as well as the YMCA, YWCA, STEM, STEAM and the City of St. Thomas. 'I'll give you a little story,' says Proulx. 'We had a young man that stopped by one of the lemonade stand's last year. He was in his 20s. He said he was involved with Family and Child Services when he was younger, and he was able to go to camp because of programs like this and he said, honestly, it changed his life. He gave a $20 donation, which is a beautiful symbol of what we're doing here. It's about community coming together, giving back for kids, families that might not be able to afford to send their kids to camp'. 060725 - LemonAid Children run the LemonAid Day stand outside of Geerlinks Home Hardware in St. Thomas, Ont. on Saturday, June 7, 2025. (Source: Brent Lale/CTV London) Aylmer Police had a stand outside the Imperial Market in Aylmer Saturday. 'It's important when we keep the money in our County and support local,' says Deputy Chief Chris Johnson of the Aylmer Police. 'If we can send one kid to camp, we've done our job today'. Judging by the early support Saturday, dozens of kids will get that opportunity.
CBC
37 minutes ago
- CBC
Parent voices frustration over delayed opening of new child-care centres
Parents are joining a chorus of others who are voicing concerns over government delays that are keeping $10-a-day child-care spaces from opening across parts of Newfoundland and Labrador. "This is life-changing for families," Erin Cullen, a founding member of ABCs and ECEs N.L., told CBC News Friday. "It's really, really just totally disheartening to hear that we have operators who are saying 'I'm ready to go, I'm ready to open up spaces.'" Cullen said she's heard from several prospective child-care operators that are stuck waiting for approval from the provincial government to get new facilities open. Some operators have told her that they've gotten permits from their towns or municipalities, but approval from the province is the final hurdle," she said. "We've been hearing [they're] waiting on one signature to get funding released, but essentially no funds are coming through," Cullen said. "It's being hung up, and [they're] not sure why." Cullen said she's also heard about other hang-ups from operators. In one instance, a child-care centre has been able to be regulated for care, but is unable to join the province's operating grant program that would allow them to provide $10-a-day child care. She said those spaces are invaluable for parents trying to avail of them. "Each individual family getting access to $10-a-day child care, it makes a huge difference for them," she said. "It feels like winning the lottery for most people." Stay tuned, minister says Early Childhood Development Minister Bernard Davis said Friday that hundreds of applicants are seeking to open child-care spaces — and that staff are working with them through all stages of the process. "There's some people in this application process that would have just been reaching out, initial stages saying 'This is the idea we have, can this work? How would we work in the system?' And our staff are working with them," Davis said. "There's others that are closing in on the end of this continuum.… Just this past week, we approved one in Bay St. George that was ready to go, while others are not in that final stage of readiness. There is others that we're working very closely with, so I would say stay tuned." WATCH | Opening child-care centres a priority of government, says Bernard Davis: 'I can't give you a date' but opening child-care centres is a priority, says N.L. minister as frustration mounts 11 hours ago Duration 2:19 Minister of Education of Early Childhood Development Bernie Davis is finally weighing in after several prospective daycare operators say they're waiting on the provincial government to greenlight and fund new spaces. The CBC's Heather Gillis reports. The approved centre Davis spoke of is in St. George's. Parents in that community were the first to voice their concerns in May. Daycare operator Rhonda Sheppard confirmed Friday that the centre was approved. Davis said creating $10-a-day child-care spaces is a priority for himself and for Premier John Hogan. He said he's committed to opening spaces as quickly as possible, but avoided mentioning potential timelines. "If you're going to ask what the date is, I can't give you a date," he said, adding it could take years for some applications to be approved. Cullen said the province's silence on the issue prior to Friday has made her and other parents nervous. She wants to see child care as a key issue in this fall's provincial election with party platforms that show a plan to improve access. "We need to understand that they know that child care is essential for our province. Child care isn't just about having kids go to 'care'. It's about allowing parents to go back to work," Cullen said. "It solves so many problems for us as a province."
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
North Bay road to close next week
Northern Ontario Watch The City of North Bay is closing McNamara Street between McKeown Avenue and McGibbon Street for four days starting Monday.
