More than $38,000 was raised to provide speech therapy for kids with extra needs during Reach Child and Youth Development Society's annual Gift of Speech holiday campaign.
The yearly initiative aims to raise awareness and funds initiative to help children with complex needs receive crucial early intervention speech therapy when it will have the greatest impact, as research shows that the majority of speech and language development happens in the first six years of life.
“Every child deserves the opportunity to communicate their thoughts, feelings and dreams. Early intervention in speech therapy provides children with the tools they need to overcome communication challenges, opening doors to connection, learning and confidence,” Reach early intervention therapies program co-ordinator Anwar Ul Haq said in a press release.
"Continued support from our community ensures that we can reach more children and families, providing the care they need when they need it most.”
Speech Language Pathologists at Reach provide one-on-one weekly sessions using augmentative tools like iPads that help children communicate for the first time.
Each $75 donated to the Gift of Speech campaign funds one speech language therapy session, and the society has set a goal this year of raising $30,000 — enough to pay for 400 speech therapy sessions for kids in Delta, Surrey and Langley.
Reach exceeded that goal, raising a an all-time high of $38,076 by Jan. 16 thanks to the generosity of local businesses, charitable organizations and individual donors, including an anonymous donor who pledged to match the first $10,000 in donations.
The Delta Firefighters Charitable Society donated $10,000 to the cause on Dec.18, with other significant donations that month coming from the Delta Agricultural Society, David and Elaine Bliss, and Fraserway RV-Delta.
At the beginning of January, Lisa Margetson and Michelle Burrows of Envision Financial's Ladner branch provided $5,000 to push the appeal over the top.
Reach Child and Youth Development Society is a non-profit charitable society that has been providing services to children and their families since 1959. Reach currently provides programs and services to over 1,200 children and their families in Delta, Surrey and Langley every year.
For more information, visit reachdevelopment.org.
