Fundraising Towards a Brighter Future

The History
A Vision at Work …
 

In the Beginning

The Central Okanagan Child Development Association (COCDA), formerly known as the Okanagan Neurological Association, was founded in 1966. In the early 1960’s, a group of parents from Kelowna, Penticton, and Summerland area met together to discuss their concerns over the existing services for their children with special needs. They shared common issues over the financial, physical and emotional burdens that evolved because of the need to travel to Vancouver to receive services for their children. Although local health units did what they could to provide therapeutic and educational help, systems were nevertheless limited and costly.

As a result of these initial meetings, the founding group of parents formed a local chapter of the Cerebral Palsy Association in 1966. Within this same year, because of the much wider demands of other special needs children in the community at large, the Okanagan Neurological Association was formed, absorbing the Cerebral Palsy Chapter in the process. The need for such an organization was obvious. Before the year of 1966 ended, more children from the surrounding communities of Kamloops, Canoe, Salmon Arm, Vernon, and Oliver were included, thus reinforcing the very real needs for the Okanagan Neurological Association (ONA).

The ONA was given a small donated house which allowed the group to start its first pre-school program. The program’s success was immediate, and within three years over one hundred and forty clients were being served. It became obvious that a much larger facility would be needed to meet the demands of the community. With this in mind, the ONA moved into the former private school for girls, Chesterfield Hall, in the year 1973. This new home was located on Collette Road. For the Okanagan Neurological Association, this was a much needed breakthrough in the provision of services for families with special needs children.

Progress

In 1986, nearly thirteen years later, the funds donated by the Variety Club of British Columbia, the Province of British Columbia, several service clubs, and private donors made it possible for the establishment of a brand new 1.4 million dollar multi-dimensional facility. The construction of this new facility in 1987, made the provision of service to the ever-expanding needs of the community much more feasible. The name of the center was changed to the Variety Child Development Center in appreciation of all that was done to create such a facility.

Where We Are Now

In 1992 the Variety Child Development Center changed its name to the one that officially stands today. The Central Okanagan Child Development Association is located at 1546 Bernard Avenue in Kelowna, B.C., and provides multi-disciplinary services to a variety of families with children aged 0 - 6 throughout the Central Okanagan. Some areas of the services provided are: Speech, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Infant Development, Early Intensive Autism, Supported Child Development, and the Hippotherapy and Therapeutic Horseback Riding Program. In the year 2005-2006 alone, the COCDA provided services to five hundred and ninety families, and had a wait-list of over two hundred and forty families.

Where We Are Going

With a continuing increase of clients, the COCDA has expanded in number of therapists delivering services, as well as the types of therapies being provided. It has become painfully obvious that the COCDA had outgrown its current facilities and expansion or rebuilding is a necessity to keep up with demand. It has been twenty years since the Central Okanagan Child Development Center became a reality, and fundraising has now begun to accommodate the expansion of the existing building. The initial estimate of cost brings the expansion total to around 3.5 million dollars. Plans are to incorporate more therapy rooms and offices for new and current staff, with the intent of decreasing the ever-expanding waitlists. The inclusion of an audio-visual conference room to accommodate staff training, parent training, and workshops is a much needed addition. As well, the project of including a sensory room called a SNOEZLEN room could now become a reality. The committee formed a year ago recognized the need for this important therapy room, but the lack of space to accommodate such an important inclusion has not been possible till now.

Our Community – The Foundation of Who We Are

Through its family-centered approach, the COCDA remains dedicated to the priorities and choices of families. With generous assistance from the community, the province, and many sponsors, the COCDA continues to support families in a quality and timely manner. The COCDA gratefully acknowledges the contributions provided by many organizations. Without this, we could not continue to expand the wealth of services provided.