Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter
Smoky River Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) will be hosting two trips for people in the region with disabilities.
The two trips will be held on Jan. 10 and Jan. 12 and will be in conjunction with last month’s National Day for Persons with Disabilities. FCSS applied for a grant to be able to host the trips and were successful.
“The funding for these trips came from the Alberta Government Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities,” explains community program coordinator Anita Portsmouth.
“We will be reimbursed for up to $1,500 for the cost of the two trips.”
Portsmouth says the group is excited to offer these trips to people who may otherwise not be able to go. She says the mission of FCSS is to ensure programming is available to a diverse audience.
“Those who are registered would otherwise be unlikely to take part in the activities that we have arranged due to difficulties in managing their disabilities for these activities on their own,” she notes.
“Having Smoky River FCSS make arrangements and being on hand to assist with the activities makes it more accessible for those individuals and families coping with disabilities.”
The two trips will be organized and facilitated by FCSS, but due to limited space the group was only able to accept registration for people with disabilities or the families with children with disabilities.
Portsmouth says because of limited numbers and the necessity of making this available for persons with disabilities, the trip limited to those referred to and invited by FCSS.
“We are taking a trip to Grande Prairie for families with children with disabilities and will be going to the jump yard and to the pool for our first trip,” she says.
“Our second trip will be to Valleyview for crafts and to the recreation centre for people with disabilities.”
Lunch and activities will also be provided as part of each trip and no cost will be accrued by the travelers.
“We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to experience activities like the jump yard, the Greenview Recreation Centre and trips as a group, if at all possible,” she says, explaining why it was so important for their team to organize and offer these trips.
“For families of persons with disabilities we are going to Grande Prairie and for adults with disabilities we are going to Valleyview.”
Portsmouth says the only way these trips will occur again in the future will be dependent on whether or not the grant will be available again and if they are successful in their application.