Words Children’s Health, Foundation of Vancouver Island
Photo Hattie Root Photography
Parents often need to take time away from work, while incurring extra expenses at the same time. With the cost of living on the rise, families must make impossible choices.
That’s where Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island comes in. Its mission is to support these families along their health journeys, so that cost never stands in the way of a child getting the health care they need.
Formerly known as the Queen Alexandra Foundation for Children, the charity has a storied history on Vancouver Island going back nearly 100 years. Today, they’re best known for their Homes Away From Home and Bear Essentials programs.
Located on hospital campuses, Jeneece Place in Victoria and Q̓ʷalayu House in Campbell River provide welcoming, low-cost accommodation for families travelling for their child’s health care. Staying at a Home Away From Home saves them time and money, and allows them to focus on what matters most – their child’s well-being.
Through the Bear Essentials program, local families get help to pay for equipment that supports their child’s development, mobility and independence.
Jax’s mom, Tracey, knows how important that is.
Jax (pictured) is a teenager from Sidney with cerebral palsy, autism and spastic diplegia, a condition that affects mobility due to high muscle tone and stiffness. The family has received support through Bear Essentials to buy equipment for Jax such as ankle foot orthoses, a specialized walker and a transfer belt.
“It’s huge. It’s taken the burden off us,” explains Tracey. “For other families, they can go to Walmart and buy their kid a $10 pair of shoes, but I don’t have that luxury. Jax needs certain equipment, and it’s costly. , you have so many other worries, like how is life going to be for Jax as he gets older? The Bear Essentials program has taken away that anxiety and financial worry.”
Since 1927, the Foundation’s work has been funded exclusively by generous individuals, community organizations and businesses across Vancouver Island.
“We can’t change what families are going through, but we can support them along the way, reduce their stress, and ultimately enable better health outcomes for their kids,” says Veronica Carroll, CEO of the Foundation.
Visit www.islandkidsfirst.com/donate to help kids like Jax who live right here in your community.
