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News FacebookXLinkedinCopy URL Uko Akpanuko/Daily Herald One of the Parents sharing time with Molly, the Therapy Dog and the Handler, Tim during the Community Helpers Visit on Wednesday, Mar. 11 at the Early Years Family Resource Centre Daily Herald The Prince Albert Early Years Family Resource Centre’s theme for the month of March is Community Helpers and to align with that theme, the Centre has put up a series of programs that will highlight that theme to the benefit of early years children and their families in Prince Albert and area. Tuesday and Wednesday were part of the days that the Community Helpers were hosted by the Centre. “We select different themes each month of the year and the theme for this month being community helpers, so we are trying to bring in as many community helpers as we can this month. Today we have PA Autism Services here to answer questions from Parents who may have issues with their kids and the Officer will address them and may further direct them to other relevant professionals in the community,” Barb Hunter, the Program Designer at the Prince Albert Early Years Family Resource Centre said. “We also have Tim and his dog, Molly, who is a therapy dog here visiting the families and we are excited about that.” Also on Wednesday as part of the month’s program, community helpers such as the Parkland Ambulance , the Prince Albert Fire Department were hosted by the Centre and kids were introduced to the officers that are in charge of these departments in the community. The officers came to centre with their paraphernalia and equipment such as trucks, fire fighting equipment, first aid kids and resuscitation So yesterday we had the Fire Department and the Parkland Ambulance come with their Trucks and Ambulance Uko Akpanuko/Daily HeraldTim Stuart, another Parent with Molly, the Therapy Dog and the Handler, Tim, during the Community Helpers Visit on Wednesday, Mar. 11 at the Early Years Family Resource Centre “The families are bringing the kids and they are enjoying themselves as you can see. Today is wonderful, we have Tim and Molly here and the kids are warming up to Molly,” Hunter said. “In Fact that is the essence of it all. A visit from a therapy dog brings smiles, calm, and fun! Molly was able to join Kara from the Prince Albert Literacy Network for story time where they read the book : Hello Goodbye Dog which is about a therapy dog. It’s just really nice to have her in the midst of the family.” Six-year-old Molly is a certified St. John’s Therapy Dog trained by Tim. Having Molly and her owner Tim visited the Family Resource Centre showcased another valuable community helper. “We feel good being here today, the people are enjoying her, the kids are very much enjoying her so that’s what we want,” Tim said. “Lots of smiles, that the important part. People’s faces get lighted up when the see the dog. She is very good with kids.” He added that more dog owners can register and have their dogs trained as therapy dogs if the meet the condition. “We serve families with kids under 5yrs in PA and areas, so we work towards developing healthy and safe relationships with the community agencies or anybody that they might need help from in the future. So it’s really wonderful for families to meet these helpers face to face, have conversations, realise that they are approachable, and know that they are around to help. We strive to connect the kids and the families to the helpers in our community.” Another Community Helper that was present was the Prince Albert Autism Services and leading the team was Amanda Lopinski an Occupational Therapist. “Autism is a big issue everywhere around the world so just having a face to face conversation with families makes them feel safe and relaxed because they have persons they can ask questions and they can get linked to services they need without much stress is wonderful,” the Program Designer said. The Centre believes bringing these helpers will help take away fear from the kids and the families as well as make them realise that the people in those gears are friendly and approachable and are people that can offer help in emergency situations. Also in attendance were Nursing Students from the University of Saskatchewan, Prince Albert Campus that are working on their practicum in the Centre and related agencies. “This is our first opportunity for us to interact with the kids and families in the community and the experience has been wonderful,” Ngozika Onyemeh who was there with two other of her colleagues – Hanan Hassan and Camille Yutihen – all fourth year Nursing students at the University of Saskatchewan Prince Albert Campus. Uko Akpanuko/Daily Herald(From L-R) Hanan, Ngozika and Camille (4th yr Nursing Students from USask, Prince Albert Campus) with Molly, the Therapy Dog and the Handler, Tim, during the Community Helpers Visit on Wednesday, Mar. 11 at the Early Years Family Resource Centre “I am here today to give parents information about what our programs are, what is autism and check if the kids have autism and set them up with other programs that may be available to them in the community,” Amanda said. “We have a couple of families coming and I was able to set them up with other agencies that will be helpful to them.” These interactions help children build trust and familiarity with the people who play important roles in their safety, fostering a sense of security and belonging within their community. Other Community helpers will be invited next week to interact with the families. The Nursing students also stated that in partnership with the Centre, they will be organizing a Teddy Bear Clinic on the Mar. 18th for kids alongside other programs. A teddy bear clinic helps children feel comfortable and confident with visiting doctors/nurses. “By letting them care for their own stuffed animals, children learn what happens during a check-up in a fun, playful way. This hands-on experience reduces fear, builds understanding of health procedures, and encourages children to express their feelings about medical visits. It also promotes empathy, cooperation, and positive associations with healthcare, setting the stage for lifelong healthy habits,” Hunter added. The families had fun being part of the program. “Its our first her and its interesting, he (Damiel) likes it. We are actually new, we are from BC,” Melissa Dizon said. “He is having fun, so we are. We are scared of the dog but he (Damiel) is not. He is happy being here.” Dizon came with her husband, Darwin Vincent Dizon and her two year old son, Damiel Vincent Dizon. Another parent Tim Stuart came with his wife and their 3yr old daughter, “We came frequently, its fun always. My 3yr old daughter, Evelyn really enjoys playing games, doing crafts reading stories and just enjoying herself, she enjoys making new friends and seeing Molly the dog. Its a great place to be” -Advertisement-