2020 Citizens Report

YEAR IN REVIEW

July 2, 2020 Masato Wong was looking forward to his High School graduation for a couple of years. Due to the pandemic, graduation celebrations were cancelled but Masato was in for a big surprise. Masato has autism, and his journey to graduation has been helped by his support worker Ryan Neufeld. Ryan knew how important this milestone was, and he rallied the team of educational support workers that have been part of Masato’s life since Elementary School and created a special Grad Ceremony right at his home in Maple Ridge. The photo on the front page shows Masato about to throw his graduation cap into the air as part of his special convocation ceremony. This event was a reminder of the team of educators that works everyday to help kids of all abilities live their best lives. Thank you, Ryan, for what you did and you do everyday.

July 9, 2020 The Ridge Meadows Association for Community Living provides a wide range of supports for adults and children with disabilities. For many of the Association’s clients, the pandemic broke critical routines and interactions that helped them live their best lives. Birgit Giesser is a musical therapist that works with the Association and she is one of many front-line staff who innovated and adapted to continue delivering services to her clients to help them have some normalcy in a time where physical isolation was having an impact on mental health. Birgit took her services on the road, and the story on page 11 of the July 9 edition details how funding from Music Heals Canada helped her reach out and continue to bring music to the lives of her clients. This brought a song to our heart.

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