Growing connections with community organizations

Jessica Bondy (BA ’08 and MA ’11), executive director of Oak Bridge Academy, explained how more than 10,000 autistic children and youth live in the Waterloo region, and only one in five of those children will receive their high school diploma due to the lack of resources.  

Oak Bridge Academy is working to provide services for children with autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, and other related learning exceptionalities. With more than 100 students currently on a waitlist, Bondy is certain that with additional funding, they can get more children off the waitlist and into a classroom where they have a chance to flourish academically, socially and emotionally.   

The audience voted Oak Bridge Academy as the recipient of the audience choice award, where they will be receiving additional support from the main sponsor, BDO Canada. 

Strong Start® Charitable Organization is a registered Canadian charity that involves working with children directly and providing resources for families to support the development of strong literacy skills.  

For more than 20 years, Strong Start has been able to support nearly 57,000 children across Ontario through partnerships with schools, community centres, educators and volunteers. Together, Strong Start are helping young children reach their potential while strengthening communities. 

Established in 1997, Nutrition for Learning is a registered charitable organization that provides student nutrition programs in schools for children in kindergarten to grade 12. Currently, Nutrition for Learning has 183 student nutrition programs in 175 schools across the Waterloo region, serving approximately 23,000 students daily.  

In partnership with youth and educators, staff and volunteers at Nutrition for Learning continue to strive to elevate the experience of universal food access at schools, in ways that promote optimal well-being, healthy relationships and food literacy. 

Today, in the Waterloo and Wellington counties, there are 41,000 people with dementia or caring for someone with dementia. The Alzheimer Society Waterloo Wellington provides counselling and education for persons living with dementia and their families. 

Their therapeutic program, Mind in Motion, combines physical exercise, social interaction and cognitive stimulation — three factors that have been discovered to slow the progress of dementia by at least 10 years. The Alzheimer's Society offers the program free of charge for their clients and count on the community to support their mission. 

At Community Healthcaring, they project 8,000 births will occur in 2024, with Kitchener-Waterloo being one of the fastest growing regions in Canada. Through the Breastfeeding Buddies Program at Community Healthcaring, staff and volunteers provide women and families with resources in their own language and one-on-one support via text, phone or in-person, where they can feel supported in their choices and not feel alone in the process.  

For more than 20 years, Community Healthcaring is all about investing in the future by providing accessible health care and supports to those facing barriers within local communities.  

Shelter Movers is a national, volunteer-powered charitable organization providing moving and storage services at no cost to individuals and families fleeing abuse. Since December 2020, volunteers at Shelter Movers have helped more than 475 moves, by removing financial, emotional and safety barriers to ensure the well-being of survivors. 

Currently, Shelter Movers are helping 20 families on average every single month across the region. They collaborate with local businesses and community agencies to support people, primarily women and children, as they transition to a life free of violence. 

Adventure4Change is a hub located between Waterloo and Wilfred Laurier University, offering as a space that is fully accessible and available to all members of the local communities.  

In 2022, Adventure4Change worked with a local basketball coach to start a basketball youth program.  The program started with seven troubled youths and since then, Adventure4Change has been able to support 25 children across three different neighbourhoods in Waterloo. The children are given the opportunity to learn how to make better choices while playing a sport they love. Today, a few of the kids have graduated high school and obtained jobs.  

Adventure4Change offers multiple programs that are designed to make an impact on communities and inspire change. Their goal is to help prevent poverty and enable kids, youth and moms to make meaningful contributions to society. 

For more than 25 years, Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council (WRSPC) has been focused on increasing suicide awareness and supporting suicide prevention through education.  

In 2023, WRSPC had three staff members deliver 182 presentations to more than 4,400 community members, providing them with practical tools and skills to identify someone who might be thinking about suicide, and where to connect them with suicide first aid resources. Their mission is to reduce suicide rates and its impact through collaboration, education, training and building a sense of belonging.