It was one of the most rewarding moments of Debbie Levesque’s 42 years of being part of the Lansdowne Children’s Center family.
Advertisement 2
Article content
Article content
“It was years ago, when we were still in the school on Preston Boulevard,” Levesque, 67, recalled. “We had this little girl, she was about five and she couldn’t walk.
“We had been working together for a while when we had a breakthrough.”
Levesque went out to the waiting room and told the girl’s mother to remain seated while she brought the woman’s daughter out.
“I was able to watch while her daughter walked towards her for the first time,” Levesque recalled. “It was incredible, a moment that still brings a smile to my face.”
Levesque, who retired two years ago, initially joined Lansdowne as a volunteer for seven years before becoming a staff member. She spent 35 years at the center and said she always enjoyed getting up and going to work every day.
Advertisement 3
Article content
“I always felt that I was part of a large, extended family,” Levesque said. “We were a tight group, always working together for the benefit of our children and their families.”
She shared her memory as Lansdowne staff, past and present board members and local dignitaries gathered Tuesday to celebrate the centre’s 50th anniversary.
The centre’s roots can be traced to a handful of local families who wanted to help their children living with cerebral palsy. It started out as a one-room, once a week drop-in program to becoming the Rotary Crippled Children’s Center at Brantford General Hospital.
At present, Lansdowne provides services to more than 3,400 children and youth facing physical, communication and developmental challenges and their families. The center has more than 250 staff and volunteers.
Advertisement 4
Article content
During Tuesday’s celebration those who have helped Lansdowne grow – past board chairs, the Rotary Club of Brantford, the Grand Erie District School Board and the city – were presented with plaques recognizing their contributions.
“Our board leaders helped shape our history and clear the path for Lansdowne’s continued growth,” Rita-Marie Hadley, the center’s executive director, said. “From the first board meeting in 1974, to adding the AF Penny Occupational Therapy Wing on Preston Boulevard, to the advocacy that helped open this Mount Pleasant Street site in 1998, to building Lansdowne’s presence in Haldimand and Norfolk, and recent work towards a new building in Brantford, we cannot thank them enough for the countless volunteer hours sharing expertise and time in governance, strategy and philanthropy.”
Advertisement 5
Article content
Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis called Lansdowne one of the most important agencies in the city.
“It’s truly wonderful that we have people in this building helping children with special needs reach their full potential,” Davis said. “That’s a great thing to celebrate.
“The quality of the people here today who have dedicated themselves to improving Lansdowne is a testament to the quality of our community and that too is worth celebrating.”
Meanwhile, 2024 is so far proving to be a terrific year for Lansdowne.
In January, Lansdowne and provincial government officials announced the center will be getting a much-needed new home to help accommodate the more than 2,400 children on its wait list. Less than a month later, Lansdowne received ‘exemplary standing’ from Accreditation for its collaborative approach and high standard of care.
John Bradford, Lansdowne’s president and board chair, thanked all of those who helped the center grow and praised the center’s staff.
“They are the glue that keeps everything together for the kids,” Bradford said. “Everything we do is for the kids and those who have served as chairs of the board in the past have done an incredible job to get us to this point.”
Bradford said Lansdowne will have a new building in the next couple of years and another reason to celebrate.
twitter.com/EXPVBall
Article content