Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

NEW HEIGHTS AUTISM AWARENESS SOCIETY

Kamloops Elks club donates to a local autism society

Dec 20, 2019 | 12:51 PM

KAMLOOPS — Christmas came a few days early at the New Heights Autism Support Society. They got a generous donation from their neighbours, the Elks Lodge Number 44 in North Kamloops.

The Elks presented students of the Society with a cheque for $1,000 Friday morning. The money is to help families who have a child with autism who are on the waiting list to be assessed by a qualified professional.

“The mandate of the Elks organization is the welfare, well-being, and support of children,” Elks Lodge #44 3rd Vice President and Treasurer Peter Miedema explained. “In the local lodge, we do support lots of children groups within the community.”

Families on those lists can end up waiting for between 18 and 24 months, which means they aren’t able to access funding for treatment. This donation helps New Heights offer that treatment to families and children in need.

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“It gets [the students] two hours a week with a properly trained BI (Building Independence Worker). It gets them in this center with children who are already diagnosed, an environment with other children,” New Heights founder Patricia Kennedy said of the funding.

Kennedy has worked with children who have autism for over a decade and felt there was a need for a program like the one New Heights offers.

“It gets the parents a couple of hours of respite,” Kennedy said. “Our parents all have to work, sometimes more than one job. We help provide them a couple of hours.”