At E3 Community Services, we believe that all parents and guardians should have access to affordable respite care, because taking time to care for yourself allows you to better care for your loved ones. Our respite care provides planned, out-of-home respite to families who have children or youth with developmental and physical disabilities and multiple special needs. We provide trained staff who ensure the safety and care of the children and youth, activities that are fun and appropriate, nutritious meals, and a warm, comfortable environment.
Our respite care provides an important service to many families in the area. Kristy said, “Respite at E3 has made a huge difference in our lives. I am a single momma to an amazing, funny, complex 8-year-old girl, Ellie. She requires specialized supports for all of her medical and developmental needs. The staff at E3 deliver that. They have taken the time to train, and get to know my daughter so that when I leave her I know she is safe and happy. Ellie loves being with the other kiddos on her respite weekend. Having respite means I get to relax, I get to be me – just me – for a whole weekend. When we get back together we both feel renewed and re-energized to take on whatever comes our way. The new respite area at E3 will allow for more play areas, more sensory experiences, and more interaction with her peers. It is an investment in our families, knowing just how important that time apart is, so that you can reconnect with others and your child when you see that smiling face at pick up time.”
This program provides parents with the chance for some rest and relaxation, while the children and youth have fun taking part in community events and activities. Russel said, “I went to Children’s respite when I was a kid and then to Adult respite when I was grown up. It’s really fun! The staff are really friendly and funny. I was nervous the first time, but I made friends and played basketball. I would recommend it because it would be a good experience.”
Our Annual Golf Tournament was our most successful fundraising event for over 30 years thanks to participants, sponsors and donors, but the pandemic put a stop to these events for the time being, so we decided to focus on helping families that have been affected by the pandemic by renovating and refreshing our community-oriented spaces.
Our newly renovated respite space in Collingwood was in need of some new furniture and medical equipment to help furnish the multiple bedrooms and bright, spacious living area to give it the comforts of home. As of now, with donations from our community members and generous partners, we’ve surpassed our goal and raised almost $35,000!
Your generous donations have helped us furnish and decorate our newly renovated respite space to become a “home away from home”!
