FERGUS – A new after-school club is trying to help children living with disabilities in Centre Wellington and other areas of Wellington County find a community they click with.
A weekly drop-in program run every Thursday evening at St. James Anglican Church, April Tindall, an EA with Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB), said CW Click started in May 2023 as a way for children living with disabilities to develop a community outside of the school system.
A more affordable option for kids who can't do more conventional things and need more support, Tindall said the group welcomes up to 15 people weekly who participate in various activities.
"For a lot of kids that don't get connected to something when they're younger, it can be very difficult for them to make friends when they're older, especially if they're affected by (something like) autism because they don't like change," said Tindall. "So if they get to 20 years old and they don't have a group, then it's very difficult to connect them when school's done."
In addition to benefiting the children, Tindall said the program provides "important time" for families to run errands or spend time with their other children that they might not otherwise be able to.
"(CW Click) is something that we always should have had and a lot of families have really struggled with us not having it," said Tindall. "Ideally, this turns into something bigger in time because basically once the kids are done school, there isn't a lot of programming for them."
While the program was created for children, Tindall said the average age of participants is flexible because age is less important than ability in most cases.
"It's about what they can do and where they fit in better like we have one participant who's 25 years old, but she's more like a 12 or 13-year-old in the way she presents," said Tindall. "So age isn't as big a deal, but it's more figuring out where they fit in with a group they can enjoy."
The name CW Click was created by Tindall's friend's son, Brayden Benham, who said he wanted the name to be click "like clicking a puzzle together" because the program is about "connecting a community."
"(We're always trying to do) fun things that really connect the kids," said Tindall. "A lot of the kids can't do other programs because they just wouldn't be able to enjoy them in the way they have been able to with our program where with us, we're able to tailor the program to suit the kid's needs and support them."
But the program isn't without challenges and Tindall said navigating the program's cost can be difficult because while she wants to keep costs reasonable for families, she needs to pay her staff.
According to Tindall, as most families pay $20 to $25 an hour for respite care, the program costs $15 to help their money go further.
"It can be tricky," said Tindall. "Sometimes families will start running out of funding because they haven't had a program like this so they don't expect to burn through all their funding."
For those wanting to get involved, Tindall said the club is always looking for people to do demonstrations or performances for the kids.
Those wanting to participate in the program can contact April Tindall at [email protected].
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
