Stephanee's Story

Creating positive shared experiences for the kids and families in our network is critical to our success. For one CTN family, a Halloween event helped transform their child’s fear of clinic visits. The Common Roof in Orillia is a hub for the community and is home to some of CTN’s clinics. This past Halloween, CTN hosted a party for families at The Common Roof, on a floor where many kids attend speech and language therapy appointments as well as occupational therapy and other programs. Stephanee, age three, attended the party with her mom, Christine. Dressed up as a shark, Stephanee took part in games and activities including mini golf, drumming, obstacle courses, collected stamps from various rooms and got to see some familiar faces dressed up in costumes. Stephanee is on the autism spectrum and finds dealing with groups of people and new faces challenging. After experiencing The Common Roof in Orillia during Halloween, Stephanee is confident and no longer nervous about her bi-monthly clinic visits. With a fantastic memory for such a young child, she now exclaims, “that’s my Halloween place!” each time she visits the building and is more comfortable around staff. As a result, Stephanee’s learning has improved and she is showing signs of advancing socially. This special Halloween party demonstrates the impact of our efforts to create a positive, community-building experience for clients.

Read the 2022-2023 Annual Report.