A major gift is pushing Hope’s Home closer to its goal of opening Saskatoon’s first medically inclusive child-care centre.
The charitable organization is aiming to raise $8.6 million for the centre, which will care for 144 children from six weeks to six years old with complex medical needs.
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The centre will offer on-site nursing care, early childhood education, developmental workers and physical development consultants in order to provide Saskatoon families “a safe and inclusive environment where children receive the necessary care.”
So far, the organization is about halfway to the funding goal of its “No Place Like Hope” campaign, thanks in part to a $300,000 donation from the Maunders McNeil Foundation.
“We are immensely thankful for the generous gift from the Maunders McNeil Foundation, which will help provide life-changing care for children with complex medical needs and their families,” Jaqueline Tisher, founder of Hope’s Home, said in a statement.
“This gift funds the fully equipped kitchen designed to meet the nutritional needs of all 144 children at the Saskatoon centre. It will also serve as an educational space where the children can learn about the food they eat.”
The centre’s kitchen will feature an open-concept design, allowing the kids to learn more about the food they’re eating and how meals are prepared. While meals will be standardized “as much as possible,” each meal will also be tailored to the specific needs of each child based on their allergies and/or sensitivities.
“A child who is born or acquires a medically challenging condition deserves the opportunity to flourish,” Michael Stensrud, director of the Maunders McNeil Foundation, said in a statement.
“Their parents deserve the opportunity to access community resources to help their children, continue with employment, have career opportunities and find a little respite. Hope’s Home provides those important resources, and the Trustees of the Maunders McNeil Foundation are proud to contribute to these efforts and to continue to preserve Mr. McNeil’s philanthropic legacy.”
The foundation was created by Estevan’s Maunders McNeil in the early 1980s in order to support charities like food banks, shelters and organizations supporting those with disabilities. After McNeil’s death in 1993, the foundation has continued his philanthropic efforts.
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