On June 14th, 2014 BC Hands and Voices (BC H&V)/Guide By Your Side Program (GBYS), Canadian Hard of Hearing Association of B.C. Parents’ Branch (CHHA – BC Parents’ Branch), Family Network for Deaf Children [FNDC; Deaf Youth Today (DYT)], Canadian DeafBlind Association of BC (CDBA-BC) and the Provincial Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (PDHHS) jointly hosted the 2nd annual Fun Family Day Picnic. The picnic provided a great opportunity for families with a deaf, deafblind, or hard of hearing child to come together and learn from one another. Parents were able to network and learn information about the services available to help them navigate the world of raising a child with hearing loss while kids enjoyed a variety of fun activities and entertainment. Even parents with young babies came for the wonderful opportunity to meet and learn from teens and young adults with hearing loss; future role models for their babies!
This year’s picnic was held at the PDHHS Victory Hill Residential property in Burnaby, BC. Despite a steady downpour of rain, over 200 people attended the picnic! Tents were set up across the property and provided ample coverage for families to sit down, mingle and enjoy the various activities and entertainment. There was an information table set up representing the different parent organizations, as well as a table where families and their children could participate in arts and crafts. Deaf Youth Today (DYT) staff engaged children in organized games. Artists from A-Star Art Parlour provided face painting, airbrushed tattoos and balloon animals. Nearer the end of the day, Max-i-Mime had the children and their families in hysterics. All-in-all, it was a pretty fun-filled day and a great team effort!
Join us for our next event, the upcoming Parent Workshop happening Sat. Oct 25, 2014 at Douglas College.
For more information about these organizations, to sign up to receive emails and newsletters, or just to find out about how you can get involved, please check the following websites:
- BC Hands & Voices: www.bchandsandvoices.com
- Family Network for Deaf Children: www.fndc.ca
- Canadian Hard of Hearing Association-BC Parent’s Branch: www.chhaparents.com
- Provincial Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services: www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/pdhhs
- Canadian Deafblind Association-BC Chapter: www.cdbabc.ca
