Easter Seals is a life-changing experience

Times Reporter  

 

Living with a disability is tough enough, but without the support of organizations like the Easter Seals it would be even tougher for many.  

Megan Fachini, 24, has cerebral palsy, and recently she was named as this year’s ambassador for the Easter Seals in Southern Alberta. 

On April 12 and 13 Fachini was at the Chestermere Safeway helping promote their fundraising campaign for the Easter Seals. 

“As we do our own in-store fundraising campaigns we hope to raise $5,000 for Easter Seals in the first two weeks of the campaign,” said Shawn Eltom, Chestermere Safeway store manager. 

“Having Megan come out and support just gets the awareness of the public and customers that come into the store and we get extra donations those days that she comes in. Her life and her energy just really help out the campaign for sure.”

As soon as she was offered the ambassador position, Fachini knew there was no way she could turn it down. 

“Easter Seals and especially Camp Horizon has done so much for me I just could not turn it down,” said Fachini.

She first found out about the Easter Seals when she was five-years-old. 

At that time they helped her family get a wheelchair ramp for their van, making it easier for her and her parents when they would go out. 

“When I got my wheelchair lift that was life-changing in itself because suddenly I could stay in my wheelchair and still get around, so getting in and out wasn’t near as difficult for either of us,” said Fachini.

Years later she had another life changing experience thanks to the Easter Seals when she went to Camp Horizon for the first time in 2011. 

“There are so many people there that face the same kinds of challenges as you do day-in and day-out,” said Fachini.

“All the counselors are so understanding and they just accept you for who you are instead of making change to who they want you to be. It’s great.”

Everyone who goes to the camp gets the real camp experience. They whitewater raft, trail blaze with high ropes – even with a wheelchair- go tenting and much more. 

Fachini said the first year of camp when her parents dropped her off she was crying, she didn’t want them to leave, she had never been alone for an entire week, but when they picked her up she was crying again for a different reason. 

“Only because I realized this was where I could be who I really am, I don’t have to hide anything or change anything, or feel like I have to be someone else, I can be who I am 100 per cent of the time,” said Fachini. 

She knew by the end of that week she would be going back to camp every year. She found that the counsellors make each camper feel like they understand them and they are dealing with it too even though they obviously aren’t and don’t. 

“The scrutiny we put the counselors through, we make sure they know what they are getting into,” said Patti Brewin, campaign director for the Easter Seals.

The counsellors can’t be high school-aged, they do need to be older, which can make it a bit of a challenge to find enough staff.  

“Although camp is the most out-front thing that they do for me and many others, it is by far not the only thing. All their work, whether it be camp or equipment or helping someone financially, it’s all important and that’s why I took on this position is to get the word out about all the amazing work that they do and all the different aspects of it,” said Fachini.

Brewin said the Easter Seals wanted someone to give a voice to persons with disabilities, and Fachini’s name was echoed by many of the counsellors as this year’s choice for ambassador.  

The cost to send a kid to camp is $1,200. The Easter Seals try to subsidize it by half and hopefully through fundraising they can get that down even further.

Camp Horizon was built in 1965 and is for all ages – typically seven and up- and all abilities. Campers are put into age brackets. As campers get older they will just move into a different age group. 

Last year the camp, which is located near Bragg Creek, was affected by the flood, so continuous support from people, organizations and businesses like Safeway helps the Easter Seals continue to provide opportunities for persons with disabilities.