FASD and Connecting Virtually through STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)

On Saturday, March 21, the Rural FASD Support Network met with help from the amazing partnerships throughout Lanark County and continued to provide support to children with FASD and their caregivers.  With Calvary Bible Church opening up their facility and providing direct cleaning afterwards, Beckwith Tech Camp providing the expertise and crew of one person, Cogeco TV in Smiths Falls loaning the equipment and Lesley and Allison Cochran of Almonte sharing their experience and knowledge about DoTerra Essential Oils through Facebook LiveStreaming, the Rural FASD Support Network came together for an hour and half and once again connected as a community.  We were joined virtually by Megan Van Allen, FASD Worker for Kids Inclusive in Kingston and Christine Lapeer, nurse for Lanark Mental Health and did check-ins through Zoom Conferencing.  Within our time together, we learned how essential oils impact our body’s balance, our mental health, our sleep, and many other facets of our life.  We heard several testimonials from both the Cochrans and many of our members who joined us.  Following their presentation, we then went into confidential sharing time through Zoom conferencing and had the opportunity to hear how everyone was doing, their highlight of the past week, and their biggest concern going forward.  We also heard valuable information about how our mental health units are still meeting needs, how our paramedics are protecting themselves, status of employment situations and potential education resources that will be posted shortly through our Twitter account.

One of our biggest concerns going forward is the impact ongoing isolation will have on families and caregivers.  We shared how important it is for caregivers to remain calm and engage with their children and how that will have huge and numerous positive impact on everyone.  It is also important to note that our mental health clinics remain open and will continue to work with families and individuals who need mental health support through this time.  Finally, we also shared the importance of continuing to find ways to connect with others and maintain some type of structure and routine in our lives.  This is why we were thrilled to help St. Francis de Sales Parish in Smiths Falls by recording their mass immediately following our meeting and sharing it with their community https://youtu.be/LlXAtUrVvgM.

We thank all our partners for making this day so memorable and look forward to continuing to meet our mandate in supporting families with FASD.  Please note all individuals in the videos maintained a distance of six feet and immediately cleaned their hands and all surfaces immediately before and after the events.