{"id":3062,"date":"2025-05-13T13:48:39","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T13:48:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/ontario\/?p=3062"},"modified":"2025-05-26T11:27:12","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T11:27:12","slug":"finding-support-friendship-and-new-possibilities-thanks-to-the-salvation-army","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/ontario\/2025\/05\/finding-support-friendship-and-new-possibilities-thanks-to-the-salvation-army\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding Support, Friendship and New Possibilities thanks to The Salvation Army"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Denielle faces many challenges that come with a developmental disability, but thanks to the transformational Respite Day program at The Salvation Army London Village, she\u2019s found joy, structure, and meaningful opportunities to grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a child, Denielle\u2019s reduced motor skills affected her speech and her ability to walk, says her mother, Debby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cShe needs supervision all the time. So, when she was three, she wore braces, which helped her stay standing,\u201d Debby explains, adding that Denielle needs help eating and getting dressed.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The COVID-19 pandemic brought additional setbacks. With community programs shut down, Denielle became bored and frustrated, lacking the stimulation she needed to thrive. Her sleep suffered, and her overall well-being declined. According to Debby, the lack of routine had a deep impact on her daughter\u2019s mental and emotional state. At the time, Denielle, 40, was introverted and tended to keep to herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That began to change when she connected with The Salvation Army. The day program supports people with disabilities and their families by providing an inclusive, safe space where physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs are respected and valued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Participants enjoy a full schedule, including arts and crafts, music, reading and writing, exercise, cooking classes, and swimming in the summer at the on-site pool. The facility itself offers a welcoming, park-like setting filled with trees and ample space to play.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Although Denielle has the cognitive ability of someone aged three to five, she has embraced a wide variety of activities since joining the program three years ago and is now thriving with improved intellectual skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cStaff have helped her grow in that independence and in working with peers and having fun with peers,\u201d says Debby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kara Walls, a program supervisor at The Salvation Army London Village, has seen Denielle\u2019s transformation firsthand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s very patient and kind with the other participants, and that\u2019s why they all want her around,\u201d Kara says. \u201cShe\u2019s making these connections and friendships, and I\u2019ve really enjoyed seeing her comfort grow as she started coming here more.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Supporting The Salvation Army helps improve people\u2019s lives in your community and across Ontario. Donate today at <a href=\"\/\">www.SalvationArmy.ca<\/a> or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Denielle faces many challenges that come with a developmental disability, but thanks to the transformational Respite Day program at The Salvation Army London Village, she\u2019s found joy, structure, and meaningful opportunities to grow. As a child, Denielle\u2019s reduced motor skills affected her speech and her ability to walk, says her mother, Debby. \u201cShe needs supervision [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3063,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[216,217,218,220,221,223,225,227,229,53,230,192],"location":[],"class_list":["post-3062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-interest","tag-developmental-disability","tag-emotional","tag-freedom","tag-independence","tag-joy","tag-london-village","tag-physical","tag-social","tag-structure","tag-the-salvation-army","tag-transformational","tag-transformative"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Finding Support, Friendship and New Possibilities thanks to The Salvation Army - The Salvation Army Ontario<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/ontario\/2025\/05\/finding-support-friendship-and-new-possibilities-thanks-to-the-salvation-army\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Finding Support, Friendship and New Possibilities thanks to The Salvation Army - The Salvation Army Ontario\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Denielle faces many challenges that come with a developmental disability, but thanks to the transformational Respite Day program at The Salvation Army London Village, she\u2019s found joy, structure, and meaningful opportunities to grow. 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