Community Concerns for the Medically Fragile (CCMF) is a parent-led community group in Sarnia-Lambton dedicated to meeting the needs of medically fragile young people and their families. In 1989, Monica and Frank Vautour, Diane and Jim Lambert, and Dave and Lori Ashdown, all parents of medically fragile children, began dreaming of a life-long home for their children. During this time, they visited several group homes in southwestern Ontario. As Monica Vautour shares, "We saw everything from the sublime to the ridiculous as we visited different homes. By the end of the trip we had a good idea of what we wanted and what we didn’t want for our children."
In 1990, the group founded CCMF. After ten years of extensive research, applications, and proposals, CCMF established a partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Health Long Term Care Division, the Rotary Foundation and the Ontario March of Dimes to build a home for medically fragile young people in Sarnia-Lambton. In 2001, CCMF temporarily rented a three-bedroom, wheelchair accessible townhouse from the Sarnia and District Association for Community Living while Standing Oaks, the permanent group home, was being built. The Rotary Club of Sarnia donated the land for Standing Oaks and CCMF worked with a local architect to design it. Frank Vautour remembers, "From the start, we knew we wanted to build a home, not an institution."
Standing Oaks opened its doors in February 2004 and welcomed five full-time residents. After the completion of a large addition in October 2018, that number increased to nine. The home is staffed 24 hours a day by the Ontario March of Dimes. Each resident has an individual plan developed with their parents or guardians. Standing Oaks offers a variety of activities, including art and music programs, pet therapy, game nights, and outings. Each family paints and decorates their child’s room with their own furniture and belongings. The home also has a respite bed available to families who continue to care for a medically fragile child at home.
In 2014, the Judith & Norman Alix Foundation provided $60,000 to CCMF to purchase a new van that can accommodate wheelchairs safely and has medical equipment to transport the medically fragile. The van is used for medical appointments, outings and family vacations. Dave Ashdown, Chair of the fundraising committee, explains that "Sarnia is a very generous community. None of this would be possible without people donating their time and money."
The Vautour’s son Jeremy was the first one through the doors when Standing Oaks opened. He was fifteen and Monica and Frank could no longer care for him at home. Jeremy spent the next several years in long-term care at Bluewater Health. Monica explained that he was well looked after there, "but a hospital is not a home. Standing Oaks has made all the difference for Jeremy. He has friends here and adults that are dedicated to caring for him. He has quality of life."
When Cynthia Cook was a little girl, her father chopped down a tree on the family property. Young Cynthia took it upon herself to beautify what had become a bit of an eyesore. I went into the woods and got some plants, Cynthia recalls. Then I put rocks around the trunk and I filled it wit
Marnie Vandenbroek-Hookey and Jamie Hayes became friends in grade 2. Over the years, interests, family, and life took them in different directions, but whenever they got together, they picked up right where they left off. In October 2018, Vandenbroek-Hookey and Hayes connected again over coffee.
To borrow a phrase from The Beatles, Jen Fulcher bakes eight days a week. Most of the time, Fulcher, owner of House Of Cake Baking Co. in Corunna, is a one-person, one-oven operation. But she is always grateful for the extra help from family and friends. Creating edible art is my passion,
Heavens Wildlife Rescue Rehabilitation & Education Centre (HWR) is a volunteer-based organization that rehabilitates sick, injured and orphaned wildlife with the goal of returning them back to the wild. Peggy Jenkins has always been an animal lover, and started fostering wildlife when she was
Dentistry has been part of the Slipacoff family for over 40 years. Dr. Lennie Slipacoff graduated from the University of Western Ontario's School of Dentistry in 1981 and immediately established his dentistry practice in Sarnia. His wife Cindy was a dental hygienist at the practice for 39 years be
In 1969, Sarnia Cabinets had its humble beginnings in a garage on Exmouth Street, where founder Gord Bouma and his team crafted cabinets for schools and churches. After a local home builder saw Bouma's work, he hired the growing S...
Kulpreet Singh is thrilled with the success of his new restaurant, Tandoori Joe, but when it comes to taking credit for its success, he defers to his wife, Satmeet Kapoor. "Basically the idea behind the restaurant came from my wife," Kulpreet says. "Satmeet loves cooking and we always thought
Growing up, Emm Gryner dreamed about being a singer, but she didn't have a natural singing voice. I took vocal lessons and worked really hard. I went from being a small town girl from Camlachie to performing on major stages around the world with a rock legend. Gryner has recorded over twenty