Barrhead Elks provide $3,000 to help children with speech and language skills

BARRHEAD — A $3,000 donation from the Barrhead Elks Club will help a local childhood development program cover the cost of mailing out speech and language development materials to families with young children for the next several years. 

As explained in a release supplied by Amelia Schofield, the Elks recently presented the $3,000 donation to the speech and language department in Barrhead, which is part of the Child & Youth Health Team. 

The Child & Youth Health Team is an interdisciplinary group of healthcare professionals throughout Barrhead Community Health Services who provide speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and a childhood development program for local families. 

The team’s goal is to create a space where parents can collaborate with professionals to support their child’s health and development. 

The early years of a child’s life are a significant period of physical and cognitive growth. During this time, children also start to express themselves through speech and language exploration. 

Speech and language professionals support children who need additional help with this area of development, and one of the ways they do that is by sending families with three-year-old children a mailout with materials such as speech-language and motor screeners that can be used to assess a child’s abilities in these two areas, as well as a motor skill-building item. 

The $3,000 donation will specifically go towards purchasing the speech and language materials for the mail-out in the future. 

“We know that the early years of a child’s life are an essential time for their development. The mailout package for three-year-olds helps bring awareness to where children are typically at for this age and provides information for supports if a child requires any,” said Tracy Mueller, speech assistant at Barrhead Community Health Services. 

‘We’re so grateful to the Barrhead Elks Club for their kind donation toward this program. This gift will help fund materials to support his program for the next several years.” 

The Elks organization has a long tradition of aiding children with hearing loss and speech disorders, and the Barrhead Elks have contributed countless volunteer hours to promote and serve community needs. 

“As a member of the local Elks Club, it is a privilege to be able to financially assist initiatives that support our local youth in their growth and development,” said Calvin Fischer, member and lecturing knight of the Barrhead Elks. “We feel strongly that supporting our youth helps to build and strengthen our community.” 

Calvin Mah, manager for Allied Health, Area 5 North Zone and Homecare Onoway, added, “We truly appreciate the support shown by the Barrhead Elks Club. Their generous donation will help us further support the health and development of children in the local community.”