BARRHEAD - It was a special night for Barrhead's Ripple Connection Support Centre (RCSC).
The RCSC is a not-for-profit organization, opened in 2010, that provides services for people who directly suffer from mental illness as well as their families and caregivers.
On Friday, Dec. 3, as part of a dinner and coffee talk hosted by the Barrhead Advocates at the RCSC, they were awarded the Premier's Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities Award of Excellence in the Community.
The council's purpose is to provide the province with information and advice about how the government can improve the lives of people living with disabilities.
The Barrhead Advocates hosted the day as a way to recognize mark the United Nations’ International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
"The Ripple Connection is being recognized for providing a safe place for people of all abilities to hang out, learn, make friends and meet new people," said council chair Greg McMeekin before the dinner. "Their organization is inclusive of all people and is increasing awareness of mental health and wellness. The importance of inclusion and accessibility cannot be overstated."
RCSC program manager Gennie Williams said it was an honour to be recognized.
"We wouldn't be able to do the things that we do here if it were not for all our volunteers and the community support that we receive and we look forward to being able to continue work with everyone to do the important that we do," she said.
Scott Robins, one of the Barrhead Advocates and organizers of the dinner, said the Advocates were formed in 2006 to explore what different countries were doing in the way of legislation and policy to help or deal with people with physical and mental disabilities.
As part of their research, they learned about the U.N.'s International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which was established in 1992.
Robins said the group was surprised to learn that much of the world had been marking the day with various educational events for more than a decade.
"So we decided that we wanted to do something too. Due to the day's proximity to Christmas, we wanted to connect it to that holiday spirit as well as bring attention to the unique interests of people with disabilities," he said.
Due to COVID-19 and public health restrictions, last year's dinner was cancelled.
Robins added that disabilities impact everyone, saying eight out of 10 people will have a disability in their lifetimes.
"Whether it is a short time or a lifetime," he said. "People with disabilities are the largest minority worldwide. It's been estimated that at any point in time, there are 1.1 billion people who have disabilities. In Canada, that means at any given time, there are about 6.1 million people living with some sort of disability."
And although Robins said they are pleased to be able to host the event again, because of the current public health restrictions, this year's dinner has been downscaled from the traditional turkey dinner to beef-on-bun, which was available for pick up or delivery.
Earlier in the day, the advocates also delivered 100 lunches to area businesses, "to say thank you for staying open (during the pandemic) providing our groceries and other necessities, and for keeping the economy going," he said.
After the dinner, the advocates hosted a special version of their Friday Coffee Club, where the Ripple Connection Support Centre was presented with their award.
Because of the restrictions, only about 45 people attended the ceremony in person, but Robins noted that it was also streamed live via Zoom.
