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North FASD Coalition – FASD Awarness Month Recap

This year for FASD Awareness Month, the North FASD coalition organized a walk and barbecue.  The event was open to the community of Thompson and publicized through partnerships and social media.  The event’s theme was “everyone plays a part” and invitations were provided to a wide range of roles in the community.

On the afternoon of September 20^th, community members gathered at City Hall for the mayor address, (by Mayor Colleen Smook) and then began a walk to Keewatin Tribal Council’s- Jordan’s Principle Initiative office for a barbecue.  Approximately 100 people attended including various partners, professionals and students from elementary schools.  Hotdogs, chips and drinks were provided, along with “all brains are beautiful” stickers and tattoos.  A speech was made by our coalition to commemorate the occasion.  Various coalition partners were part of making the event a huge success including the Northern Health Region, Mystery Lake School Division, Keewatin Tribal Council, Frontier School Division, Marymound, StreetReach, Manitoba Justice, University of Manitoba- Northern Social Work Program and the Manitoba Foster Family Network.

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2024 Portage and Area FASD Day Fundy Recap

The 2024 Portage and Area FASD Day Fundy Event was planned with hopes of creating an annual community event to occur after the busy summer but before back to school time.

In years past, the event has included allied professionals who have client groups or areas of focus with higher rates of FASD and encouraged displayers to bring games and small prizes to create a fun fair carnival atmosphere.

The event included:

• Mascots
• Professional face painter who painted many children’s faces  
• Bouncy Castle to add to the carnival atmosphere 
• A Drum group and pow wow dancers to provide a mini pow wow demonstration
• Silent auction with prizes donated by local businesses and individuals.
• Good support from Health who attended with the Families First Program as well as Community Health who offered free vaccination checks and vaccinations if required onsite

Organizers engaged Golden West broadcasting to create and broadcast radio spots to promote the event.  These were broadcast prior to the long weekend and on the day of the event.  In both the Commercials and the radio interviews a dual message included information about the event but also about FASD in general.

Attendance estimated to be about 100 over the day. Stay tuned for more information regarding a 2025 event – see details on the poster below!

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MB FASD Coalition featured in Winnipeg Free Press

The work of MFCI cannot happen without its many dedicated volunteers in a wide variety of roles.

Shannon Foster, one of our new volunteer board members, had a chance to speak with a reporter at the Winnipeg Free Press about volunteering with us. Her passion for people impacted by FASD shone through loud and clear.

Thank you Shannon for sharing your story about volunteerism with everyone.

Thank you to all the volunteers who work with us to make change every day.

FASD Indigenous Led Training for Service Providers – The Manitoba FASD Strategy consultations revealed a need for Indigenous-led initiatives, and Ka Ni Kanichihk has led the way in the development of this FASD training. The FASD training is an Indigenous-led training designed for service providers and helpers who may be working with Indigenous peoples and communities, particularly those who are part of the FASD community. For full details and registration information click here.

CBC News: Years-long wait for Manitoba FASD diagnosis highlights ‘critical’ need for more resources. Youth in Manitoba are waiting years to be diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder — a delay one occupational therapist says is putting already vulnerable kids at risk as they wait for an assessment that could give them the help they need. Read more….

Canadian Academy of Health Sciences will be undertaking an assessment on FASD. They will be consulting with organizations and individuals with FASD. If you are interested in participating, click here for more information.