At each of our events, the Vancouver Island Baby Fair partners with a local charity to benefit from fundraising through donations at the stroller parking, face painting, and the photo contest. For the upcoming Victoria fair on September 25 & 26, 2010, we have chosen the Greater Victoria Down Syndrome Society. The following post was contributed by the GVDSS.

By Carol N.

The Greater Victoria Down Syndrome Society is thrilled to be this year’s charity of choice for the Baby Fair!  We are very excited to be able to advocate for our wonderful members, raise awareness about Down syndrome, and share in the joy and excitement of the Baby Fair with all of you!

This year we will have some art cards for sale at the booth.  The purpose of the art cards is to raise awareness about the GVDSS, while at the same time raise money to help support one of our very special programs:  Music Therapy, which is run in collaboration with Dr. Johanne Brodeur at the Victoria Conservatory of Music.

On a Personal Note:  Our Story

When our son Aidan came into our lives, many people said, “God gives these kids to special families.”  I didn’t contradict them, but I did think they had it backwards.  I felt very certain that Aidan would make us live a better life.  Now, four years later, I stand by that notion.

Aidan reminds us not to take life for granted.  He reminds us to celebrate life, give thanks for all that we’ve got, and not to sweat the small stuff.   Our family and friends rally around Aidan.

We celebrate each of his accomplishments – like walking at three years of age; trying to go potty; using sign language to communicate with us; putting words together; learning to drink from a straw; doing fingerplays and action songs; kicking a soccer ball;  cheering for his preschool teacher at circle time; and blowing a kiss to the check-out lady.

Since Aidan’s birth, I’ve had an opportunity to meet a lot of people who have a person with Down syndrome in their life.  I’m reminded that our children are all unique, and all special.  They are not cookie-cut outs of each other – they are as individual as you and me.  In each of those conversations, one thing has been consistent: not one of us would trade our children for anything; we love them just the way they are.

The big moment so many wait for after every Baby Fair is finally here!
Here are the winners of the 2010 Nanaimo Photo Contest…

0-24 month old category: Aislynn.  2-6 year old category: Solace

Both Aislynn and Solace’s families win a $300 prize package including a portrait session, 11×14 enlargement & 10 5×7 digital negatives from SeaSide Studios.

We are often asked how we pick the winners, and we always try to emphasize that it is not a “cutest baby” contest. We look for interesting photographs where the photographer has captured a special look or expression of the child. Check out some of the past faces of the Vancouver Island Baby Fair.

Thank you to all the families who entered their little ones into the photo contest! All families who entered receive a free 5×7 print which is available for pickup now at Huckleberry Baby Shop in Nanaimo.

Through the Photo Contest, face painting and stroller parking we have raised more than $1350 for Haven Society. Thank You also to London Drugs at Nanaimo North Town Centre for providing the 5×7 prints. We are donating that cost savings back to Haven Society.

We were disappointing this week to learn the B.C. government decided to cancel funding for Success By 6 - an early childhood development initiative that the Vancouver Island Baby Fair has partnered with in the past. Luckily, public pressure appears to have gotten them to change their minds, so it looks like the program will still be around after all! News story here.

In 2008, Success By 6 was our charity partner, receiving a free exhibitor booth, exposure at the Vancouver Island Baby Fair and all the donations raised at the photo contest. The program is a partnership between the United Way, Credit Unions of B.C., local businesses like ours, and the provincial government. Their funding is being cut in half this year, and was to be eliminated in 2011. As of earlier this week, the government has said they’ll talk to Success By 6 and the United Way to find out just how much they need to make sure they don’t have to close down.

Not only does Success By 6 support hundreds of programs in areas like pregnancy and parenting support and early learning literacy and music programs, but they also provide an important bridge that enables the business community to become more involved in the community. Many businesses recognize the need to give back through community partnerships, but don’t always know how best to do that. Success By 6 helps to fill that gap.

We want to encourage you to write or email your MLA (look them up here) and urge them to make sure Success By 6 gets the funding they need. We haven’t seen any dollar figures or commitments for funding yet – just comments in a couple of news stories – so keep up the public pressure!

At each Vancouver Island Baby Fair, we partner with a charity who benefits from 100% of the money raised from the Photo Contest, Stroller Parking, and Face Painting, plus they get wide exposure to the thousands of visitors who attend the event. We have raised thousands of dollars and provided exposure for several charities over the past three years.

At our upcoming event in Nanaimo on June 5 & 6, 2010, we are proud to be working with the Haven Society. Haven Society’s mission is to promote the integrity and safety of women, children, youth and families and the development of a respectful and healthy community.

As a leading anti-violence organization operating from feminist principles, Haven Society achieves this mission by providing a range of programs and services, public education and advocacy. This includes:

Haven Transition House: provides shelter for women, children, and families of all ages who have been physically, sexually and/or emotionally abused.
Children and Youth Who Witness Abuse Program: Offers group and individual counselling and a place where children can talk about their experiences and learn that it is not their fault.
Haven Community Victim Services Ð Nanaimo & Parksville: Offers emotional support and justice related services for those coping with the aftermath of sexual assault, abuse and violence.
Women’s Counselling & Support Groups: Provides a safe place for women whose lives have been affected by abuse to begin reclaiming their sense of self and safety.
24 hour Crisis Line: A support worker is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.