Picture yourself around the Holidays. Some of the things that probably came to mind were family dinners, gifts, maybe an ugly sweater, and probably a warm drink as you share a laugh with the people you love.

Some things that probably didn’t come to mind; worrying about where your next meal was coming from, wearing clothes that fit properly and weren’t old or tattered, and being able to afford a small gift for someone you are close to.

Unfortunately, those are all-too-common realities for some of the individuals in our Adult Day Services programs, and not just around the Holidays.

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Thanks to donations to our Endowment Fund, many of these individuals were given gift cards for food, clothing, and other household items they needed over the Holidays.

“It’s hard for me to do work right now because I injured my foot. This gift card helped me put food on my table for another month. Thank you so much,” says one individual in our Milestones Day Program.

The feeling is not unique to just one individual either. A simple gift card is the difference between whether many individuals can eat for the rest of the month or not. Whether they can afford to buy anything beyond the absolute essentials.

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You probably wouldn’t think twice about getting a small gift for yourself or a family member most days.

But for some, it’s a major financial decision.

“The gift card meant a lot to me because I was worried about getting the things I needed this holiday, maybe I will get a gift for myself now. I am thankful for the friends and staff, always there helping me and supporting me,” says one individual in the SAID Day Program.

On behalf of the individuals at the Milestones and SAID Day Program, we would like to offer a huge thank you to our generous donors for the gifts. It means more to these individuals than we could ever express.

As one individual stated, “I just started at New Directions. I couldn’t believe how loving people are here and the support you already have given me. Thank you for this amazing Christmas gift.”

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Interested in donating to our Endowment Fund? Visit: https://newdirections.mb.ca/donate/

You step outside into an unusually cold Manitoba winter, and you’re met with the customary bone-chilling breeze. The shiver that runs through you is followed by one of the ensembles of complaints about the weather, and the longing for warm summer sun and green grass fill your mind.

You might not enjoy the long, cold winters, but the thick winter jacket on your back makes them bearable, at least for a short amount of time, until that windchill hits and tears freeze in your eyes before they can form.

The winter jacket, an essential to survive the quickest of trips to the car to grab a forgotten phone or a bag of groceries, is something many of us take for granted when the snow begins to fall.

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Not Alex though. Alex doesn’t take his new winter jacket for granted. Not when being jacket-less kept him confined in his house with his mom in the hospital and two younger siblings to look after.

Thankfully, other supports provided winter clothing and food for his two younger siblings, but being over 18 years old, Alex wasn’t given the same support. Instead, he was unable to attend school or any of the other community programs he was a part of.

Alex’s family has been involved with New Directions for quite a while, both of his siblings being a part of our FASD Support, Education and Counselling Program. When a program Clinician heard that Alex was confined to the house, they submitted a request to our Endowment Fund to purchase him a new winter jacket and proper footwear.

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The request was approved, and Alex is now the enormously proud owner of a new winter jacket and a pair of runners to keep himself warm as he navigates Winnipeg Transit on his way to school and community activities every day.

The Clinician that submitted the request says that Alex is beyond thankful for the support, which has only been possible thanks to donations to our Endowment Fund.

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