Call it a double whammy if you will, but the last few weeks have not been so good for the Gateway Association for Community Living.
First, last month’s inaugural Yoga in the Park fundraiser was cancelled because of rain. Then, just last week, their west end office was broken into. The thief or thieves made off with some computer and office equipment before making a getaway.
But they’ll have a chance to lift their spirits today, as the second instalment of Yoga in the Park is scheduled for Saturday afternoon in St. Albert’s Kingswood Park.
While Gateway’s employees will recover from the heartbreak of this crime affecting a non-profit organization, the cost has become another hardship.
Laura McDonald, administrative assistant at Gateway, explained that spirits in the office have been a little low since Aug. 2.
“It was quite a mess!” she recalled. “A few hours later, [the executive director and survey co-ordinator] were allowed into the building only to find that we had lost some items that were fairly valuable to us and that we miss dearly.”
Started 36 years ago, Gateway works with people of all ages and all degrees of intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders and Down syndrome. It is mainly a family resource centre that provides education, family support and mentorship while promoting understanding and inclusiveness within the community at large.
Office manager Sarah Preston stated, “We want everybody who has a developmental disability to basically be respected in their community: have a job that matters and have friends that care about them, not just people that are paid to be there.”
Gateway provides its programs and services free of charge. The yoga event is being held in St. Albert because the organization facilitates a family support group in the city and it supports an average of 60 city families each year.
Yoga in the Park takes place in Kingswood Park from 1 to 2:30 p.m. today. The cost is $20 per person. The park is located along the north side of Sir Winston Churchill Avenue just opposite to the entrance to Kingswood Drive. The session will be led by local instructor Kari DeChamplain-Pipella.
Gateway still has plans to conduct another Yoga in the Park session on Saturday, Sept. 10.
For more information, call Gateway at 780-454-0701 or visit www.gatewayassociation.ca.
