I have spent the last 30 years saying thank you… a lot! How blessed am I to have had so many opportunities to do so?
I didn’t think that way at first. When I was younger, I was a free spirit, very self-reliant, and honestly saw asking for help as a sign of weakness. How naive and silly I was.
Life changes our perspective, usually in good ways if we are open to it. After having a child with special needs, I quickly learned that families like mine can survive this new journey, but only if they are willing to ask for help. The Niagara-on-the-Lake community stepped up so often in the early years. Service clubs, businesses, family and friends supported us, whether we needed specialized equipment, home and van modifications, or childcare for our other children when we were out of town for medical issues with our middle son.
So how do you say thank you for all that? It never felt like enough. The only way I saw through that was to accept, say thank you, and use that gratitude to propel me forward and learn ways to give back. It felt like that would just be good karma.
This led to the development of Red Roof Retreat, and helping families with children who had special needs. With family and community behind me, it has grown from a two-week summer camp in the year 2000, to a year-round, multi-location organization that serves the Niagara Region, and is supported largely by NOTL. And now I have a whole career based on asking for help and saying thank you. The blessings continue.
As we wrap up the first month of the new year, I want to once again say thank you to all who supported us during our Gifts from the Heart Holiday Campaign. Together we raised over $103,000. Every time we successfully reach, and often surpass a goal, I am humbled and empowered to continue making this community proud of the work we do for so many special people. Cheers to a wonderful 2023.
With thanks,
Steffanie Bjorgan
on behalf of Red Roof Retreat Board of Directors and the families we serve
