Tag: family festival

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Jun 29, 2018

From our beginnings as a small, grassroots autism charity, we are so proud to have the province-wide impact on individuals and families that we do today.

It was just over 10 years ago that Paolo and Clara Aquilini sat around a dining table with Katy Harandi. Together, they envisioned an organization that would make a positive and lasting impact on the autism community in BC.

With the support of the Canucks for Kids Fund, Canucks Autism Network became a non-profit society on January 7, 2008. That year, we began with one soccer program and one family skate at GM Place (now Rogers Arena).

A decade later, CAN delivers nearly 500 programs to 4,000 members province-wide. Since day one, we could not do what we do without the countless supporters who share our mission.

There is much to be thankful for and much to celebrate. Here are just some of the milestones that have highlighted CAN’s 10-year journey with our participants, families and supporters:

1. July 29, 2008 | Our first-ever program
Offered to just a handful of families, we launched I CAN Play Soccer as a two-day program at GM Place. After 10 years, guess which CAN coach is still around to guide our participants?

A male coach puts his arms around two child soccer players as they pose for a photo together.
Coach Neeeeeeesh!

Over the past decade, we have expanded to a wide range of sports and rec programs, allowing children and youth with autism to explore physical activity on land, water and ice. Beyond sports, our social programs and overnight camps have allowed participants to try new activities, develop lasting friendships and make lifelong memories.

2. September 2008 | Launch of We CAN Be Friends
In addition to sports and rec programs, one of the pillars of our mission has been to raise autism awareness. That’s why in our first year, we launched We CAN Be Friends, a free curriculum-based autism awareness program for elementary classrooms.

By raising awareness among BC’s youngest students, we can help educators build a brighter future of acceptance, empathy and inclusion for individuals with autism. After launching to a handful of schools in the Lower Mainland, the program has now grown to 275 schools across BC.An elementary school classroom sits in front of a "We CAN Be Friends" sign with an orca whale mascot seated behind them in a school gym.

3. April 2011 | Programs expand outside the Lower Mainland
In Spring 2011, CAN launched multi-week sports and rec programs in both Victoria and Kamloops. Today, CAN offers programs in three Vancouver Island communities (Victoria, Cowichan Valley and Nanaimo) and two BC Interior communities (Kamloops and Kelowna). In total, CAN programs are actively delivered in 79 communities across BC.

4. April 1, 2012 | Inaugural CAN Family Festival at Jack Poole Plaza
In celebration of World Autism Awareness Day, we hosted the first-ever CAN Family Festival at Jack Poole Plaza. Held in Downtown Vancouver, the annual event featured an awareness walk, exhibitors, games, and live performances. For six years, the CAN Family Festival was an annual centerpiece in our efforts to bring families together, increase awareness and raise vital funding for our programs.

A group of children play with bubbles in an outdoor plaza
April 2012: The cauldron at Jack Poole Plaza was lit to celebrate CAN Family Festival for the first time.

5. March 17, 2013 | Inaugural CAN Sports Day at Sportstown in Richmond
For ten years, CAN family events have provided invaluable opportunities for both parents and kids to connect with others in the autism community. Events like the Rogers Arena Family Skate and Van Dusen Gardens Festival of Lights have marked the CAN calendar as annual highlights for our families.

In March 2013, we hosted the first-ever CAN Sports Day. With the support of the Vancouver Canucks, BC Lions, Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Vancouver Canadians, participants were treated to a truly memorable experience playing alongside their local sports heroes. Held in Sportstown Richmond the first year, it was moved to BC Place in 2014 where it has been held ever since.

A group of roughly 100 children, youth and adults gather on a turf field for an aerial photo

6. June 3, 2013 | First training workshop for external sports & rec staff
Our vision is for all individuals with autism to feel understood, accepted, and supported in all community spaces. In 2013, we began delivering autism training to sports and rec providers, ensuring that our ability to engage individuals with autism extends outside our walls too.

Since then, we have expanded these efforts to include training across public sectors, including first responders, educators, community recreation providers, and many others. Across BC, our workshops have been delivered in the far reaches of the province, including Northern BC, as well as First Nations communities.

In the summer of 2016, CAN workshops reached a pivotal milestone, becoming eligible for Coaching Association of Canada NCCP Maintenance Certification Points (PD Points) and BCRPA Continuing Education Credits (CECs).

7. Spring 2014 | CAN reaches 1,000 memberships
We are humbled that so many families have made us a part of their lives. Today, we impact over 4,000 individuals and families with autism on an annual basis. With a high ratio of support in all of our programs, we can be proud that each and every one our participants has a volunteer, support worker or coach that has personally supported them and celebrated their accomplishments.

8. November 17, 2014 | Launch of I CAN Fly with YVR
At CAN, collaboration is among our core values. We recognize that we cannot achieve our vision alone. After hearing about the struggles that individuals and families with autism face with air travel, we partnered with the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) to launch I CAN Fly.

Beginning with the annual Accessibility Tour, families with autism are invited to go through the entire pre-flight process. Once families are ready to travel, they can access a step-by-step video and pick up a complimentary YVR Resource Toolkit that features checklists, maps and activity storybooks to best prepare children with autism for what to expect.

After successfully delivering the I CAN Fly program for three years, it was expanded to Kelowna International Airport (YLW) in November 2017.

9. September 21, 2015 | Inaugural Reveal Gala at Rogers Arena
We could not do what we do without our valued donors, sponsors and supporters. In order to shed light on both the challenges and successes of our participants, while raising vital funding for our programs, we held the inaugural Reveal Gala.

Transforming Rogers Arena into an intimate venue for just over 500 guests, the first gala raised over $800,000 for CAN programs. Over the past three galas, guests have been treated by incredible performances from Sarah McLachlan, the Tenors and Lola Lennox.

A family of three stands on stage while the mother speaks at a podium

10. April 3, 2018 |  Rogers Arena receives “Autism Aware” designation
With the Vancouver Canucks and Canucks for Kids Fund representing our longest-standing supporters, it was only fitting that Rogers Arena became the first NHL arena in Canada to feature comprehensive autism accessibility.

In addition to over 50 event staff receiving CAN autism training, sensory kits (featuring noise-cancelling headphones for loan, a sensory toy, ID bracelet, visual storybook, arena map and game-night timeline), a quiet room and fan text service have been made available to individuals and families living with autism for all Canucks games, events and concerts.

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Have you been a part of any of the above 10 milestones within the past 10 years? Join us in celebrating a decade of “I CAN”. The CAN Birthday Festival on Saturday, July 7 at Surrey Civic Plaza is FREE and open to the public.

Learn more at canucksautism.ca/bdayfest. Let’s celebrate!

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This article was originally published in January 2018. Since then, Bob Shanks has raised ANOTHER $100k is nearing his goal of a quarter million raised entirely by himself for CAN. Incredible!

Jan 5, 2018

Each year, Canucks Autism Network (CAN) delivers over 450 sports and rec programs throughout BC. Ranging from weekly sports lessons to single-day family events, CAN programs impact over 3,200 individuals and families living with autism on an annual basis. But each program and event is only possible with the generous support of those who share our passion.

In 2012, Robbie Cruickshank, a young adult diagnosed with autism, had just heard about CAN. “My sister, Diana, was good friends with someone from the organization who was involved in fundraising,” Robbie recalled. “Being a huge sports fan, I was motivated to support CAN’s programs. I love hockey, football and basketball — both playing and watching.”

Most importantly, Robbie loved the idea of helping kids with autism play these sports too. He began simply by collecting donations from his family. Better known as “Bob Shanks” to those closest to him, Robbie began expanding his fundraising efforts. For five years, Robbie has hosted pub nights, spearheaded online campaigns and even gone door-to-door to support CAN programs.

“Pretty much any time I wasn’t working,” Robbie told us, “I was fundraising for CAN.”

In 2014, he was named the Top Individual Fundraiser at the CAN Family Festival, raising an incredible $10,128. Robbie not only held that title for the next two years, he topped his annual total each time with $26,000 in 2015 and $37,535 in 2016.

With years of dedicated fundraising under his belt, Robbie set his sights on a truly astonishing milestone in 2017.

$100,000 raised since 2012.

This past September, Robbie reached and obliterated that goal. His most recent total? $113,763 as of early-January.

But as inconceivable as it is for one individual to raise $100,000, the amount is not nearly as important as the passion that Robbie shares with CAN.

When asked how he could have accomplished something so incredible, Robbie answered simply, “I just tell people how it is at CAN – where the money is going and what the organization does.”

A couple of years ago, Robbie visited the I CAN Play Sports program, where he helped teach a participant how to shoot a basketball. “I told him, ‘Shoot it like you’re putting your hand in a cookie jar’ and he made the basket!”

For Robbie, seeing the joy that sports gives each child is what continues to motivate him. “I do it because these kids get to experience something that may not be possible without CAN.”

With over 11,000 families living with autism in BC, the need for help is greater than ever. Regardless of the amount, every contribution counts.

Thank you to Robbie and all of our supporters for sharing CAN’s passion. We could not do what we do without you.

To learn how you can support CAN programs, please visit canucksautism.ca/support.

If you would like to support Robbie’s ongoing fundraising efforts for CAN, please visit our online donation page and be sure to enter “Robbie Cruickshank” in the comments field.

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