Burnaby’s Down Syndrome Resource Foundation says it will have a “major announcement” later this year as it celebrates 25 years since it first opened its doors.
March 13 marks a quarter-century since DSRF’s 1995 opening in a trailer on the grounds of Vancouver’s Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children.
DSRF was founded by Josephine Mills, an advocate for children with Down syndrome and their families, devoting over 30 years to the cause.
Although the organization spent its first 12 or so years in Vancouver, the last 13 years have been at its Sperling Avenue centre in Burnaby, after moving there in 2002. That centre, according to a news release, was designed primarily as a research facility, which was the focus of DSRF.
In the last quarter-century, however, DSRF has pivoted to service delivery for people with Down syndrome and their families, where the organization had seen a need. It now serves over 400 students annually with educational programs and therapy services.
“We've had the privilege of seeing some of our students grow up from early childhood well into adulthood,” said CEO Wayne Leslie in a news release.
“We have adults with Down syndrome who come back to DSRF and say, ‘I started here. I have a job, I’m independent, I have an amazing life and I reached my full potential, and I did it with the help of DSRF.’ That’s an incredible legacy.”
To mark 25 years, the organization said it would make a “major announcement” this year that will “set the stage for DSRF to grow its impact for another 25 years and beyond.”
