Ruth is a single mother to four children; two are now adults, one is a young adult still at home and in school, and the youngest is in school and has a hard-won diagnosis of FASD.
Ruth founded Blocks & Bridges after experiencing extreme difficulties and several times nearing home breakdown because of the (ongoing) challenges in trying to find and access support for her youngest child and her family.
The supports needed by families like Ruth’s in Peel Region were not there. What resources and supports were available were not flexible enough to meet Ruth’s family’s needs or those of other families like hers; the systems in place were not designed to meet the needs of our beautiful and unique families (many of our families. People with FASD usually have other conditions as well, so the specific challenges vary from person to person. All of this, plus a lack of knowledge about FASD in the wider community, make it hard to know how our children will fare as they grow and enter the community.
Blocks & Bridges was founded to identify those blocks in services and in the lack of programs and then bridging those gaps for those whose lives have been affected, via our family support group, programs, and educating people on FASD. We share resources and develop new ones to help families navigate both the strengths and challenges that come with FASD.