Family centre continues to offer free programming to the community

Editor's Note: This is the latest article in the Co-op Cares series that we have in partnership with the Southern Plains Co-op. We are proud to place a spotlight on the different organizations serving our region. Thanks to the Co-op for supporting this initiative.

The Estevan Family Resource Centre has been a place where people can access fun and enjoyable programming since 2002. 

Jennifer Dunne is the new executive director at the family centre, but she’s very familiar with its operations. She was on the board of directors for two years, and then joined the staff in January in an effort to help out. More recently, she became the executive director.

“I love being part of the community. That was one of the main reasons that I joined the board, and one of the main reasons that I accepted the position,” said Dunne. 

She has small kids at home, so the family centre has been a life-link for her. 

“I know that a lot of parents are just thankful that there’s a moment in the last year of somewhere they can come and meet other parents and connect,” said Dunne. “All of the values that we have here are just great for parents, for families, for young and old. We support everybody in the community.” 

Her time on the board introduced her to the value of the family centre to the community. They want people to know that families come first.

Dunne recognizes she has large shoes to fill, as she replaced Colleen Macmillan, who was at the helm of the centre for nearly 20 years – meaning Macmillan was there for the vast majority of the centre’s history.

And while Dunne is taking the family centre in a new direction with new staff, she wants to follow the values and the format Macmillan had in place because they worked.

“Everything that we have here is free. The counselling sessions. All of the different programs that we run whether they’re virtual or in-person. The drop in and play centre, which is open every week, everything is free for the community, which is how we want to keep it, basically.”  

The family centre relies on grants and fundraising to keep their programs free, and it is a United Way Estevan member agency.  

The family centre offers a variety of programs. There’s the drop-in and play that has been a staple of their activities since it opened. They have baby and preschool programs, and a drop-in time for moms. 

Intellidance, which a dance, music and sensory play program, is offered on Mondays, with two different levels.

An online gym babies program, which is more of a movement, play and rhyme time for infants, is available. If they have a few people in the building, they might organize a story time or a craft session.

They also hope to partner with the Estevan Police Association in May to try an event for Bicycle Safety Week. They’re thinking of ways to do it in a safe, COVID-friendly fashion for the older kids. 

They hope to have a summer camp for school-aged children in the summer, but that will be dependent on the pandemic. 

And they’re always there with the counselling services for families.  

The family centre was closed last March when the pandemic started, but it was still providing counselling and offering virtual programming to help families.

In September, the drop in and play program resumed, but with shorter hours. Hours returned to normal in January: Monday to Friday 9-11:30 a.m., along with Monday to Thursday 1:30-4 p.m.  

For the second straight year, the family centre is offering A Growing Smiles flower fundraiser. People can purchase planters, potting plants and succulents and vegetables and other things they need. The deadline to order is May 4. 

More information on the fundraiser can be found on the family centre’s Facebook page.