Goettlers agree to 'Go out and Have Fun'

A new program initiated by Red Roof Retreat will be the recipient of a $5,000 grant from the Goettler Family Foundation.

Steffanie Bjorgan, founder and executive director of Red Roof, said they submitted a successful proposal to the foundation called the Goettler Go Out and Have Fun Community Event.

Offered monthly, each event will allow opportunities for specific groups of children to try new activities in the community. For example, a movie and bowling night is planned for children with complex medical needs, said Bjorgan, “and a sensory experience day” of a hike and scavenger hunt will be offered for neurodiverse youth who “are looking for independence.”

Philanthropists Vaughn and Lauren Goettler are thankful that Red Roof Retreat supports families with special needs children, said Lauren. “Any one of us could have a special needs child.”

Some children need care for their entire lives, she added. “They do not grow up and move out, but require unique care every single day. It’s got to be hard on the parents. I can only imagine, and my heart goes out to them.”

Being out in the community as a parent or caregiver of a person with special needs can lead to some interesting reactions, noted Bjorgan, whose 30-year-old son Garrett has cerebral palsy. She said that sometimes adults just stare at them, others avoid them, but that the most interesting reactions often come from children. Last week, while on an outing with Garrett, she overheard a child asking her parent, “is he broken?”

“You just have to go on with your life, right?” said Bjorgan when asked how she responds to situations like this. “But if you have the opportunity to strike up a conversation, then just do that.”

Bjorgan said it feels unnatural to just go up to another family and start talking, “but if it happens organically, it's great.” She suggests that if a child is interested in someone with complex needs, the best response is to “just say hi.”

“Say hi to the individual, and take a second to gauge their response. Make a decision based on that.” The conversation could continue, said Bjorgan, or the caretaker could get involved.

“There really doesn't need to be any fear. They're just human beings in a different body.”

It could be a teachable moment, she said. “You could start by saying that ‘everybody's different, you know, so why don't we go and introduce ourselves and let's find out how we might be the same.’”

Typically what Steffanie and her husband Moe have done when they see a family is awkward about the situation is to say, “‘look, it's okay. Come on over and say hi.’ It really is just common sense, kindness and compassion.”

“We are proud as a foundation to support these wonderful children as well as their incredibly loving families,” said Goettler. “We hope each and every one of you do the same. These families are part of our family in Niagara-on-the-Lake, to whom each of us owes a debt of respect, honour and love.”