Art connections at Lansdowne Children’s Centre echo through time
The connections built at Lansdowne Children’s Centre echo throughout the years. SmartStart Hub and Quality Assurance Supervisor Tiffany Morgan recently got to experience that with former client Erin and her mother, Patty.
Erin had been Tiffany’s first client at Lansdowne over 20 years ago.
“Over the years, we have stayed connected and continue a cherished tradition of Christmas shopping together each year for gifts for her family,” Tiffany said.
“When Erin was younger, we took our first trip of many to visit the dollar store so she could purchase thoughtful gifts for family members. Afterward, we'd stop at Tim Hortons for hot chocolate and spend time wrapping the gifts and creating little notes about why she chose each one. This tradition gave Erin the opportunity to surprise her family on Christmas morning and experience the joy of thoughtful gift-giving.”
Out of this tradition, Lansdowne’s Therapeutic Recreation Christmas Shopping Program was born.
This week-long program to foster thoughtful gift-giving skills gives participants the opportunity to build a budget, go shopping and choose gifts for their loved ones, and wrap the presents.
That’s not the only mark Erin left on Lansdowne.
In 2009, there was a community art initiative called the Mural Project – Peace and Diversity Circle.
Over 10 community agencies participated in the project, with different agencies being assigned a letter to contribute to a larger mural celebrating peace and diversity.
“Agencies worked with an artist to design their canvases before gathering in Harmony Square to paint together as a community,”
Tiffany said.
Lansdowne was assigned the letter ‘I’ for inclusion, and Erin was one of two youths who helped to create the centre’s contribution to the project.
The design of Lansdowne’s mural includes a horse and flag to represent favourite interests of Erin and her counterparts. It also had trilliums as a nod to Lansdowne’s former logo (which has since been replaced with one featuring a butterfly).
Once the agencies’ murals were completed, they were put together for a travelling public art installation.
Afterwards, the mural was returned to Lansdowne, where it remains on display to this day.
Recently, Erin and Patty came to Lansdowne’s Brantford site for a special trip down memory lane with Tiffany, who said revisiting the painting “brought back a flood of memories for everyone involved.”
Patty said,
"It's so great to have this still here to see. It's a lovely memory."
When asked what her favourite part of the painting was, Erin enthusiastically replied, "Everything!"
Tiffany said that Erin “agreed that seeing it again reminded her of all the good times we have shared together over the years. …
"The reunion served as a beautiful reminder of the lasting relationships built through LCC and the impact that inclusion, community connections, and shared experiences can have throughout a lifetime.”
Do you have fond memories of Lansdowne that you’d like to share? Reach out to Communications Coordinator Tamara Botting at tbotting@lansdownecc.com
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