Celebrating Lansdowne Children’s Centre’s board chairs

Lloyd St Amand has shifted into his role as past chair of the LCC board, as Ashley Veldkamp now takes on the role of chair.

One of Lansdowne Children’s Centre’s greatest strengths is its ability to inspire strong advocates with a wide range of skills who are willing to dedicate themselves to supporting the organization’s life-changing work.

Recently, two of these individuals – Lloyd St Amand and Ashely Veldkamp, the outgoing and incoming board chairs respectively – were recognized at the agency’s annual general meeting.  

St Amand didn’t have a personal connection to Lansdowne when he joined the board a decade ago, but “I knew, by way of reputation, that Lansdowne was an outstanding facility that made a very positive difference in the lives of so many children, and by extension, the parents and siblings of those children.”

Lansdowne is a highly accredited children's treatment centre (CTC) and SmartStart Hub, connecting caregivers and educators with resources, services and support programs for babies, kids and teens with physical, communication, and/or developmental needs in the Grand Erie area. Anyone can submit a referral to Lansdowne online without requiring a diagnosis, doctor's note, etc.

St Amand served as a member of the board for nine years before taking on the role of chair for a year; he remains on the board now as past chair.

He noted that the board has had many accomplishments over the years.

One of the biggest ones, of course, is that “We've been working towards getting a new building for Lansdowne,” St Amand said, noting that between “the number of children served and the number of staff, it's pretty cramped” in the current building.

While the final details are still being locked in and will be made public soon, “There’s a new building in the works; that’s been an exciting and rewarding project, for sure,” St Amand said. “That's been an achievement; we’ve worked hard at that.”

The new building project is one that Veldkamp is looking forward to working on in her new role.

“We need a space to grow,” she said.

Over the years, Veldkamp has seen firsthand how the Lansdowne staff have made the best of the ever-tightening space at the Brantford site; that’s because she first connected to the organization 13 years ago as the mom of a client, when her son, Mason, was a baby.

He was born at 24 weeks gestation, and utilized a variety of services, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, feeding and swallowing, etc.

Veldkamp noted that like many other families, “ours has walked the path of navigating therapies, appointments, and the emotional weight that can come with supporting a child who experiences the world a little differently. Lansdowne was there for us – not just as a provider of services, but as a source of support, understanding, and hope.”

That connection she felt was what inspired her to join the board eight years ago, as a way of giving back.

“Families like mine deserve strong advocates, and I’m proud to be one of them,” she said.

Lansdowne has various volunteer opportunities available for interested community members, including serving on committees, helping out at special events, and third-party fundraisers. If you would like more information on how you can contribute your time and talents, please email info@lansdownecc.com or call 519-753-3153 and ask to speak to someone in the Development and Community Relations department.