ACT is pleased to share the news that the Pacific Autism Family Centre has a site. Several years of work involving many in the British Columbia autism community came to fruition with the announcement on February 28th that a new provincial autism centre will be built on the grounds of the Children’s Foundation, adjacent to Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children.
The moving force behind the concept of the Pacific Autism Family Centre (PAFC) has been Sergio Cocchia and Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia who themselves are the parents of a teenage son with autism. The couple has been involved for many years in philanthropy on behalf of children with special needs.
In his last public statement as Premier, Gordon Campbell announced: "Our government made a clear commitment to creating a national hub for research and a centre for parental supports that will help children and families affected by autism”, adding, “The new centre will help make the latest information and research more accessible to B.C.”
Premier Campbell made his announcement at the Children’s Foundation in front of a gathering which included representatives of many of the province’s autism organizations, individual parents as well as professionals involved in autism diagnosis and treatment. Present at the meeting were several MLA’s including the Minister of Children and Families, Mary Polak, and the Minister of Education, Margaret MacDiarmid, in addition to the Mayor of Vancouver, Gregor Robertson.
The generosity of the Children’s Foundation in allowing the Pacific Autism Family Centre to use much of the land that they have on a long-term lease from the City of Vancouver was recognized. The Children’s Foundation operations will share the site with the PAFC.
“It is not often that organizations demonstrate an ability to share a vision for the future in the exemplary manner in which the Children’s Foundation has done”, explained Deborah Pugh, Executive Director of ACT – Autism Community Training and a member of PAFC’s steering committee. “It was also impressive to see the autism community coming together to build a future for those with autism and other special needs – the contribution of the Children’s Foundation has been essential.”
The Pacific Autism Centre Society (PACS), the non-profit group leading the project, is continuing to develop the plan for the centre, including the programs it will provide and the governance structure that will be put in place to ensure that it responds to the needs of the autism community. Another major task will be to focus on the needs of smaller communities in B.C. where service delivery is particularly poor. A number of smaller centres across the province are envisioned.
"Listening to families and making sure that their voice is heard is critical to the success of the Pacific Autism Family Centre," said Sergio Cocchia, president of the Pacific Autism Centre Society. "The challenge of autism can be met when we all work together to share information and resources."
The Province has pledged up to $20 million toward capital costs, pending the completion of a business plan from the society. PACS has committed to fundraise an additional $14 million for capital and operating costs.
To see excerpts from the February 28th announcement, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGpFn4Z23yM
For information on the Pacific Autism Family Centre, visit:
http://www.pacificautismfamily.com
