A Summer Recreation Program

Families know well that opportunities for physical exercise, playing sports and getting together with friends are sometimes difficult to find in a rural area,especially for young people who have intellectual disabilities. Sometimes families can take leadership in this area of recreation. For instance, through the generosity of local businesses and grants from the Recreation Department and Community HealthBoards, a nine-week summer recreation program has been running very successfully for many years in rural Cape Breton . The program was started by a local recreation department. It floundered and a parent (JosieMacEachern) revived it and kept it going until eventually L’Arche Cape Breton took it over. They continue to operate it. The emphasis of the program is to promote and model a healthy lifestyle, so exercise and physical activity is a large part of each day. The group also incorporates arts and crafts, games, boat tours, barbeques, music and much more into an interesting, active and fun-filled summer.