PENTICTON — The OSNS Child and Youth Developmental Centre has been serving families in the South Okanagan-Similkameen region for nearly four decades. This Sunday, it will be turning to the community for help.
It’s the annual Shaw Share-A- Smile Telethon. The money raised will allow OSNS to develop creative learning spaces and update learning materials.
“It gives us the flexibility to provide programming that is outside the standard but that we really need and will enhance the quality that people will receive from OSNS,” says executive director Manisha Willms.
Some of OSNS’s services include autism treatment, speech therapy and physiotherapy. Last year, it helped more than 700 children in the area and the demand continues to grow.
“Many kids are getting diagnosed, so we have a long wait list for services: learning to walk, learning to talk, learning to make friends.”
The therapeutic programs are free thanks to government funding and generous donors, which is why it relies heavily on fundraisers.
The telethon runs from noon to 5 p.m. and is broadcast live on Shaw TV or streamed on the OSNS website.
People have already started bidding on the silent auction, which will also close at 5 p.m. on Sunday.
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