Did you know that in 2021 20% of individual grants given out by the CKNW Kids’ Fund went to kids with autism? Today, neurodivergent conditions including autism are some of the most prevalent disorders, occurring in about 1 in 66 kids in Canada. Autism is also frequently accompanied by co-occurring medical conditions such as sleep disorders, gastrointestinal abnormalities and mental health issues like anxiety or depression. In fact, last year over half of the Kids’ Fund autism funding went to individuals with two or more medical conditions.
This is a huge part of why the CKNW Kids’ Fund is committed to a more open funding process - because no two individuals are alike, and neither are disabilities. By allowing families to apply for funding within a broad scope of “medical necessity”, treatment plans are created by families and their teams of experts who know each child individually and best understand their needs. This is why last year we funded everything from speech, music, occupational, and other therapies, to sensory equipment, educational aids and more for kids with autism.
While families with kids with autism do receive funding from the government each year, it simply does not meet the costs associated with raising a child on the spectrum. That financial hardship stretches even further when we see that in 2021 we had 14 families who had more than one child diagnosed with autism living in their house. And over 35% of kids with autism who we funded came from homes with a single parent. As one of the few providers of funds for individual families, with an open application process where they can apply year-round when they need the funding most, and not sharing in “one-size-fits-all” beliefs, the CKNW Kids’ Fund has become an invaluable resource for BC families.
About Ashton Plumbing, Heating &Air
Ashton Service Group has been proudly serving communities in BC for over 30 years. Established in 1987 by Brian Williams and his wife Julie, it has since grown to over 100 employees and 60 service trucks, servicing commercial, construction, and residential clients from Vancouver to Kamloops.
Brian strives to be the only call clients need to make when solving their HVAC and plumbing concerns; “Our tagline ‘One call solves it all’ means our clients can rely on us to solve the issue they may be having even if that means we don’t directly benefit financially. We have done this by establishing long-term trusted relationships with external contractors who share the same values.” Julie, Brian’s wife, describes him as a human conduit of connectivity. Building heartfelt, meaningful relationships and having a strong set of philanthropic principles. These principles have guided them when building Ashton into the trusted brand it is today and has cemented the role they play in the community.
Ashton for Autism
While Ashton supports many great causes, the Ashton for Autism Fund was created by Brian and Julie’s daughter. While working on her practicum a local school for her teaching degree, she noticed there were many children from kindergarten and up with learning difficulties. Most of these children were waiting to be assessed by professionals for a clear diagnosis and treatment. The professional assessments were not only costly, but also backlogged by heavy demand of these services, which created stress not only on the families, but delayed the assistance the children needed.
Brian and Julie listened to her experiences and realized this was another great way for Ashton to give back to the community, partnering with the CKNW Kids’ Fund to support Autistic children across BC. Their commitment of $20,000 on Pledge Day 2021 is only the start to a great journey between our two organizations, and we can’t wait to see what it means for families across the province.
To continue this work, a portion of all 2022 proceeds from the installation of Air Condition or Heat Pump systems will be donated to the Kids’ Fund Ashton for Autism Fund.
