Better Beginnings: A neighbourhood's heart for 25 years

Pretty much any day of the week, you'll find a buzz of activity at the Better Beginnings Better Futures community centre.

Volunteers sort through donated clothes and household goods, babies and toddlers play, kids and teens gather for after-school programs and pregnant or parenting youth take part in parenting education and peer support.

Located in the former St. Gabriel school, Better Beginnings, Better Futures has been the heart of the city's Donovan and Flour Mill neighbourhoods for a quarter-century now.

“It has brought the community together,” said Better Beginnings program manager Jim Eshkawkogan, who has been with the agency from its inception.

“It's helped people support each other. It's created so much inclusion. It's broken down cultural and social barriers.”

Better Beginnings is celebrating its silver anniversary at the Caruso Club Feb. 19 with its annual formal dinner, silent auction and dance.

All proceeds from the event go towards the agency's after-school programs for pre-teens and teens. While the pre-teen program does receive some government funding, the teen program — known as The SPOT — depends entirely on donations.

Back in the late 1980s, the provincial government wanted to come up with a way of ensuring kids who grew up in disadvantaged neighbourhoods had a chance at a good life.

To do this, it funded eight Better Beginnings Better Futures family resource centres throughout the province, including the Sudbury program, which opened its doors in 1991.

Better Beginnings sites across the province were involved in a long-term study to see if kids involved in the program did better later in life.

The results coming out of the study have been promising, as it showed these kids had better grades, drank less, were involved in less crime and had fewer mental-health issues.

“We've grown up with the little ones who have participated in the program, and now some of them are working within our programming and delivering programming to the next generation,” Eshkawkogan said.

Although it started as a provincial five-year pilot program, thanks to buy-in from the community, Better Beginnings Sudbury thrived, incorporating and expanding its programs.

Better Beginnings' first home was at the N'Swakamok Native Friendship Centre in Downtown Sudbury, but moved to its current location in 1993. It eventually purchased the whole building.

The agency estimates it's offered services to at least 17,500 children and their parents over the past 25 years.

“It's exciting to see that we're offering so much more now to the community,” said the agency's executive director, Carole Dodge.

“Because of our great reputation, our funding has increased through different ministries. We also have companies that walk in here on a yearly basis and donate money to assist us in furthering our goals.”

Those interested in attending the 25th anniversary celebration can phone Better Beginnings at 705-671-1941 or email [email protected]. Tickets for the whole evening are $75, or $10 for just the dance.

Learn more about Better Beginnings at betterbeginningssudbury.ca.