August 27, 2010

While it’s absolutely true that each and every one of us can be considered special in our own way, it’s also sadly true that in many parts of our society, those who are uniquely special are not always welcomed. It is with great excitement then that I get the chance to tell you about a wonderful place where special is always welcome. It’s a place called Nova’s Ark.

Located in the rural northern half of Whitby, Ontario, Nova’s Ark is the brainchild of Mary Ann Nova. Spread out over 10 acres, it is a rural, farmland setting designed to provide children with special needs a place to be welcomed, inspired and stimulated. Many of the kids who visit Nova’s Ark suffer from Autism and related spectrum disorders, as well as children with Cerebral Palsy, Down’s Syndrome, Learning Difficulties and a host of other conditions.

Nova’s Ark provides a variety of programs that include customized day visits, summer camp opportunities and off site presentations for service organizations, group home facilities and special event functions. This week I was invited to visit Nova’s Ark along with my family for I was told to truly understand the place and to see why it’s so special, you have to pay it a visit. After spending 2-1/2 hours there yesterday, I can completely understand why. The problem I’m having in writing this piece is trying to figure out just where to begin. I say this because the magic of the facility, and the feeling you get that this place is truly special, is based upon qualities that are largely intangible and in all honesty, very difficult to describe.

Mary Ann and her husband not only operate Nova’s Ark on the property, but they also live there. As a result the first thing I noticed when I arrived was that it had a casual feel to it. It felt more like I was visiting someone’s home than visiting a place that offered day camp programs to children with special needs.

One of the most unique and compelling components of Nova’s Ark is the fact that there are approximately 200 animals located on site. While some of the typical farm animals are indeed here, there is also an amazing array of exotic animals that call Nova’s Ark home. Ranging from South American Raccoons, to Camels, to a Monitor Lizard, Lemur’s, a Baboon and many others, many of these exotics were animals rescued from settings where they were illegal pets and were being treated in an inhumane manner. All of the animals are cared for and in many situations are allowed to interact with visitors.

One of the first things we saw when arriving that blew me away, were many of the day campers directly interacting with the animals. There was a pen that housed goats, pigs and small cows and inside that pen were several campers and their volunteer guides. My sons went in as well and it was amazing to watch the interaction as well as the level of stimulation being created through this situation.

Parents with children suffering from an Autism spectrum disorder know that Autism is essentially a communications disorder. At a conscious level, those with Autism struggle to effectively communicate and often the pressures of living in a structured existence make it even more difficult for those afflicted to integrate with others. However the unstructured setting of Nova’s Ark combined with the clear stimulation that animal interaction provides creates a setting where these children begin to shed many of the constricting layers that inhibit them. In only a short time I witnessed children who struggle in a regular school setting or a structured element of society suddenly flourish and express themselves in ways that they seldom do. Frankly, it was quite amazing and inspiring to watch.

Of course there is much more to a camping experience at Nova’s Ark than just the animals. Various activities take place, yet in a largely unstructured manner. Even the serenity of the grounds offers children a chance to remove many of their expressive constraints that otherwise impede them. Many of these kids are not in full day programs at school. They attend on a modified schedule and often in small classes. However while here, they thrive on full days and have little difficulties dealing with others in larger groups.

Mary Ann Nova created Nova’s Ark 5 years ago based on a combination of both personal and professional experience. Her family immigrated to Canada from Holland when she was young and they first settled in Manitoba. It was soon learned that she had a learning disability, which in those days meant she was labeled as 2nd class. However, through her family upbringing in a rural setting she discovered her learning style was better suited to physical stimulation as opposed to structured passive learning. She eventually overcame her struggles and graduated with honors. After earning a post secondary degree, Mary Ann became an educator and today is an elementary school principal in the Durham District School Board. Even as an educator she soon discovered the huge challenges that a structured curriculum presents someone with special needs. Mary Ann shared with me how she frequently met with parents who were frustrated at having to constantly explain the actions of their children and defend themselves as parents. It wasn’t long before the pieces began to fit together and she knew Nova’s Ark had to be established.

The facility has full charitable status and is also supported by corporate and private donations. It is not open to the general public, and right now campers must pay to attend. Her ultimate goal is to operate year round and to be in a position where she never needs to turn a child away who would benefit by being there. Fundraising is critical as there are capital budgets and operating budgets to maintain.

At the beginning I mentioned how to truly understand Nova’s Ark one has to experience it first hand. I also shared that I was indeed truly moved and amazed by my experience, but it was for more reasons than one would expect. I have never written publicly about this before, but one of my sons has been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, albeit at a high functioning level. Bringing him along with my other children allowed me to experience the facility not only through my own eyes, but through his as well. While my own personal experience was an inspiring one, I was far more inspired though, by simply watching my son. Unless you have a child with Asperger’s it may be hard for you to understand just how uplifting it was for me to watch him while there. His passion and love for the place was immediate and by looking into his eyes afterwards I could clearly see the magic that Nova’s Ark possesses within him and others like him. While I likely would have been inspired if I visited the place alone, I was moved almost to tears when I watched him thrive in an environment where he truly felt free. Taking him there felt like I gave him a gift that many could appreciate, but only he could truly cherish. What loving parent wouldn’t be driven to tears by giving someone they love a rare and unique chance like that?

I cannot encourage people enough to learn about this amazing place. While their website is still a work in progress it does give you some basic yet important information. There are scheduled fundraisers ahead as well as other opportunities to learn more about Mary Ann’s vision. In two hours I left inspired by her passion and her purpose, and I know anyone that takes the time to learn and to visit will feel the same way too.

Labels/Tags: Eric Novak, Who's Your Daddy, Nova's Ark, Autism, Aspergers, Cerebral Palsy, Brooklin, Whitby, Charity, Mary Ann Nova, Day Camp

Posted by EricN at 12:03:00 View Comments | Click Here to Comment

August 20, 2010

I’ve always been amazed at how inexorably linked our personal memories are to certain smells. What I haven’t fully been able to appreciate until just this week though, was how this relationship exists even with my own children.

For the past week my 3 sons have been participating in a week long day camp that is put on every summer by the church we attend. The kids love it for its full of activities and it keeps them busy. My wife and I love it too as it gets them out of the house, but it also gets them used to getting up early again since they have to be there before 9. After several weeks of rather lax rules when it comes to going to bed and getting up due to summer holidays, we love using this week to get them ready for school mornings again, which are now less than 3 weeks away.

The other day as we walked out of the house and headed to the car on the way to the day camp, one of my twins paused for a second and loudly said “Dad, it smells like a school day today!” I completely understood what he meant when he said that because the air that morning had a cool and crisp feeling to it, and the associated smells clearly triggered a feeling that he associated with mornings during the school year. The ability to be drawn back in your mind to certain life experiences through sensory perception is nothing new to me since it’s something that humans do automatically. However, for some reason it took me by surprise to see how my 6 year old son was intuitive enough to simply walk out the door, take a breath of air and vividly place himself at a time and place that he hasn’t really had much experience with. As he is only starting Grade 1 this fall, he’s only had two previous opportunities at this time of year to register how the coolness and crispness of the air along with the freshness of the smells that morning were similar to what he felt when heading off to school.

I was thrilled to see that his next reaction though after making that observation, was one of longing and not dread. Fortunately this sensory experience related to positive memories for he said that he missed school and couldn’t wait to return. I began to wonder though if he had a similar sensory experience back at the end of June when the heat of the early summer may have triggered memories of hot summer fun and being far away from school.

I’m sure just about every single one of us can remember what it was like as a kid when summer would unofficially end and the school year would begin. Depending on where you lived growing up I’d bet there are many sensory experiences that trigger thoughts of heading back to school in your new outfit and looking forward to seeing your friends again.

Given that I grew up in Toronto and only about 5 KM’s from the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition, I have many sensory triggers relating to “The Ex” that I associated with the imminent beginning of the school year. Perhaps one of the strongest was the Air Show. Since I lived so close, many of the planes participating in the Canadian International Air Show would fly right over my house while there were arriving, departing or maneuvering during their routine. I can’t tell you how many times the Snowbirds Aerobatic Team flew in formation over my backyard, perhaps 400 feet above my head, shaking the walls and everything else inside as they flew by. I loved running outside to catch a glimpse of the Snowbirds or The Blue Angels, or more exotic planes like The Concorde or even the famous SR-71 Blackbird! Since the last day of the Air Show was also Labour Day, I always knew that when the planes stopped buzzing by, I was headed back to school the next day.

These sensory triggers certainly can happen at all times of the year. The smell of Pumpkin Pie is a direct route to thoughts of Thanksgiving. Baked goods and mulled cider aromas trigger Christmas while the smell of fresh cut grass always brings me to the beginning of spring. That said I always have a preference to the smells and sights that happen around this time of year. I wrote a blog awhile back here on YMC that ranked the months of the year from my most to least favourite, and #1 is, and always will be September.

Getting our children back into the mindset of school can at times be a challenge. However after what my son told me this week, and understanding at how powerful an emotional trigger our senses can be even to young children, I can take comfort in knowing that I have a rather unexpected ally helping us in getting the kids into that educational mindset again.

Labels/Tags: Eric Novak, Who's Your Daddy, Back to School, Smells, Sensory Triggers, Cognitive maps, Canadian National Exhibition, CNE, The Ex, Air Show

Posted by EricN at 10:50:41 View Comments | Click Here to Comment

• PAGE
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• 11
• 12
• 13
• 14
• 15
• 16
• 17
• 18
• 19
• 20
• 21
• 22
• 23
• 24
• 25
• 26
• 27
• 28
• 29
• 30