The ribbon was officially cut on the Smilezone Foundation’s latest installation, at Lansdowne Children’s Centre in Brantford.
Brantford – September 25, 2024 - The new Smilezone at Lansdowne brings bright murals and modern equipment to the centre’s main entrance and gymnasium. It was made possible through support from both the foundation and long-time donor Margaret Gurney, through the Briaura Foundation (named for Gurney’s daughters, Brianna and Laura Berencsi).
Gurney said, “This whole [project], this is basically a tribute to my kids, as well as the kids at Lansdowne,” noting that elements of the design were specifically chosen to reflect her daughters’ interests. For Brianna, that included nature, the stars and her pets, Bubbles the horse (who she still has) and Lucy the dog. For Laura, it was the aviation components, as she is a pilot. Laura was flying a bush plane in the Yukon on the day of the ceremony; otherwise, she would have been in attendance.
As Susan Battin, Autism Services manager at Lansdowne, noted, people have been verbally expressing their appreciation for the updates to Lansdowne’s front entrance and gym, “And we have a few non-verbal reactions as well from our little friends that often do not say a lot, and that says a lot in and of itself.”
"This whole [project], this is basically a tribute to my kids, as well as the kids at Lansdowne." - Margaret Gurney, Smilezone Foundation donor
Here’s what else people were saying at the grand opening celebration, which took place on September 25...
“It really matters where we show up every day and it matters where we are welcoming kids into the journey of support so they can reach their potential through rehabilitation, respite, recreation and developing as a child.”
–Lansdowne executive director
Rita-Marie Hadley
“One of the things that I appreciate about Lansdowne, everyone that works here, and everyone that volunteers here so much, is the fact that you all seek to do continuous Improvement; how can we serve our children better, so that they can be everything they can be in their lives? … You make our community a better place.”
–Brantford-Brant MPP
Will Bouma
“(At Lansdowne) the focus is really about love; the base and the foundation is about love. … I'm happy that you do the work you do.”
–Chief of the Mississaugas
of the Credit First Nation
Claire Sault
“(When talking about Lansdowne) it is hard not to get emotional, because the work they do here is emotional stuff, and it makes it makes differences in (kids’) lives. … Kids go to school, and they come home, and they either learned something or they didn't. But every day a kid comes to Lansdowne they leave differently, and that’s just the truth.”
–Mayor of Brant County
David Bailey
“I can't think of an organization that we have in our city (other than) Lansdowne that is more revered and respected. … The reason why I admire it so much is, dealing with what you're dealing with, in a building that's clearly inadequate but you make the best use of what you have here for the time being, and you do it in a way that's really quite innovative … doing it in such a way that you never lose sight of who it is you're helping and serving, and doing it in a way that I suspect is somewhat unique and certainly worthy of recognition.”
–Brantford Mayor
Kevin Davis
“We are so proud and excited to be in any way connected with a great place like Lansdowne. … Any time you get to an institution like this, all these Smilezone bells and whistles are great, but at the end of the day, if the kids are going to rise to their greatest potential, ultimately it comes down to the staff. You guys are the real superheroes, and we thank you for all that you do.”
–Smilezone board member
Chris Coderre
“Two years ago, Chris (Coderre) invited me to attend the grand opening of a Smilezone installation at the children's hospital in London. Walking through those areas, I was so moved; I was in complete awe of the work that Smilezone does. And it was at that moment I looked at Chris and I said, ‘I want to do this.’ I wanted my contribution to be made here locally, whether it was in Brant County or Brantford, because this is where I raised my children. Smilezone brought a few potential locations to my attention. Lansdowne was one of them, and I said, ‘Ha, this isn’t hard; Lansdowne.’ Both my daughters, when they were going to school, were fortunate enough to be in classrooms with children with special needs who utilized Lansdowne. … I knew Smilezone could do something really important in here.”
–Donor Margaret Gurney
“I remember the first day we walked into this place, and I'll be totally honest with you: completely terrifying. It's terrifying. You're facing the fact that your kid needs support, and it's a scary thing. So now, to see this space transformed … and feel the warmth and the joy that this place brings, that terror just goes away.”
–Vice chair of Lansdowne’s board of directors and parent of a child receiving service through Lansdowne Mike Gatopoulos
More coverage of the Smilezone installation at Lansdowne Children's Centre available here from Brantford Expositor,
In January 2024, the provincial government announced that it was beginning planning work to build a new, modern facility for Lansdowne. With this in mind, the Smilezone components are removable, so they can be transferred to the new facility when it’s built.
For more information on how to contribute to Lansdowne and the work being done here to support children and youths' communication, developmental, and/ or physical development needs, visit the Lansdowne Children's Centre Foundation's webpage.