5 | durhamregion.com This Week | Thursday, March 31, 2022 What happensWhen your brain doesn't get enough sound? Your ears collect sound, but it's your brain that actually understands it. With hearing loss, there isn't enough sound information coming to your brain from your ears, or the quality of that information is too low. This makes it much harder for the brain to orient itself in your surroundings, and focus on what's important. That's why good hearing helps your brain stay fit throughout your life. Call today to book your no charge hearing assessment to learn about your hearing ability. *receive an in-office demo of oticon's BrainhearingtM technology. *Clinician to determine candidacy. We offer oticon's BrainhearingtM technology, which helps you to: Orient better in the full sound scene Focus more clearly on what you choose Improve your understanding of speech Reduce the effort it takes you to listen Improve your memory 1031 simcoe street north, oshawa, on. L1g 4W3 Funding Ministry of Health Assistive Devices Program, GM Green Shield, VAC,WSIB, ODSP, and MCSS funding available. receive up to $2500 off a pair of oticon's BrainhearingtM technology for a limited time. Call clinic today for details. 905-240-5055 www.deeganhearingclinic.com Proudly Family owned, local mattersPROUDLY FAMILY OWNED.LOCAL MATTERS co-ordinator at FOOT- PRINTS 4 Autism. "It's the volunteers who connect with the kids and make those one-on-one connections." Founded in 2004, FOOT- PRINTS is a small, grassroots organization that offers respite care on Saturdays for children ages four to 13; an after-school social program for youth ages 14 to 21; and day camps during school breaks. Finney says affordable respite care is a service that is very much in demand for Durham families with children on the autism spectrum. The FOOTPRINTS program, which takes place Saturdays in both Whitby and Pickering, provides 3.5 hours of care in either the morning or afternoon for $24 per session. Volunteers range in age from 14 to older adults -- many are local high school and university students. They connect one-on-one with the children and are supervised by qualified staff. "What's beautiful about this respite service is that we give parents time to just breathe," Finney explains. "Parents will drop off their child with us and they can do what they need to do. A lot of that includes errands, grocery shopping, personal time. A lot of parents let us know that they use that time to spend with the child's sibling." Savitrie Rampersad recently started bringing her son Adrian, 10, to the Saturday morning respite care program and says it has been helpful for everyone in the family. "He looks forward to going every Saturday, he loves going there. The volunteers are great with him," she says. While Adrian is at the program, Rampersad is able to go grocery shopping, run errands -- or even just go to the mall with her teenage daughter. "I wish I had know about this organization before," she says. "It's wonderful." For Fahimi, her role at FOOTPRINTS has expanded from helping with Saturday respite care to now co-chairing the organization's social media team. Her volunteer experience even inspired her to start a program at her high school hosting monthly social lunches for students with special education needs. "FOOTPRINTS kind of opened up the door for me in terms of volunteering and activism and philanthropy in general," says Fahimi. Mara Constantin, 16, is a newer volunteer with the organization. She started in the fall 2021 and was says it was "pretty daunting" at first, but also deeply rewarding. "Just knowing you're doing something that's really helping people ... I knew immediately I was going to stick with it," she says. Constantin says she has quickly learned a lot about autism, including how diverse the spectrum is. "Volunteering helped me see not everyone who has autism is similar ... autism is something different for everyone." Finney describes all the FOOTPRINTS volunteers as "simply amazing" and is especially grateful for the dedication they have shown during two years of pandemic ups and downs. "They have all been so remarkable. You have 16-year-olds doing front-line work during a pandemic. They are amazing role models." FOOTPRINTS 4 Autism is always looking for new volunteers who can commit to a minimum of one shift per month for a one-year term. Email volunteer@footprints4autism.org for more information. STORY BEHIND THE STORY: National Volunteer Week 2022 is April 24 to 30. This year's theme is "volunteering is empathy in action." In the lead up to this important week, we highlight how the 100 volunteers at FOOTPRINTS 4 Autism make it possible for the local group to support Durham children and youth with autism and their families. NEWS SCAN THE CODE to read more Durham news online 'VOLUNTEERING HELPED ME SEE NOT EVERYONE WHO HAS AUTISM IS SIMILAR' Continued from front Nathan Gaudet, middle, got help finishing his puzzle from FOOTPRINTS 4 Autism volunteers Grace Lam, left, and Bavisha Mohanenthiran at Dunbarton-Fairport United Church. Susie Kockerscheidt/Metroland