Chad Van Reenen Jr. and sister Vanessa in front of the fund-raising thermometer. Photo submitted by St.Clair Catholic District School Board.Chad Van Reenen Jr. and sister Vanessa in front of the fund-raising thermometer. Photo submitted by St.Clair Catholic District School Board.
Sarnia

Students Raising Money For Snoezelen Room

Parents, staff and friends of St. Patrick's High School are holding a roast beef dinner to raise money to create a Snoezelen Room.

The room would be plain white with no windows, fibre optics, lighting, carpets and furniture, bubble tubes, speakers and a projector.

The $25,000 room helps students with Autism and other mental or physical disabilities learn and encourage communication.

"We probably have 300 students that would benefit from this, " says teacher Catherine Kelly. "Students with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, any type of mental health issues would definitely benefit from using a Snoezelen Room."

To help raise the money, St. Patrick's will host a three course roast beef dinner and silent auction on April 20 from 5pm-9pm. Tickets are $25 each. Kelly says the school has already raised $9,000 toward its goal.

These rooms have already been established in other schools, hospitals, dementia care units, mental health centres, long term facilities, and rehabilitation centres.

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