Pathways Health Centre for Children is celebrating a chance to grow thanks to the Rotary Club of Sarnia providing more land.
It will now allow the Murphy Road centre to plan for future expansion to meet the growing needs and pressures.
"We're bursting at the seems at Pathways and in need of space for group therapies, space for more children to access licensed childcare, space for our staff that has now grown into the 200 number, space for many specialty medical clinics that we now host locally for families and we need space for parking," said CEO Alison Morrison.
Since Pathways opened in 1975 it has been under a $1-a-year lease with the Rotary Club of Sarnia.
Morrison said she is thrilled about the possibilities.
"The potential of having a build on green space that is in our campus means that we'll be doing good things for kids in this community, which means it's a good thing for the whole community," she said.
Now that Pathways has the land, next they will complete a needs assessment with the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services.
Future steps also include engaging in community consultation, look at a business plan development and advocating for capital funding.
Morrison said there is excitement surrounding this new land.
"[We'd be] providing services to more and the appropriate spaces to do so," she said. "We've got over 1,400 children sitting on the waitlist to access licensed childcare and we'd love to be a part of that solution for our community," she said.
The latest build at Pathways happened in 2010 and since then, staff has grown 50 per cent to nearly 200 members.
Morrison said the number of clients has also increased.
"The clients served has grown by 150 per cent," she said. Last year, we provided services to just over 5,000 children and youth in over 170 locations throughout Sarnia-Lambton," she said.
Pathways has been celebrating its 50th anniversary throughout 2025.