Barriere’s babies celebrated together last week with an annual birthday party, hosted by Yellowhead Community Services (YCS).
YCS held the celebration for the community’s 2021-22 babies, giving their families gift bags, quilts and books to support the babies’ development. This year’s party on Jan. 24 was the first time the event could return to in-person since the COVID pandemic.
“I love that families that live in the same community whose children will grow up together and spend all their years together in school and sports and activities can meet each other when the kids are just babies,” said organizer Adrienne Pullen. “A lot of them form support networks and find friends that way.”
Pullen, an early years service provider subcontracted by the government through YCS, has been running the annual birthday party for the past 16 years. After a round of introductions and a group lunch, the families were provided with cake and had the opportunity to mingle.
The birthday gathering is also a way for Yellowhead to inform parents about the services they offer. Parents can meet day-care workers and check out the Yellowhead Community Services building in Barriere where many activities and programs are held, Pullen said.
Babies and their siblings who attended also received several books and a gift bag.
Pullen said she is grateful for the donations that make it possible for the party to provide mentally stimulating and age-appropriate gifts for the babies.
She thanked the Barriere Quilters’ club for donating quilts, along with the Barriere & Area Literacy Outreach and Yellowhead Indigenous Early Years Service Provider Cindy Wilgosh for the books. The local IDA Pharmacy charged Yellowhead at-cost for the gift bag items, meaning it does not profit, she added.
The annual event is by-registration and is cost-free to families.
More information on Yellowhead Community Services is available online: https://www.yellowheadcs.ca/. s