Email Lori

I was born and raised in Calgary, moved to Lethbridge for University and have never looked back. For fun I garden, swim and pretend to read my Book Club books.

Supporting children with disabilities is more than my job. It is my passion and my life. My amazing husband and I have the privilege of being parents to three amazing boys, two of whom have Autism. That experience has taught me more than anything else I have ever done. They inspire me every day. They are a constant reminder of the value of believing in children.

Besides raising my own family, I have been supporting families with children with disabilities for more than ten years. I began working with hands-on programming rooted inApplied Behavioural Analysis, which gave me insight and skill in developing responsive programming based on function of behaviour. I also spent five years actively working to support families in planning ‘good lives for their children’ with the Lethbridge Association for Community Living’s Planned Lifetime Advocacy Networks (PLAN).

All of these experiences, both personally and professionally, led me to the creation of Bridges. I provide workshops and individual support on a range of issues, from vision planning to building relationships. I also see first-hand the amazing capacity of families and the creativity and passion they bring to every encounter.  This has inspired the passion I have for building inclusive lives and meaningful responsive supports intended to see people with disabilities lead lives rich in citizenship.

Owning Bridges has been one of the great and wonderful surprises in my life. When we started out, it was an idea. I wanted to build a program where children could gain strong social and emotional skills working in a social setting. The journey from where we started our small pilot project to where we are today has been an amazing adventure. I feel incredibly blessed to be invited into families lives and honored to be a small part of the success of the children we support.

While I was born in Calgary, I have been on a tour of Southern Alberta ever since I was young. Somewhere between graduating from the U of L and having all three of my boys born at the Chinook Regional Hospital, I have managed to establish roots in the Lethbridge area.

I spend most of my free time chasing after some combination of my three sons and my dog Odie. When I’m not doing that I’m creating new and exciting ways of not finishing what my wife has asked me to do. I have been an avid Flames fan my whole life and have recently developed an affinity for Montana Grizzly Football.

The greatest lesson I have learned from being a father to two children with a disability is to take notice of the small things in life. The right choices made – the first steps – are all victories that deserve to be celebrated.  It is entirely appropriate to praise those who have successfully completed positive life change, but we must also applaud those still on their journey. Each step forward is worthy of this kind of acknowledgement. And when we see it in our lives or in the lives of others, we must call it what it is—a triumph worthy of celebration. I am proud to say Bridges has adopted the same philosophy.  All of us look forward to celebrating every step of the journey with our Bridges families.

Email Jane

I was born in Ndola Northern Rhodesia Africa and moved to Canada when I was 7. I have traveled to every province and territory in Canada and have lived in 2 territories and 4 provinces.

I graduated from the University of Calgary with a degree in Education and a post-graduate diploma in Early Childhood Education. I worked in Early Intervention in the Yukon Territory for 18 years.

I have one son, three step kids and two BEAUTIFUL  grandsons! I love old black and white movies and jazz. My idea of a perfect summer afternoon is a lounge chair a good book and a glass of diet coke with Diana Krall singing in the background.

I am a parent/practitioner of an adult son with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and so I share the aspirations and goals that every parent has for their children. My education in NeuroScience at the University of Toronto focused on brain development and the fundamentals of learning. This has provided me with a useful perspective about the science of therapeutic interventions for individuals with learning disorders (LD).

My clinical training in ASD includes training (University of Massachusetts, Lowell) and subsequent qualification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (31/05/2011) with a mastery of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA).

I am a member of the Association for Contextual Behavioural Science (ACBS) which actively promotes interventions based on Relational Frame Theory (RFT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) both of which are supported by hundreds of positive evidence-based studies.

I work with parents and individuals to help them create positive changes in behaviour. Teaching requires changes in experiences and environments that create the circumstances that support and guide action.

Problem behaviours are often associated with emotional dysregulation and actions that may be considered anti-social through violent, dangerous, and/or destructive actions. It is essential that functional alternative solutions are made part of any intervention in order to provide appropriate guidance coupled with appropriate feedback.

Values must be part of teaching strategies in order to take advantage and use social outcomes to motivate positive actions. Teaching individuals to recognize and be aware of the behaviours that will help them attain their goals in keeping with their family and individual values.

I have training in Triple-P Stepping Stones which offers parents a standardized program to help navigate problem behaviours, together with practical responses to many situations and circumstances.

I’m also a board member with Inclusion Lethbridge, whose mission is to create and promote meaningful social interactions and community for persons with developmental disabilities. It is my hope that my actions can help contribute to an inclusive community that recognizes the value in everyone and acts to valourize the lives of persons with a disability.

Email Rebecca

I was raised on a farm just outside of Monarch, Alberta until I was 6 years old when my family moved to Lethbridge. I graduated from Immanuel Christian High School in 2010, took a year off and then enrolled at the Lethbridge College in the Child and Youth Care diploma program, graduating in 2013. During my time at the College, I had the opportunity to take an international study tour to Uganda for two weeks. This experience positively impacted the development of my skills and increased my love for working with children.

I worked as a preschool assistant for seven months before joining the team at Bridges. I have learned so much from every child I have worked with both past and present as well as every staff. Becoming a Program Leader of Middles and then Tweens has pushed me out of my comfort zone and given me so many opportunities to grow in helping these amazing children reach their potential. I love working for this company and hope to continue watching it grow for many years to come.

My passion for working with young people to help make a difference in their lives has been evident from a young age, whether it be helping coach Pincher Creek’s swim team, spending summers as a camp counsellor in Waterton or volunteering to plan activities with my Girl Guide unit. When I graduated high school in 2014, I chose to move to Lethbridge to pursue a degree in Addictions Counselling for the same reason. 

I’m Zoë, I have lived in Lethbridge my whole life. I am currently in my second year working towards my psychology degree at the University of Lethbridge. My family has had respite kiddos in my house ever since I was little and having them in my house has really driven my passion to be in this line of work

I have wanted to work with children for as long as I can remember. Working with the kiddos at Bridges and helping them to reach their full potential is really gratifying. Being part. of the team at Bridges has also helped me start thinking outside the box and coming up with creative solutions to whatever problem may occur

I feel so fortunate to be a part of the team here at Bridges, where we are encouraged to always be thinking outside the box and be as creative as we can be in our teachings. The kids here are amazing and I am so happy to be a part of their growth and development into adulthood. The kids have taught me so much, but the biggest would be to appreciate the smaller things in life. Life is short and if we are always focused on the “big picture” we miss out on the opportunity to enjoy so much more.

In my spare time, I am a head coach and board member in the Special Olympics, I volunteer with animal rescue, I enjoy travelling, golfing, camping, swimming and softball. We also have two amazing dogs who like to think they are our kids.

I have been working at Bridges since 2016. This opportunity has allowed me to find my passion for helping others with their many different needs. It has also led me to the Child and Youth care program at Lethbridge College, where I am working on my diploma. It’s also given me the chance to learn a lot about myself, too. Before I joined the Bridges team, I was fairly closed off. Rigid,  you could say. Things had to be my way, or I didn’t want them. I had a lot to learn about flexibility when I started working with the children at Bridges. It was hard. It’s still hard! But it definitely helped me to learn how to be more flexible both outside of work and in my personal life. It’s also made me realize how far a little bit of patience goes for everyone. One of my favourite things about the work we do is here is that we never give up. We help everyone we can and work with them to find success.