Hello to our Friends and Families,
As you are likely aware, Bridges to Belonging suffered a major setback in July 2023 with the surprise passing of our Executive Director, Donnamarie Dunk. Since then, our staff, Lexy, Carmen and Karissa have worked very hard to continue Bridges’ community offerings and to provide Independent Facilitation to Waterloo Region, and we are immensely grateful for their efforts. However, it is with heavy heart that we, the Board, must inform you that Bridges to Belonging will cease operations as of March 31, 2026.
We have identified certain community partners to help continue the work and to fulfill our mission in the community, in order that families and individuals have some sense of continuity and do not lose valuable supports.
The Future Planning Webinar series will be provided by Waterloo Region Family Network (WRFN) going forward. WRFN has been a cornerstone in the Region since 2009, advocating and providing various supports for families of children with special needs, so this is a natural fit for their organization. You can contact Sue Simpson, WRFN’s Executive Director, at Sue.Simpson@wrfn.info for more information.
WRFN has also stepped up to provide space and office support for the A Team, which Carmen Sutherland continues to be involved with. We are deeply grateful for their support.
Independent Facilitation will continue to be offered by Karissa Bascombe, our Facilitator, who has been providing individuals with facilitation over the past 3 years, through her organization Pave Your Path. Though no longer operating under the Bridges umbrella, Karissa brings an individual-centric approach to facilitation, creating strong relationships and providing support for individuals to strengthen their own voices to make their own choices. We are excited to see her continue this work, which has been central to our organization, directly with individuals and families. Please contact Karissa at Karissab@paveyourpath.ca for more information about her offering. There are more details on her website: www.paveyourpath.ca.
Extend A Family Waterloo Region (EAFWR) has offered to support families from a billing and logistics perspective by helping manage Passport funding and helping Karissa manage payments for her services. You can contact Ron Trajano, Director of Services, at Ron.Trajano@eafwr.on.ca, for more information.
We would like to thank you for your trust in and support of Bridges to Belonging over the years. We wish you and your families nothing but the absolute best.
With gratitude,
The Board of Directors
Gurminder Singh
Brenda Pearce
Giovanni Giuga
Dorian Walden
Jamie Moffat