Sharing the Support: Setup Has Begun for the Family Place Festival of Trees

Decorating has begun for the Family Place's annual Festival of Trees, which is their largest fundraiser of the year.

Laura Morrissette was at Barber Motors decorating a tree yesterday, which is the location for this year's event. She shared why she took advantage of a mental health day off from work to do some tree-trimming.

"This is actually the first year I've taken part in actually setting up a tree, and I'm doing it for work, which is ScotiaBank, and they encourage to really take care of our mental health, so I know it's supposed to be a personal day off, but I find this is a creative outlet and it makes me smile, so I think that's very important," said Morrissette.

She said part of her reasons include the special place she has in her heart for the Family Place from her own personal experiences, as she has made personal use of their programs and play spaces.

"If Linda Rudychuk hadn't been there when I had my first daughter, I would have gone nuts, because I was bringing up a daughter with very little family in the area, my parents don't live in province, and it was nice to have that support," she shared. "And even when I had my second daughter, they were there with soup the first day I was home."

While some find a family away from home at the Family Place, others go just to take their children to play, often finding something more there as well.

"We're so very blessed to have all the other companies who come forward and help sponsor that play area, because you can let the kids go and play while you sit and you can watch them," Morrissette noted. "But you can visit with another mom who may be going through similar issues, with, 'why isn't my toddler sleeping through the night?', or, 'why are they throwing their carrots back at me?' You can brain storm ideas to get through some of those really difficult years."

She said having a non-judgmental, supportive network at the Family Place was a big part of how she overcame some personal parenting obstacles.

"Post-partum [depression] is being talked about so much more now and it's not taboo to say, I was sad after having my child, and being able to admit, maybe I didn't form that bond right away," she expressed.

She said many tired and overwhelmed parents benefit from knowing they are not the only ones going through it.

"I took a Babywearing class [at the Family Place in 2012], and I found actually thanks to the program, I did a lot of babywearing," explained Morrissette. "I actually went out and got one of the backpack carriers and I used it a lot, and getting out and getting into nature really helped me get back on my feet."

"The Family Place is one of the most important places to have in Weyburn, because nobody judges you there," she added.

Setup for the Festival of Trees continues today and tomorrow, with the live auction event taking place November 28th at Barber Motors.