PRINCE ALBERT — The Royal Purple Elks in Prince Albert have been supporting Aria Gagne, a student at Princess Margaret School, since she was three years old.
The club continued that support with a new speech and hearing board for the school’s playground for Speech and Hearing Month. The board was donated in 2024 and officially installed by school division staff on May 14.
Denise Taylor, a member of the Royal Purple Elks, has been along for the entire journey with Gagne.
"She (had) just started with her cochlear implants and Lynn Brewster, who used to be with the SPARC Centre in Saskatoon (Saskatchewan Preschool Auditory Rehab Centre) for hearing speech,” Taylor said. “We supply funds for her to get down to Saskatoon. Her mother takes her for her appointments, and we've been looking out for her since she was about three years old. She is now eight, so it's been about five years, maybe a little bit more, I think.”
SPARC is an early detection, assessment, and (re)habilitation program for hearing-impaired children in the Province. SPARC, the Children’s Hearing Centre, is located at the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon. The Elks and Royal Purple Elks are still major contributors to SPARC.
Gagne contracted meningitis when she was a toddler and received cochlear implants.
The Royal Purple Elks and Elks Canada support cases like Gagne through support of early learning detection and intervention programs.
Newborn hearing screening is an essential first step in the strategy for identifying children with permanent hearing loss and should be the standard of care in Canada. Early intervention is critical for children identified with communication problems.
The Saskatchewan Elks solicit donations to help Saskatchewan residents with grants for medical needs, operate the Seniors Homes, and make significant contributions to the Saskatchewan. Paediatric Auditory Rehabilitation Centre (SPARC) in Saskatoon.
The board is designed so children with complex communication can connect and have conversations with others while exploring the playground, and is easy to use, giving all children a voice to express themselves.
Taylor said that it was great that it timed out so the sign could be installed during Speech and Hearing Month.
“That’s really nice and then I also read the sign on the other side from the Princess Margaret Timberwolves (that) gives an explanation about it, so everybody coming onto the school grounds can have a look at that and all it entails,” Taylor said.
Princess Margaret Principal Jaret Nelson was pleased to have the support.
“It doesn’t happen without you guys,” he said.
Nelson said the new sign and speech and hearing board is already making an impact.
"It means, number one, Aria is able to communicate a little more when she's out on the playground,” Nelson said. “Aria's friends can communicate with her, and the other students who don't have speech difficulties, they all get that opportunity.”
Nelson said the sign will not only benefit Gagne but also future students with speech and hearing challenges.
"We're noticing a lot of kindergartens already because we have five or six that have challenges speaking and communicating with the world. Now they don't,” Nelson said.
He said that the sign will help everyone communicate better on the playground.
"We've had reading buddies already out there. We're pairing our older and younger classes together, and we saw older kids like pointing at it and explaining it to the younger guys,” Nelson said.
At that point, the sign had only been installed for a couple of days and was already having an impact.
Saskatchewan Rivers School Division Board of Education Trustee Alan Nunn was also happy to see the support for Gagne and future students at Princess Margaret.
"I just want to thank the Order of Royal Purple Elks for doing this service,” Nunn said. “It makes one girl's life this much happier, so on behalf of the trustees and the school board, thank you very much.”
For more information on Speech and Hearing Month, contact the Prince Albert Elks and Royal Purple Elks or call the Elks of Canada toll-free at 1-888-THE-ELKS (843-3557).
