Photo courtesy Everything GP Staff

By Erika Rolling

Community

International FASD Awareness Day Walk in Muskoseepi on Thursday

Sep 7, 2022 | 2:32 PM

The Northwest Peace FASD Network is partnering with other agencies in the Grande Prairie area to bring awareness to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in September.

International FASD Awareness Day is on September 9 and the sundial near Centre 2000 will be lit up red, like other monuments in towns and cities across Canada.

September 9 has a large significance in the FASD community, being held on the ninth month and day to mark the nine months of pregnancy.

On Thursday, September 8, the Northwest Peace FASD Network will be holding a free community event to mark FASD Awareness Day in Grande Prairie with three predetermined routes to walk in Muskoseepi Park, with placards along the pathways displaying information on the disorder.

Kim Sillito with the NW Peace FASD Network says they’ll be offering supports and services.

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“There’s a lot of stigma around FASD, but four per cent of our population has it. That’s more than down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and autism combined, but it’s not spoken about much.”

“We want to raise awareness and encourage people to reflect upon individual strengths and their abilities, and encourage people to look at it differently and educate themselves as well.”

She says this year will be the third time doing the walk.

“It’s a spectrum… it looks different in each individual that has a FASD.”

Sillito says the walk will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., but if people are not able to join during that time frame they are welcome to walk wherever they are and still be entered to win door prizes.

You can send an email to Kim at kim@nwfasd.ca with your distance walked, name and phone number to be entered to win.