In 1972, the seed of an idea was planted in the mind of Aileen Hewett for what is now the Child Development Centre in Williams Lake when she began working with Dr. Jan Riegl.
Riegl had several disabled children as patients, all of whom required more assistance and services that were locally available.
Hewett wrote in her first scrapbook for the project back in 1974:
“Early in 1973, I was approached by a couple of concerned parents with a very real problem - namely - their children were handicapped rather severely and needed special treatment such as physiotherapy and training even to achieve basic life skills.
To get this, they had to travel many miles to Vancouver or Prince George. Needless to say, this could only be done at scattered intervals because of distance, expense and loss of work time. Care that needed to be more constant was left to families and their own efforts to create home programs. Also, just plain encouragement and integration with other families was lacking. Could such a centre like the Cerebral Palsy Centre in Surrey or Prince George be set up in this area?”
From this seed, first sprouted physiotherapy services, then grew to include a preschool and then added even more services and continued to thrive.
Today, the decades of work by Aileen Hewett continues to provide the foundation supporting those who still work at the Cariboo Chilcotin Child Development Centre (CCCDC).
“Her legacy is what inspires us and pushes us to grow and evolve as an organization,” said Kourtenay Cameron, community engagement planner.
While Hewett has since passed away, the CCCDC continues to grow, now the organization is overseeing the Cariboo Chilcotin Foundry, which provides social, medical and other services for youth from 12 to 24 years old. Grand opening of the Foundry is set for June 16.
“Aileen’s tenacity and determination to do right by her community will never be forgotten and is present in the lives of the children, youth, and families that we serve today,” said Cameron.
Aileen Hewett would have been 105 on May 25, 2023.
CCCDC staff are planning to display a plaque in her honour.
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READ MORE: Foundry Cariboo Chilcotin opens its doors to young people
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