Pegasus’ Polaris Day Program for Aging Needs and Dementia in East Toronto welcomes Ontario Trillium Foundation grant
By MATTHEW STEPHENS
The Pegasus Community Project will be expanding its support for a specialized program geared towards aging individuals with developmental disabilities, thanks to the help of an Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) grant.
Established in 2024, the Polaris Day Program for Aging Needs and Dementia in East Toronto is a fee-for-service day program offering specialized services to individuals with age-related needs who also have physical and developmental disabilities.
“The idea for Polaris started as strategic planning meeting about eight years ago, when we started noticing our participants who had been with us since their early 20s were aging and requiring more advance support and a better environment geared to their safety and abilities to remain as independent and part of the community for as long as possible,” said Katie Stoddart, Supervisor of the Polaris Program in her speech to celebrate the grant on Friday, Oct. 30, at Pegasus Community Project (1428 Danforth Ave.)
Stoddart was joined at the event by Toronto-Danforth MPP Peter Tabuns and Pegasus’ Board Chair Megan Burns to champion the OTF grant with celebratory speeches and a tea party with staff and participants of the program.
“Most of my time I spend criticizing the Ontario government for not spending enough or spending money on the wrong things. In this occasion, they’ve spent just right and I’m glad they have, and I hope they continue providing funding to Pegasus’ Polaris Program in the years to come,” said Tabuns, who is an NDP MPP, in his speech.
The Ontario Trillium Foundation is an agency of the Government of Ontario and one of the country’s leading grant foundations geared towards building stronger communities across the province by supporting the public benefit and non-profit sector. Since 1999, the OTF has invested more than $2.9 billion into over 32,000 grants, helping thousands of Ontario’s communities make a meaningful difference for people of all ages, abilities, culture and heritage.
With OTF funding, the Polaris Program can better provide those in need with the functional skills to maintain a strong and healthy lifestyle, through activities such as healthy cooking and eating, range of movement, as well as strength-based training such as yoga, stretching, dance and music.
In her speech, Burns reflected on her brother Gavin, a Pegasus participant with Down syndrome who passed away in 2022, which sparked the initial idea for the Polaris Program.
“In his later years, my brother Gavin began experiencing dementia and his needs changed drastically. It was a challenge for my parents and me because we didn’t always know how to support him and the resources were lacking,” said Burns.
She added that through the program and it’s increased OTF support, members of the surrounding community will continue to benefit from Polaris in the years to come.
“My family was so pleased to see the care that went into designing this program and to see how much Gavin would have benefitted from this. So, we are so happy that he helped contribute to the creation of this program for the Toronto community – both Pegasus participants and people outside the Pegasus community – and we’re thrilled that the grant from the OTF will help continue to support this cause.”
For more information about the Polaris Day Program for Aging Needs and Dementia, please visit https://connectability.ca/directory/listing/polaris-day-program-for-aging-needs-and-dementia
