Pathways for All: A Project of Belonging is about creating a space where everyone, regardless of mobility or physical ability, can fully participate in the care, connection, learning and healing community that Brooksong offers. This project ensures inclusion for all who come to Brooksong for cancer support programs, grief groups, wellness programs, workshops, volunteering, meaningful work and community-building events. Currently, several individuals on our cancer support waitlist and within our community are unable to attend retreats and programs because our facility does not yet provide accessible movement between floors.
To make this vision real, we will:
*install a commercial stair chairlift for safe, reliable, dignifying access between levels
*build an all-season outdoor ramp with handrails, covered entrance, and an ice-resistant front walkway for year-round safety
*create a small indoor ramp with handrails where two steps currently limit access, ensuring smooth movement between spaces.
Once complete, Pathways for All will strengthen community health, learning and accessibility across the region and beyond, expanding access to whole-person cancer support locally and provincially. It will also create a more welcoming environment where participants, caregivers and community partners can continue to learn, share and grow together for years to come.
In the Haliburton Highlands and across Ontario, many people living with cancer, chronic illness, or grief face not only emotional and financial challenges but also physical barriers that limit their ability to take part in supportive, life-enhancing programs.
Brooksong is a one-of-a-kind organization in Ontario, offering evidence-informed, nature-based cancer support retreats and online programs at no cost to people with cancer and their caregivers. These programs foster healing, connection and life-long learning, helping participants explore practical tools to support their wellbeing. Yet until now, limited accessibility at our facility has meant that some community members using wheelchairs, walkers, or mobility aids have been unable to fully participate in these shared learning and healing opportunities.
Pathways for All: A Project of Belonging will change that. Through the installation of a permanent chairlift, ramps, and safe, all-season walkways, Brooksong will become a place where everyone can move freely and feel fully included in programs that nurture mental health, resilience, connectionand learning.
support
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It would have added a huge benefit if I had had the assistance of a lift or a ramp to manouver around while there
Brooksong fills a unique need in our community. It is a place of true acceptance & support for all who enter its doors, including volunteers. It is one of those rare gems whose mission and practice align. I have mobility issues. Brooksong is one of the few volunteer venues which is striving to better support my needs.Having this grant will allow total accessibility for folks like me who are currently restricted to the upper level. I wholeheartedly support this proposal to make it barrier free.
This project will help the Brooksong team champion their participants’ accessibility needs, which is a key link on their health and healing journey.
Brooksong is known as a place of radical welcome. This funding will help Brooksong open its doors even wider — so everyone can participate fully.
Life changing help for cancer patients and their families in a caring, supportive environment that promotes lifestyle enhancing modalities.
Life changing help for cancer patients and their families in a caring, supportive environment that promotes lifestyle enhancing modalities.