Dixville Foundation to use funds from BU Charity Fashion Show for more community activities
This year’s Bishop’s University Charity Fashion Show has partnered with the Dixville Foundation. The foundation plans to use the funds raised to bring back more weekend and evening events.
Donald Warnholtz is the executive director of the Dixville Foundation. The foundation is celebrating its 50th year of helping the Lennoxville and greater community.
“We’re celebrating our 50th year of service to people with intellectual disability and autism,” he says. “So it’s kind of a special year for us.”
The Dixville Foundation helps support a wide range of community events and individual support for people with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder.
“We provide a variety of supports as a foundation that’s attached to the services like the public health service,” Warnholtz says. “That includes housing, recreational activities and financial support to participate in other community activities.”
Warnholtz highlights that intellectual disabilities and autism are lifelong. He says that a lot of the times, when people go see a doctor, you have an intervention and you’re fixed.
“People that have an intellectual disability, it’s lifelong,” Warnholtz says. “If you can get things that will support you to stay longer in an autonomous or less restrictive environment, that’s really good.”
The Bishop’s University Charity Fashion Show reached out to the foundation to express interest in supporting them with their fundraising. Wanrholtz says that he’s been very impressed with the fashion show committee and its engagement with the foundation.
“They really wanted to come volunteer at our Thursday night activities,” he says. “The first night that people came, there was a group of about six. They came in and were so relaxed and they just jumped right into the activities and split up and made instant connections.”
After the committee reached out to the foundation, Warnholtz was invited to present to the entire committee. He says there were way more people at the presentation than he expected, and he was impressed with their engagement.
“Sometimes, you do these presentations and ask if there are any questions and, crickets,” he says. “There were so many excellent and pertinent questions that showed real interest.”
Warnholtz is very grateful for the partnership with Bishop’s University. He says that with the COVID-19 pandemic, finding ways to run fundraising events has been a challenge. He wants to show his appreciation for both their regular donors and the fashion show committee.
“Fundraising is always difficult,” Warnholtz says. “But we’re going to be thanking some of our regular donors by inviting them to a reception before the show.”
He also says that they plan to use to funds to bring back programs they had before COVID-19, such as weekend events and more evening events.
“We would use the money to support the activities in the community,” he says. “We’d like to do more weekend activities and more regular activities in the week for social integration.”
Warnholtz feels it’s important to show support for Bishop’s University as well. He says that at the presentation, he met people involved in other things like the Best Buddies program and the Motionball tournament. These events and partnerships help further support Bishop’s University and organizations like the Dixville Foundation.
“Bishop’s went through a tough time this year with out-of-province tuition issues,” he says. “And when I see students giving back to the community in such a way, it really underlines the importance of having that type of institution within our community.”
Warnholtz is looking forward to seeing the whole community come together and support the foundation and the students at Bishop’s. He says that he knows people already buying tickets for the event coming up Feb. 24.
“I know there are parents buying tickets already,” Warnholtz says. “I’d like to see a good turnout from the community to show support for both the students and the foundation.”