Executive Director

Ilona Boyce MSW
(Volunteer Position)




Ilona Boyce, MSW, is the Founder and Executive Director of EvenStart for Children Foundation. After 15 years of working in social services, Ilona came to believe in the importance of children's early learning and life experiences as predictors of future success. In 1996, she founded the Heartland Agency Non-Profit Agency dedicated to assisting children in reaching their potential, and most importantly, helping them to learn that each of them is valued. She soon learned that children 'at risk' (i.e., those who have experienced childhood trauma) require more. If they were to be provided the opportunities for an 'even start' in life, these children required additional support from their communities. A wide variety of educational, therapeutic, transportation, and nutritional supports were needed. As a result of this awareness, she developed the EvenStart for Children Foundation to assist with this very important work. Today the EvenStart for Children Foundation and the Heartland Agency work side-by-side to collaboratively provide needed programs for 'at-risk', traumatized, and economically-disadvantaged children.

Winter 2010

The EvenStart for Children Charity
THANKS all of its sponsors and donors
for their provision of Hampers and supplies
for Families In Need
during the 2009 Christmas season.
Use our Sign-Up Form to be notified of our next 2010 Campaign Start.

Again, THANK YOU to all EvenStart Foundation patrons for their support.


Whom Do We Serve....
The children served by EvenStart come from homes
challenged by poverty, neglect, abuse, or
domestic violence. There may exist drug or
alcohol abuse and children can be born addicted.
Most of our children have experienced
some form of childhood trauma.
Programs serving these children and their families
have been located close to their comunities.
We operate out of three sites in Calgary
(SW, Central, NE).

We serve close to 100 children,
to whom we provide a centre-based educational and
treatment program, with additional services of transportation and meals provision.
We also support our families through the assignment of donated clothing to those needy.
Most children come to us hungry and many require a charitable supply of food, clothing, toys, etc., which we provide them in the way of hampers.

Our Goal ....
The primary goal of the EvenStart program is to intervene in the lives of disadvantaged
children and families in order to build resiliency and improve the child’s chances of succeeding in life.

Our Method ....
In our PreSchool Program, we work with the children to change their social and behavioral patterns by assisting with the development of resiliency strategies, with the closing of developmental lags, and by teaching skills that will enhance their success in school and community. In this way, our program offers both a preventative and early intervention approach to a population of high risk children.

Our Hopes ....
When children are fed, in good health, have access to education, live in homes that are safe where parents are assisted in developing skills that allow them to generate a livable income, where children learn they are valued, then these children are free to realize their potential. When this happens we ensure a future for all of us. At EvenStart, we work at building their future through the programs we deliver.

 

Working Together ....
In all our programs we work with parents to help make a difference.

The time couldn’t be better.
Research in the area of Neurobiology
(the study of how the nervous system works)
describes a ‘window of opportunity’ for the
development of intellectual and emotional
capacities in children
from birth to 5 years of age.

In the Early Childhood field,
we have known this for years.
Now, science has caught up.
We are learning more and more
about how a child’s brain is ‘wired’
and how we, as a community, can
support our children to grow into healthy and successful adults.
At EvenStart, we believe that our work with children builds our community’s future.

Thank You!
Thank you for visiting our site. I would like to introduce our programs in detail to you.

Please click on the program information links for additional background on our worthwhile cause.

Don't hesitate to contact us directly with any questions you have about The EvenStart for Children Foundation.



Ilona Boyce, MSW
Executive Director
The EvenStart For Children Foundation

 

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August 2009; Content Copyright 2001-2010
EvenStart For Children Foundation - Charitable Organization #85085 8382 RR0001