Second Chances for Youth
Awards for Sarnia-Lambton Rebound

The Sarnia-Lambton Rebound program is all about giving young people second chances. Founded in 1984, the program has received more than $280,000 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Foundation grants have supported a variety of projects including funding to start up a life-skills program, creating a website and implementing an alternative to home suspension program for youth. The most recent grant from 2002 provided $224,500, over three years to assist in developing an anger management program for grade seven and eight students in Lambton and Chatham Kent.

Sarnia-Lambton Rebound was recently recognized for its excellent work in the delivery of social services and received the 2004 annual Donner Canadian Foundation award in the counselling and crisis intervention category and was the overall winner in all categories. In addition, the agency received the very first Peter F. Drucker Award for Non-profit Management for its consistent record of excellence and innovation in management and service delivery. Sarnia-Lambton Rebound has received awards for in the counselling and crisis intervention category from the Donner Foundation every year since the recognition program began in 1998. For more information visit: www.reboundonline.com.

According to Mary Ellen Blizzard, Executive Director of Sarnia-Lambton Rebound, the Ontario Trillium Foundation has been by far the program’s biggest supporter. “We appreciate the funding we receive and we equally appreciate working with Foundation staff. Foundation staff are real people who work with us to make a difference in the community. We aren’t just working with a funder, it’s a true partnership with both organizations coming together to make a real difference.”

Sarnia-Lambton Rebound is having a remarkable impact helping young

people in trouble turn around and become better members of their community. It’s the only organization in its community that is used by police as a youth court diversion program and boasts a 90 per cent impact on youth recidivism. Not only is the agency well respected in the community, it also franchises its expertise to other communities. It offers its research, program model, experiences and staff to train others on establishing similar programs in other communities. Based on the Sarnia-Lambton model, programs for young offenders and young people at risk of offending, have been established in Kingston, North Bay, Kettle Point, Cobourg and more recently in Brockville.

For more information, visit:
http://www.reboundonline.com/