May 3rd, 2019

At the 22nd Annual Kitchener Youth Action Council Awards, 96 youth were nominated for 13 different awards. Among the many deserving candidates, our very own Lillian Hyatt won the Intergenerational Award for “a young person who has demonstrated a commitment to the belief that the generations can and should be united” through her work with the Opening Minds through Art (OMA) program.

On the OMA website, the program is described as “an award-winning, evidence-based, intergenerational art-making program for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of neurocognitive disorders.” Each FHCI student in the program is partnered with a resident from Trinity Village Care Centre in Kitchener. For nine weeks, they meet on Wednesdays after school and create art together. This program has made a positive impact on the lives of both the residents and the students in the program.

Lillian Hyatt was nominated for the Intergenerational Award based on the huge impact she made on her partner’s life through OMA this school year. According to Kathy Bender, the Opening Minds through Art Lead Facilitator, “Lillian’s resident calls her son every day and most conversations are negative but when she started OMA, the conversations changed to positive and exciting! The resident talks to her son about Lillian, and how she spends time with her each Wednesday.  He can’t remember the last time she talked this positively about life.” Clearly, Lillian is a very deserving recipient of this award.  Congratulations Lillian!