Salon owner hosts fundraiser for Cambridge, Ont. school supporting neurodivergent children

In a show of community spirit, a Waterloo, Ont. salon owner hosted a fundraiser Saturday to support his daughter’s school located in Cambridge.

The event, held at Barranca Boutique Salon in uptown Waterloo, drew dozens of attendees eager to contribute to a cause close to Giuseppe Barranca's heart.

“My daughter is autistic, she was diagnosed with Pitt-Hopkins Syndrome at three-years-old. Due to the restrictions at schools, she is unable to attend either public or catholic schools now so we were very lucky to find Oak Bridge Academy,” Barranca told CTV News Saturday.

Oak Bridge Academy is a not-for-profit school tailored specifically to children and youth with neurodevelopment disorders. The academy provides services for children with autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other learning exceptionalities. Programming is offered to students from grades one through nine.

“We’re able to provide a combination of both one-on-one support in addition to therapeutic services and education to kids in need,” said Jessica Bondy, executive director at Oak Bridge Academy.

It’s a school Barranca is happy to have found for his daughter.

“It’s a true connection, they’re giving her an opportunity at a great life,” Barranca said. “She learned how to walk at Oak Bridge Academy, she was told she never was going to be able to walk but with the help of Oak Bridge, she’s communicating with us now and walking and moving, moving like any nine-year-old.”

Saturday’s fundraiser featured a day-long event filled with activities aimed at raising both funds and awareness for the challenges faced by children who are neurodivergent.

The event was a lively affair, with the salon offering their services from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. with all proceeds going directly to the school. In addition to the salon services, there was live music and a barbeque.

The event comes as the academy gears up for the launch of a new permanent campus located at 250 Hespeler Road in Cambridge. They have started a fundraising campaign to help with renovation costs for the new campus.

“We’re in the process of looking for donors to support us in adopting a room so that we can continue to provide education to more kids in our community,” Bondy said. “This event helps us to launch our Adopt-A-Room campaign and interact with more people in our community.”

By the end of the event, Giuseppe said they raised a total of $4,000 for the academy.

More information about Oak Bridge Academy and their campaign can be found on their website.