SRAAS Narrative and Support Letter

View Royal Grant-in-Aid Application: Spasticity Research and Awareness Society (SRAAS)

Members of View Royal Council,

I am very excited for the opportunity to apply once again to the View Royal Grant-in-Aid on behalf of the non-profit organization I founded one year ago, Spasticity Research and Awareness Society (SRAAS).

SRAAS operates out of Victoria General Hospital, which is centrally located within View Royal. The organization was established to better support patients and families involved in spasticity care, while also increasing community awareness and education around this often-misunderstood condition.

In October 2026, with your generous support of a $5,000 Grant-in-Aid, we hosted our first fundraising event at Elements Casino. We made sure to properly display the View Royal logo on every advertisement for and at the event. The event resonated deeply with community members, clinicians, patients, and families. We were also honoured to have members of Council in attendance, including Councillor Don Brown, Claire McDougald and Doug Wilson.

At our last event we gave guests the opportunity to donate to the Rehab Medicine clinic through the Victoria Hospital Foundation or to donate directly to our non-profit. We therefore fundraised approximately $22,478 for the Victoria Hospital Foundation and approximately $17,000 for our non-profit.

Funds donated to the Victoria Hospital Foundation enabled the Rehabilitation Medicine Clinic to hire co-op students for a four-month term and provided seed funding for a PhD student beginning in September. Donations made directly to SRAAS have supported ongoing website maintenance and updates, as well as the hiring of an illustrator for our upcoming children’s book, Maddy’s Life with Spasticity. Since incorporation, SRAAS has gained recognition across Canada, the United States, and Europe as a trusted resource in spasticity research, one of our founding goals. Looking ahead, our priorities include establishing a pediatric support group in Victoria, releasing a documentary featuring real-life stories of hope related to spasticity on streaming platforms, publishing an accessible spasticity handbook for patients, families, the broader community and finally, sponsoring medical devices for those in need.

Please copy and paste the following link to see a 2 minute highlight video of our last event as well as a one-on-one by one of our community members at the event. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1nMCVxzKJLuvxTNRmu5hdqQ2nRX30IBV7?usp=sharing

We would be grateful for the opportunity to host another community-based fundraising event in View Royal. While Elements Casino met our needs for our inaugural event, we anticipate increased attendance for our second event and therefore require a larger, more inclusive venue. Additionally, due to venue restrictions, we were unable to extend invitations to our pediatric community at our first event, as children were not permitted. Ensuring inclusivity, particularly for children and families affected by spasticity is a key priority for our upcoming event.

I have been in contact with event coordinators Hope and Glenn at the Juan de Fuca Association to explore how we can bring the vision for our next event to life. Given the anticipated attendance, the event will be held entirely outdoors. We are proposing to utilize the beautiful Juan de Fuca trails for a 2 km “Walk for Spasticity.”

Many members of our community have experienced meaningful improvements in mobility and freedom of movement through the clinical care and research conducted at Victoria General Hospital, and they are enthusiastic about participating in a walk that celebrates these achievements.

Volunteers will be stationed at the barbecue area to prepare food for guests as they return from the walk. We also recognize that not all community members will be able to participate in the walk itself. For those individuals, we plan to offer on-site entertainment to ensure the event is inclusive and enjoyable for everyone. Hiring a strolling magician to engage guests at tables was identified as a fun and interactive way to create a welcoming atmosphere throughout the event.

Here is a google link for a street view of approximately we will hold the main event of the location, please copy and paste to your browser for use: https://www.google.com/maps/@48.4464025,-123.4581856,3a,75y,264.13h,100.94t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sRahb7_t6M0rh8xSZ0mCWTA!2e0!6shtttps:%2F%2Fstreeetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D-10.944625267878592%26panoid%3D3DRahb7_t6M0rh8xSZ0mCWTA%26yaw%3D3D264.131844999263!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDIyNC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

We would like to use the basketball courts, the small field directly beside the basketball courts and the Colwood Rotary Picnic Shelter that is directly across the street. The reason for utilizing the basketball courts is because the flat concrete will make it easier for the wheelchair users of our community to navigate, also those with severe balance problems. Furthermore, this area is the closest area to bathrooms that are located right next to the courts (and confirmed wheelchair accessible). We would also like to use the picnic shelter to host our silent auction. At our previous event, we received an abundance of generous community donations, and we anticipate receiving additional items for this upcoming event, along with some remaining from before. The picnic shelter would provide a safe, covered, and spacious area to properly display and organize our auction items.

The following images are AI generated approximations of my vision for the layout of the event.