Hundreds gather for the 15th annual FASD Awareness Walk in Saskatoon. Photo by Joel Willick
An awareness walk highlighting a common struggle made its way through Saskatoon Friday morning.
The 15th annual FASD Awareness Walk wound through the downtown core of the city, encouraging people to talk about the issue without shame or guilt.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) causes cognitive disabilities and other behavioral issues.
Shauna Lafontaine, Executive Director of the Metis Addiction Council of Saskatchewan Inc. says it is an important discussion.
“It’s a disability that can be controlled,” she said. “If we can get the word out to the women not to consume any alcohol during pregnancy. It’s a totally preventable disability and we want to be able to provide support.”
The walk is put on in partnership between MACSI and the FASD Support Network of Saskatchewan.
Lafontaine says she has been helping organize the event for over ten years and has been encouraged to see how much the event has grown.
“I’ve had the luxury of being a part of this for 11 years,” she said. “When I first started, we used to get only around 30 people, and my last head count — I see over one hundred people here.”
Lafontaine also says they use the walk as an opportunity to connect people with the various programs offered at MACSI.
The awareness walk began at the MACSI location off of 19th Street and made its way through downtown Saskatoon.