Five Counties Children’s Centre Celebrates its Successes and Caps off its 50th Anniversary Festivities

Annual Report coverPETERBOROUGH, ON (June 22, 2026) – It may sound like a broken record, but how better to describe the all-time highs that Five Counties Children’s Centre has attained in total kids served, overall client visits, and number of referrals over the past year.

These activities – along with sharing other accomplishments in 2025/26 and presenting awards to key partners and supporters – are among the highlights of the 50th Annual Meeting hosted by Five Counties today (June 22) in Peterborough. The event was punctuated by a keynote address from local Paralympian Jon Thurston, who shared his journey of growing up in Dunsford to winning a gold medal in wheelchair curling at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games this past March.

Jon Thurston shares his key takeaways at Five Counties AGM 2026

“What better way to cap our 50th year – and golden anniversary festivities – than with inspirational comments from a gold-medal winner and record-setting performance from our staff who go above and beyond every day for our kids and families,” says Five Counties CEO Scott Pepin.

Key Statistics

It was truly a golden year at the local children’s treatment centre, which supports children and youth with physical, developmental and communication needs in Peterborough, Northumberland County, Haliburton County and the City of Kawartha Lakes. During 2025/26, and as outlined in its newly-released Annual Report, Five Counties staff:

  • Served 6,574 clients across its region last year, the most ever in its 50+ year history.
  • Provided a total of 56,687 client visits last year – another record count – and an increase of nearly 1,300 visits from 2024/25.
  • Kept wait times in check for kids’ treatment services, despite an 11.8% increase in client referrals to the Centre last year. Only 18 more kids were added to its wait list in 2025/26, even as the Centre served 366 more clients year-over-year.
  • Supported 3,928 local students through the Centre’s school-based rehabilitation services.
  • Spent a total of 4,199 hours last year offering support and skill-building training to families, schools and child-care facilities. Put another way, the time works out to nearly 175 days, or more than six months, of capacity building with these groups.

“These are more than numbers,” Pepin adds. “Behind every statistic is a personal interaction and human connection that is made between our staff members, children and their families. We want to help our kids reach for the stars and, through our treatment services and support, we aim to help them achieve maximum liftoff by supporting their independence, well-being and quality of life, in addition to helping and empowering their families.”

Wait Times Still a Challenge

The lack of progress to reduce wait times in 2025/26 is disappointing, Pepin admits, especially when Five Counties saw a 15.3% reduction in the number of kids waiting for services over the previous three years. As of March 31, 2026, there were 2,204 kids across the region waiting for treatment services at Five Counties. “One child waiting for services is one too many,” Pepin notes. “That said, we did hold the line on our wait list, even as we saw hundreds of more kids in 2025/26, even as our referrals jumped considerably over the past year.”

Efforts continue to reduce wait times at Five Counties. Its fundraising efforts – totaling nearly $750,000 last year – go directly to hire more clinicians who can offer additional treatment services for kids across the region.

The Centre also continues to implement tiered intervention in schools to ensure the right student gets the right care at the right time. And recently, Five Counties launched its new Abilities in Action program as a new treatment pathway for children with autism and their families who quality for funding through the Ontario Autism Program. This comes as the Centre has also successfully recruited a new pediatrician and doctors over the past year to better support, and more quickly, screen kids for autism.

Other Notable Achievements

To get buy-in from parents/caregivers to support their child’s treatment goals, Five Counties also partnered with Fleming College students to create the Rethink Therapy campaign. Launched in January 2026, Rethink Therapy encourages families to see that their child’s therapy happens everywhere in everyday activities, and that they are a key contributor to this success. Pepin also calls 2025/26 a banner one for Five Counties in other ways:

  • In June 2025, the accessible backyard space for treatment, recreation, cultural awareness and outdoor education programs officially opened at the Five Counties site in Cobourg.
  • The Centre marked its 50th anniversary with a series of celebrations and stories from its past.
  • Five Counties won various recognition awards from chambers of commerce in Peterborough, Lindsay and Cobourg for the life-changing work it delivers to kids and families in the area.

Presentation of Dave Adams Legacy Award

The White family (Suzette, Glen and Adam) are recipients of the 2026 Dave Adams Legacy Award, which Five Counties created last year to honour the late Dave Adams, who headed the Centre’s former Foundation for 27 years. The award recognizes individuals who epitomize Dave’s spirit for their long-service, unwavering support and selfless actions that have contributed to the work and success of Five Counties. According to Pepin, the Whites are deserving winners. Glen and Suzette first came to the Centre in 1976, with their 10-month-old son, Adam, who had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Thus began a decades-long relationship that saw Adam receive treatment that helped him to walk and grow, while also offering his parents not just medical expertise, but compassion, patience and hope. All three of the Whites have given back to Five Counties in many  ways, by volunteering and acting as ambassadors for the Centre, including serving on its Board of Directors. Adam has gone on to pursue a successful career in education, even as he continues to support Five Counties.

Honour for Long-Serving Board of Director Member

The Centre is honouring Kristy Hook, the current Vice-Chair of its Board of Directors, who is stepping down after nine years on the Board. “Kristy has a long association with Five Counties, as a parent of a one-time client, volunteer, supporter, Board member and former Chair,” says Pepin. “Kristy’s passion for Five Counties is undeniable, and her tireless efforts over the years to support, champion and advocate for the Centre are greatly appreciated and will be sorely missed.”

High-Five Community Awards 2026

Five Counties has also announced the winners of its High-Five Community Awards, which are given to individuals, groups and community partners who share the Centre’s commitment to inclusion. Winners include:

  • The EarlyON Child and Family Centre in the City of Kawartha Lakes for welcoming Five Counties families to join its monthly Family Support and Adaptive Play program to come, play and connect
  • Yoga studio owner Angela Demeester for creating an adaptive yoga program for kids of all abilities.
  • Ashley Higgins, of the Victoria Graduate Program – Compass Early Learning and Care centre in Lindsay, for a commitment to inclusion and collaborating with others to find the best outcome for kids in her care.
  • Cindy Marshall, of the Northumberland EarlyON Centre, for her work supporting Five Counties in running its Snack and Chat family engagement event each month in Cobourg.
  • Jennifer Hardy-Parr, a grant writer with the County of Northumberland, for being integral in helping Five Counties secure funding to boost inclusion projects, like the accessible backyard space in Cobourg.
  • Sean Griffin, of P.L.A.Y. Sports Peterborough, who is breaking down barriers to sport for children of all ages and abilities, including organizing regular Family Adventure Nights for Five Counties clients.
  • Sara Pot and Sam Miscinszki, of CanChild, for supporting Five Counties’ family engagement efforts.

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For media inquiries, contact:

Bill Eekhof, Communications Coordinator, Five Counties Children’s Centre, 1-888-779-9916, ext. 200

Category: General News