In August 2025, Futures in Focus ran its first event at the Fort McKay Teddy Bear Fair, a community gathering that gave us the opportunity to offer free, accessible health and vision screenings alongside the fair.
Over 20 children and 10 adults came through our stations. We ran pediatric growth checks, blood pressure screenings, and offered cervical cancer self-testing kit distribution and education. Three children were identified as needing optometrist or physician follow-up.
That last number was both a success and a lesson. We screened, but we needed to do more than screen. Identifying someone who needs care is only meaningful if there is a clear, reliable path to that care. The screen-and-leave model was not good enough.
The Teddy Bear Fair shaped every decision we made after it. Clear referral pathways, community-owned follow-up, and genuine partnership with the Fort McKay Wellness Centre became non-negotiables. This event was the foundation everything else was built on.
