About the Network
The FASD Support Network of Saskatchewan, fondly referred to as the Network, is a community based parent-led provincial organization. When the Network began, very little was known about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Families were facing stigma, lack of services and misunderstanding. A group of like-minded parents came together seeking support and understanding. They had common concerns about the challenges of parenting children affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol.
As a group, the parents learned more about FASD and recognized the value of working together to bring greater awareness and understanding of FASD to our province. Now, many years later, parents and families are still at the core of the Network. A 12-member Board of Directors, most of whom are parents, offers experience and wisdom to help the Network continue to be a vibrant and growing provincial organization.
The Story of the Sunflower
Parents of children, youth and adults with FASD need a symbol of hope. Hope helps us all to face challenges. The parents who first gathered selected the sunflower as a symbol of hope. The sunflower, they concluded, would be symbolic, not only of the vision and activities of the organization they hoped to build, but would also remind them of the many infants, children, youth, adults and families living with FASD throughout our province.
We all know the sunflower is a hardy and cheerful plant. With bright yellow petals and sturdy stalks, the sunflower inspires each of us in countless ways. Think about what we have learned from the sunflowers that dance in the Saskatchewan winds. They face the brilliant sun with courage, even on the hottest and driest of summer days. We marvel at the resilience of  sunflowers. They take the opportunity to thrive, rising from the still cool spring soil and blossoming well into fall. They surprise us and spring up in the most unexpected of places. They accept the soil of a back alley or the debris at the base of a bird feeder as readily as the fertile soil of a well-tended garden. They come back again and again delighting us in all their shapes and sizes. We are truly grateful for the lessons of the sunflowers—they thrive wherever they find themselves, they seek the sun, cherish the rains and always offer their goodness to the world.
We all need a symbol of hope. For those of us in Saskatchewan who want the best for individuals and families living with FASD, the sunflower is our symbol of hope.
Vision Statement
The vision of the FASD Support Network of Saskatchewan, a parent-led provincial organization, is for individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and their families to recognize themselves as safe, supported, valued and contributing members of the community.