Lauren Knapton, recreation therapist at Cottonwoods
Name: Lauren Knapton (she/her)
Job Title: Recreation therapist
Years of Service: Six months
Worksite: Cottonwoods Care Facility
Community: Kelowna
Ancestral Territory: Syilx
Advice to live by: "People may not remember exactly what you did or what you said but people will never forget how you made them feel." – Maya Angelou
Recreation therapist Lauren Knapton is inspired by the moments of joy she and her colleagues share with people in their care.
“Nothing makes me happier than when I see a resident experience a true moment of joy – either during a recreation program, dancing with a staff member, or listening to music,” she says. “Those small moments are what makes this job so amazing.”
Learn more about her journey with IH
Lauren was born in Bella Coola and raised in North Vancouver. She completed a 10-week practicum in Uganda at a schizophrenia outreach program during her Therapeutic Recreation degree. During that practicum, Lauren was grateful to learn about traditional Ugandan and African healing practices.
“Working for the health authority as a recreation therapist has always been my dream job,” she says. “Now that I have accomplished that goal, I feel grateful to be able to come to work every day.”
Lauren loves working with the recreation therapy team at Cottonwoods and feels privileged to be a part of it. She looks forward to continuing to learn and develop as a recreation therapist with Interior Health and finding more ways to positively impact the lives of residents.
Lauren describes herself as silly, hard working, creative, optimistic and empathetic. In her free time, she loves to cook and share her passion for good food and good wine with friends and family. Lauren also enjoys hiking and back country camping.
Lauren Knapton nominates Kellie Schonfeld, recreation therapy worker, to keep We Are IH going:
“I would love to nominate Kellie Schonfeld, one of our AMAZING recreation workers here at Cottonwoods. She is such a joy to work with and brings so much love and empathy to our resident’s lives."
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