April 2 - Edition 5

1) 3 DAY COUNTDOWN TO RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
2) LIVEWORKPLAY DAY AT CORA'S GETS RESULTS
3) SMILE MINI-BANQUET CELEBRATES ACCOMPLISHMENTS
4) LIVEWORKPLAY OPEN HOUSE & FAMILY SHOWCASE

3 DAY COUNTDOWN TO RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

With just 3 days remaining the MBNA Recipe for Success Culinary Adventure & Charity Auction is building up for the opportunity to be the greatest ever! The incredible program detailing more than 100 silent auction packages and 30 live auction items is now online at http://liveworkplay.ca/AUCTION

A small selection of the these items were previewed on the A-Channel on Tuesday morning, and you can see that on video. A preview of the gourmet delights to come was revealed by Gay Cook in her Ottawa Citizen food column. Check out the video and article, both available from http://liveworkplay.ca/AUCTION

Those attending this event (Wednesday, April 4, 6:00 PM at 87 George Street) are encouraged to arrive early. It will take a few minutes to process everyone at the door, but patience will be rewarded with a an amazing loot bag and the opportunity to enjoy delicious food, take part in the balloon bust, bid in the silent and live auctions, and contribute to a great cause!

LIVEWORKPLAY DAY AT CORA'S GETS RESULTS

On Wednesday, March 28 the Cora's Breakfast & Lunch locations at 1545 Merivale and 1971 St. Joseph contributed 25% of proceeds to LiveWorkPlay, resulting in a donation of more than $1000! The LiveWorkPlay community turned out in large numbers at both locations, for both breakfast and lunch.

On the Tuesday before LiveWorkPlay Day, the A-Channel spent the morning on location, follow this link http://tinyurl.com/3cdttu to see some of the broadcast on video. On Monday, Leanne Cusack from CTV Ottawa was on site at LiveWorkPlay to get an update on recent developments in housing and also to share information about LiveWorkPlay Day at Cora's. Follow this link http://tinyurl.com/2makm8 to see some video from the two News at Noon segments.

SMILE MINI-BANQUET CELEBRATES ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Just short of 100% of participants turned out for the SMILE mini-banquet on March 28th at the Lone Star. After enjoying a meal together the group shared individual accomplishments by taking their turn at the microphone. The mini-banquet concept started in 2005-2006, with these events scheduled in December and March as a way to close out the fall and winter sessions, but also to offer an opportunity to practice public speaking in anticipation of the "big banquet" which is known as "Engines of Success" and is held in June. There was some extra pressure on all the speakers as the crew from CBC TV's Moving On rolled tape for a future episode that will focus on participants who are making the transition to life beyond the family home.

Pictures and video from the March 28 mini-banquet event will be available soon at http://lwp.bz/SMILE/MINIBANQUET and watch for information about Engines of Success 2007 at http://www.liveworkplay.ca/ENGINES

LIVEWORKPLAY OPEN HOUSE & FAMILY SHOWCASE

Friday, March 30 was a very busy day at LiveWorkPlay. First came the public Open House from 2:00-4:00 PM. LiveWorkPlay staff and SMILE participants were on hand to offer tours and answer questions. It was a perfect opportunity for teachers, parents, potential participants, and others to get the inside scoop on the LiveWorkPlay community.

The first hour was slow but steady, and things got very busy after 3:00. Jennifer Harris managed the computer lab, taking visitors on a tour of the LiveWorkPlay website and featuring videos from http://liveworkplay.ca/self-advocacy. Amanda Manuel and Caroline Matte greeted visitors near the starting point of the tour and talked to them about LiveWorkPlay events, using photo displays on the walls as a backdrop. Check out a short video slide show from the Open House at http://liveworkplay.ca/OPENHOUSE

Just a few hours later more than a dozen SMILE participants were on duty at 7:00 PM as presenters at the Family Fun Night Showcase event. There were six stations set up to share information about Journeys and to get into the details of what SMILE participants have been learning. This included presentations about the Ontario Disability Support Program, voting in the recent municipal election, and the meaning of intellectual disability. Since September SMILE participants have worked very hard to understand more about the ODSP system, and have also learned how to better explain the meaning of intellectual disability and express their own needs and abilities to others.

The Family Fun Night Showcase represents a significant self-advocacy outcome for LiveWorkPlay, with the Friday night volunteer and staff team contributing in a support role, and participants taking on leadership roles of increasing intensity. Feedback from the evening was overwhelmingly positive, with many first-time attendees to the Showcase expressing surprise and admiration at the degree of difficulty managed by the participants in making their presentations.A short video slide show from the Family Fun Night Showcase is available at http://liveworkplay.ca/FFN

SUPPORT LIVEWORKPLAY: MAKE A DONATION

LiveWorkPlay is working hard to help people with intellectual disabilitiesenjoy a better quality of life. Please help support these efforts with acharitable contribution to LiveWorkPlay. Donate online with 0%administration fees a http://tinyurl.com/63m8u

SMILE = Skills and More for Independent Living and Employment (ages 21+)
SMILE-TOG = SMILE - The Original Generation (older SMILE participants)
SMILE-TNG = SMILE - The Next Generation (younger SMILE participants)
Journeys = ages 13-21 and still in school