LiveWorkPlay Blog - Edition 49 - 10/FEB/2011

LiveWorkPlay is a Canadian charitable organization supporting people with intellectual disabilities to have a good life in the Ottawa area community. LiveWorkPlay is an affiliate of Community Living Ontario. You can subscribe to the LiveWorkPlay Blog using Networked Blogs. We also invite you to visit us on our Facebook Fan Page, follow us on Twitter @GetBuzzed, and check out our channel on YouTube.

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IN THIS ISSUE...


DAVE HINGSBURGER LIVE IN OTTAWA!
REMEMBERING TURKS & CAICOS 2011
TIME TO GET FOOLISH: APRIL 1
WASN'T THAT A PARTY? NYE 2010

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS: APRIL 14
VOTES NEEDED: PEOPLE FIRST OF OTTAWA
EXPANDING VOLUNTEER TEAM
END OF YEAR SURVEY FUN

YOUR SUPPORT APPRECIATED


DAVE HINGSBURGER LIVE IN OTTAWA!

Just $20 including lunch! Learn about ways of thinking, acting, and speaking that successfully support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live as healthy, safe, and included members of their community.

Inducted to the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame in 2009, Dave Hingsburger is a prolific author and public speaker who has worked in support of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities for more than 30 years.

This workshop will be about living with an intellectual disability in the community: the daily challenges and opportunities that are faced by individuals, their family members, and other key supporters in their lives. How do we deal with negative attitudes? How do we take pride in who we are and maintain healthy self-esteem? Come and find out from one of the world's most popular presenters!

This session is suitable for self-advocates (people with developmental or intellectual disabilities) parents and other key supporters, teachers, agency staff members, government officials, journalists, employers, neighbours and anyone with an interest in supporting a more inclusive society! Register now!

REMEMBERING TURKS & CAICOS 2011


They save their money for a whole year and waited in anticipation until finally the day came: the LiveWorkPlay adult members trip to Turks and Caicos! It started with a bus at the C3 Centre at 4:45 AM and a ride to the airport in Montreal for a direct flight and 7 days in paradise!

This is the second LiveWorkPlay trip to Club Med Turkoise. The group of 14 members included a mix of returning and first-time guests. The most notable difference with this trip was the adventurous spirit of the group. Many tried different activities for the very first time, everything from snorkelling and sailing to trapeze and water volleyball!
Get a sense of it all from the amazing video collage!

LiveWorkPlay supports members to enjoy travel for different reasons. The best reason it is something they want to do, and they've asked us to help. Other important reasons include learning how to travel on their own, and enjoying a vacation that is different from travelling with family but where support is available when needed. LiveWorkPlay attempts to cater to different budgets and interests. In March there will be a 5-day trip to Las Vegas, and in June a 3-day trip to New Hampshire.


TIME TO GET FOOLISH: APRIL 1

LiveWorkPlay family feast events are a way for people with intellectual disabilities, their family members, staff, volunteers, and community partners to come together for food and fun!

At the conclusion of the Festive Family Feast in December, guests we
re surveyed and among the other interesting outcomes it was great to see that 60% reported meeting someone new!

The theme for April 1 is simple: goofy hats! Wear a goofy hat and yo
u'll have the opportunity to win a prize. But don't hesitate, register now and take advantage of a $5 discount!

WASN'T THAT A PARTY? NYE 2010

There was some debate just before dinner was served: how many years has the LiveWorkPlay New Year's Eve party been going on? The consensus was 13 years! Which probably explains why this party pretty much runs itself and everyone has such a great time.

In fact, there was no challenge at all figuring out when dinner was over and it was time to start dancing - several guests (with Ryan McBride taking the lead) hit the dance floor while background music was playing after dessert, and the DJ had to move quick to change songs and crank up the volume!

Cooper Gage loves a good conga line, and this was one of the best ever. It was made extra interesting when Richard Patten started a rival conga line that collided with Cooper in the middle of the room. The two lines merged and carried on!

There was no need to conduct a survey following this event. The feedback was clear - good food, good music, good company, let's do it again! Special thanks to St. Anthony's Banquet Hall and their staff for helping make this a special evening.


RECIPE FOR SUCCESS: APRIL 14

LiveWorkPlay receives funding from the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services for many of the supports we provide to adults with intellectual disabilities. But we provide much more to our adult members than our MCSS relationship requires of us. We also support 20 youth members who are still in school, for which we receive no government funding at all.

Other independently funded activities include support and education for families, disability rights advocacy, and of course our many public and members-only events!

How do we do it? Part of the answer is that we have other funding partners that in any given year might include United Way of Ottawa, Ontario Trillium Foundation, Community Foundation of Ottawa and major corporate sponsors like MBNA Canada Bank.

But we couldn't do what we do without YOU - grassroots donors! One of the most popular ways to give is by supporting and participating in our annual Recipe for Success Culinary Adventure and Charity Auction event, sponsored again this year by none other than MBNA Canada Bank!

For the auction to work we need more donations and sponsorships. If you can help, contact Julie Kingstone! Just as important, we need a big audience, and this is the year for it - we are taking over the entire St. Anthony's Banquet Hall building - that's two large rooms! Get ready for more breathing space, more seats, more food, more everything!


VOTES NEEDED: PEOPLE FIRST OF OTTAWA

LiveWorkPlay is please to have been invited by Telus to participate in the launch of a new initiative called Funchange, a crowdfunding and s
ocial networking initiative for Canadian charities. The focus is on making change happen one project at a time.

LiveWorkPlay decided to use this special opportunity to support
the growth of the new People First of Ottawa chapter, which got off the ground on November 19, 2010. LiveWorkPlay believes that the independent voice of self-advocates is critically important to the movement for a more inclusive community, and is committed to working cooperatively with People First of Ottawa, People First of Ontario, People First of Canada, and other chapters across Canada and the world.

The need for the voice of self-advocates was clearly demonstrated when a controversial column - considered by many to be highly disrespectful of people with intellectual disabilities - appeared in the Ottawa Sun. People First of Ottawa was quick to respond with a powerful letter to the editor! Community Living Ontario, the Canadian Association for Community Living, People First of Canada, and many other individuals and organizations also responded and worked together to share concerns with the Ottawa Sun and also build public awareness.


EXPANDING VOLUNTEER TEAM

Just when it seemed LiveWorkPlay volunteer recruitment might be slowing down, the good people of the Ottawa community recovered from the rigours of the holiday season and January was as busy as ever, with about 20 new recruits signed up for the next group orientation in February!

LiveWorkPlay volunteers are critical contributors: they are changing the lives of individuals and helping to build a more inclusive community. They are also coming up with their own ideas for new ways to make a difference. For example, the Board of Directors would like to thank Lynn Thorsell, an organizational planning consultant, for leading and facilitating a mission-oriented planning process that generated a lot of excitement and energy.

"Lynn is an example of how we have expanded our volunteer opportunities to take advantage of particular skills, interests, and expertise," says Volunteer Coordinator Fran Childs. "Volunteers spending time in direct contact with our members remains a priority, but we are open to engagement in everything we do!"

The LiveWorkPlay approach to recruiting and utilizing volunteers has generated a lot of buzz! On January 11th Volunteer Ottawa hosted a session called Social Media for Social Change where Fran and Keenan Wellar presented to a sold out audience at the C3 Centre. Find out about current volunteer opportunities at LiveWorkPlay on the Volunte
er Ottawa website!

LiveWorkPlay would like to recognize a remarkable volunteer that has served our region and the entire Community Living Ontario federation for decades. At a recent regional meeting hosted in Kemptville Noreene Adam (pictured left) announced her resignation as regional director. Noreene has attended several LiveWorkPlay events over the past three years and has also contributed through her affiliation with Community Living Upper Ottawa Valley by sharing best practices.

END OF YEAR SURVEY FUN

2010 was an amazing year at LiveWorkPlay, and choosing highlights would be no easy task. So, we conducted an online survey, and asked the world for their thoughts on the biggest stories of the year. More than 100 individuals completed the survey. Here is a summary of some of the results:

TOP EVENT OF THE YEAR: In first place was the Engines of Success Recognition Banquet. There was a tie for second with the New Year's Eve party, Visioning Day and Pool Party, and A Community Where Each Belongs with Al Condeluci. Several events tied for third, including the Holiday Family Feast.

TOP NEWS OF THE YEAR: There was a first place tie between Employment Supports (creation of new jobs for LiveWorkPlay members), member Paul Knoll receiving a Celebration of People award, and Keenan Wellar receiving a United Way Community Builder award. There was a second place tie for member Caroline Matte meeting with Justin Trudeau and presenting to the Parliamentary Press Gallery, and the election of Emily Menard and Jennifer Harris to the People First of Ottawa Board of Directors. In third place was "six more LiveWorkPlay members moving out to homes of their own in the community."

PREDICTIONS FOR 2011: Survey respondents did their best to predict the future when asked to guess what the top story would be at the end of 2011. In first place was "more jobs" for members. Tied for second was "more people moving out" along with "record auction proceeds/donations" and "growth of the volunteer team." Tied for third was "growth of People First of Ottawa" and the mysterious prediction of "the staff team will grow in unexpected ways."

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT


If you would like to make a donation to LiveWorkPlay, please click here to donate online or use our new PDF donation form which now has options for credit card and pre-authorized withdrawals. You may also specify how you would like your donation to be used.

You can always contribute through the United Way. Download a United Way donation form that already has the LiveWorkPlay information included. The United Way has in the past supported LiveWorkPlay youth services, and may support other LiveWorkPlay initiatives in the future.

We hope you have enjoyed this 49th edition of LiveWorkPlayNews. If you have received an email about this blog in error and/or you would prefer not to receive future LiveWorkPlayNews messages, simply click here and follow the simple instructions. Click here for the web page that can be used by newcomers who would like to join LiveWorkPlayNews. Feel free to share the address with friends, colleagues, and family who might like to subscribe. Send story ideas to Keenan Wellar.