LiveWorkPlayNews2007 - September 12 - Edition 10

IN THIS ISSUE...

1) ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING IN 7 DAYS
2) SMILE HAD A BLAST IN BOSTON
3) GOLF TOURNAMENT NEARLY SOLD OUT
4) ORIENTATION NIGHT SEPTEMBER 28
5) COMMUNITY FOUNDATION SUPPORTS HOUSING
6) NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY NEWS
7) SMILE WELCOME BACK: ELECTION PREPARATION
8) UNITED WAY/CENTRAIDE OTTAWA CAMPAIGN

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING IN 7 DAYS

The LWP Annual General Meeting takes place September 19th at 6:30. RSVP forms were sent out over the summer, so if you did not receive one but you would like to attend please contact Julie at 613-235-9550 x 222 and have your name added to the list.

SMILE HAD A BLAST IN BOSTON

Thirteen members of the SMILE-TOG* group enjoyed a trip to Boston from August 5-9. There was whale-watching, a play, riding the T, a world-famous pastry shop, and more. Experiencing a different city with peers can be a lot of fun, and the ability to travel with greater independence is one obvious way that LiveWorkPlay trips help support a good life for people with intellectual disabilities.

Another important intended outcome of LWP trips is for participants to develop their own sense of self as capable individuals, and to show the supporters around them (including parents and LWP staff) that the level of protection around them needs to be evaluated and adjusted over time.

Check out the pictures and videos from the trip at http://liveworkplay.ca/BOSTON and see the link at the bottom of this page to make a donation in support of future trips!

GOLF TOURNAMENT NEARLY SOLD OUT

Tournament organizers Quelmec Loss Adjusters and O.B. Villeneuve Insurance report that about 130 registrations have been processed, which leaves about 14 to go for the tournament to be officially sold out before tee-off on September 25th. It is hoped that the tournament will raise in the area of $15000 which would be an outstanding result for a first year event! For additional details see http://liveworkplay.ca/GOLF

ORIENTATION NIGHT SEPTEMBER 28

All parents, participants, and volunteers from Journeys* and SMILE* will be welcomed for the Annual Orientation on Friday, September 28. This evening event will provide critical information about the upcoming year. If you have not done so already, please RSVP to Julie.

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION SUPPORTS HOUSING

LiveWorkPlay has received a Strategic Impact Grant from the Community Foundation of Ottawa which will support a new transitional housing program for SMILE participants. Working with two individuals at a time, the On Our Own Together Too program will offer two months of supported independent living, and a final evaluation with recommendations designed to help participants and their families realize their housing goals. There will be an information meeting about OOOT-TOO on September 27th, contact Julie to RSVP.

NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY NEWS

There have been dozens of inquiries about the availability of tickets for this year's New Year's Eve party in the ballroom of the Crowne Plaza, featuring live band Sticks 'n' Stones. The early bird public ticket price will be $100. There will be a special reduced price for LiveWorkPlay members with tickets available at the first Family Fun Night on October 26th. The ticket price includes admission and a gourmet buffet dinner.

SMILE WELCOME BACK: ELECTION PREPARATION

Participants who returned last week after a break in August have thrown themselves into the process of preparing to vote in the upcoming provincial election. There is less time available than there was for last year's municipal election, so until October 10th a special schedule will be in operation to give participants a chance to get ready. Check out the I AM A VOTER video on the LiveWorkPlay self-advocacy page at http://liveworkplay.ca/self-advocacy to see some of the results from last year's election preparations.

Also shaking up the SMILE environment are a number of newcomers, some of whom have moved up from Journeys, and others who are new to LiveWorkPlay. Visit the The SMILE Chronicles at http://www.liveworkplay.ca/TSC/ to find out more about how things are going!

UNITED WAY/CENTRAIDE OTTAWA CAMPAIGN

The launch of this year's United Way campaign takes place the morning of September 21. Visit http://www.unitedwayottawa.ca/ for tickets to the launch event and information about other ways to make a contribution.

This year SMILE participant Jennifer Harris and LiveWorkPlay CEO Keenan Wellar are contributing as members of the Speakers' Bureau. They have already made presentations to a business and a government agency to talk about the work of LiveWorkPlay and the importance of United Way support (the United Way contributes to both the Journeys and ACES* programs at LWP).

In the future it is hoped other participants will complete the Speakers' Bureau training program, as it is a wonderful opportunity not only to support LWP and the United Way but also to practice self-advocacy! See http://www.unitedwayottawa.ca/english/speakers.html for more information about the program.

SUPPORT LIVEWORKPLAY: MAKE A DONATION

LiveWorkPlay is working hard to help people with intellectual disabilities enjoy a better quality of life. Please help support these efforts with a charitable contribution to LiveWorkPlay. Donate online with 0% administration fees at: http://canadahelps.org/CharityProfilePage.aspx?CharityID=76323&Language=en
(if the above link does not work please use: http://tinyurl.com/63m8u) You can also direct all or part of your United Way contribution to LiveWorkPlay. Please see http://liveworkplay.ca/UNITEDWAY for a donation form. Donation cheques can be addressed to: LiveWorkPlay153 Chapel Street, Suite 300Ottawa, ON K1N 1H5 Telephone contributions: Julie Kingstone, 235-9550 x 222 Thank You!

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We hope you have enjoyed this 10th edition of LiveWorkPlayNews 2007. If you have received this email in error and/or you would prefer not to receive future LiveWorkPlayNews messages, simply visit http://liveworkplay.ca/mailman/listinfo/liveworkplaynews_liveworkplay.ca or http://tinyurl.com/5nevs and follow the simple instructions. Those same addresses can also be used by newcomers who would like to join LiveWorkPlayNews, so feel free to share the address with friends,colleagues, and family who might like to subscribe. If you have any difficulty with subscribing or unsubscribing, send details to keenan(at)liveworkplay.ca and ask for assistance.

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*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)
*ACES = Active Community Experiences in Summer (ages 13-20)
*Journeys = ages 13-21 and still in school