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LiveWorkPlay
For People With Intellectual Disabilities
Making A Buzz In The Ottawa Area Since 1995
"SUCCESS THROUGH COMMUNITY"
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LiveWorkPlay: A Brief History
The seeds of what became LiveWorkPlay were planted in the early 1990s. Cofounders Keenan Wellar and Julie Kingstone both shared a passion for helping young people enjoy a better quality of life, and were alarmed at the lack of effective services for youth with mild intellectual disabilities. After years of exploring these issues with parents, teachers, and other concerned individuals, in 1995 they decided to develop an organization that they hoped would one day make a difference.
After incorporating the organization in 1995, they dedicated two years to building a strategic plan and pursuing startup funding. After working closely with the Ontario Trillium Foundation for more than a year, four years of startup support began in the spring of 1997. Julie and Keenan left their existing careers and started the work of building LiveWorkPlay.
In the winter of 1998, the fledgling organization added new board members, recruited volunteers, and launched its first programs, which initially were offered on evenings and weekends. The Network 303 programs served different age groups starting at 13, and offered opportunities to develop life skills in community-based settings. The program was an immediate success, and led to the development of a summer learning program, which was also launched in 1998.
In 1999, LiveWorkPlay began the first year of a two year partnership with Human Resources Development Canada in hosting a Youth Services Canada initiative to explore workplace issues for people with intellectual disabilities. These projects were of a critical nature, as they led to the identification of key issues in supporting young adults to live as included and contributing members of society. These findings drove the creation of Skills and More for Independent Living and Employment (SMILE), an individualized system of supports for adults making the transition to life in the community.
While SMILE was developing as a pilot project in 2000-2001, LiveWorkPlay also became a service provider to the Ontario Disability Support Program Employment Supports (ODSP-ES) division. This entails a fee-for-service arrangement whereby coordinators from the Ministry of Community, Family, and Children's Services monitor an employment support process delivered to clients who have chosen LWP as their service provider. LiveWorkPlay is the leader in delivering employment supports to people with intellectual disabilities in the Ottawa region.
The SMILE system of supports was proving very effective, and after applying through a public request for proposals process, was chosen by MCFCS to receive ongoing funding in partial support of its operation. After some five years of continuous fundraising and strategic planning challenged by financial unknowns, the organization was enabled to increasingly turn its focus to further improvement of its quality programs.
In the summer of 2001, LiveWorkPlay joined with five other charitable organizations to give birth to Ottawa's most unique nonprofit partnership, the Heartwood House community building. The groups moved into the previously abandoned building at 153 Chapel Street and set about turning it into a unique home for the organizations and their constituents. Heartwood House is now home to fifteen groups, and the vibrant spirit of community that permeates the facility has proven a wonderful environment for LiveWorkPlay participants to develop as individuals and citizens.
As of the time of the writing of this historical summary in the fall of 2002, the organization's attention is now turning to housing issues, a logical extension of the SMILE system of supports in promoting greater independence for people with intellectual disabilities. In addition, program participants are taking on additional responsibilities, not only in directing their own progress, but for the organization as a whole. Finally, various micro-business initiatives are developing into viable opportunities to generate revenues in support of LWP activities.
2004 update: to learn more about LWP housing initiatives please click here.
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153 Chapel Street, Suite 300 | Ottawa, Ontario | K1N 1H5 | 613-235-9550
info@liveworkplay.ca | www.liveworkplay.ca
Charitable Registration 89622 2775 RR 0001
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