Welcome to the LiveWorkPlay news page. Click here for media coverage of LiveWorkPlay.

As of January 1, 2010, we are no longer updating this page. Instead, please check out our Tweets @GetBuzzed or the updates on our Fan Page. Please note that you do not require Twitter or Facebook accounts to access our information. You can even read our latest Tweets right here on this page (see box below right). In addition we have hundreds of videos on YouTube, plus a monthly blog newsletter, and last but not least, an email list. For information on future events click here.

You may also access the archives for news items prior to 2010 as well as the media coverage page for listings of LiveWorkPlay items in the traditional media.

Make a Buzz - Support a Good Life for People with Intellectual Disabilities

New Year's Eve Celebration Jan 1, 2010
Fabulous Festive Family Feast Dec 18, 2009
International Day Persons with Disabilities Dec 3, 2009
A Question Of Safety November 21, 2009
Going For Green: Golf 2009 September 1, 2009
Orienation & AGM Launch New Year August 27, 2009
LiveWorkPlay Youth Return From Toronto July 23, 2009
Engines Of Success 2009 June 25, 2009
Special Guests Support Visioning June 20, 2009

January 1, 2010

It was back to our roots for the 2009-2010 LiveWorkPlay New Year's Eve party with a special members-only event. The group of 80 seemed like at least double the size because the dance floor was jammed all night! To catch the spirit of the evening see the video and photo evidence.

December 18, 2009

The first ever LiveWorkPlay Festive Family Feast was a tremendous success with more than 130 people taking part in the food and fun. This new feast event replaces Holiday Family Fun Night. The main difference? Food! A big meal was enjoyed before special guest Maureen Moloughney came on to lead some festive singing! Check out pictures and video from this event.

December 3, 2009

December 3rd is the United Nations International Day for People with Disabilities and it was a very busy day for LiveWorkPlay! At the invitation of the Canadian Association for Community Living Caroline Matte from LiveWorkPlay made a presentation to the Parliamentary Press Gallery of Canada and was also featured in a newspaper article. Later that same evening Heartwood House, one of LiveWorkPlay's most important partners, received a prestigious Celebration of People Award in recognition of a unique employment training program that has benefited dozens of LiveWorkPlay members.

November 21, 2009

This year's LiveWorklay Family Conference was about safety, risk, and quality of life. Special thanks to The Law Foundation of Ontario and guest presenters Constable Tom McKay from Peel Regional Police, Gabriela Mattison from Brampton Caledon Community Living Staff, and Sean Travis from Brampton Caledon Community Living Board of Directors! More than 120 people with intellectual disabilities, family members, and professionals attended the one-day conference. This included about 30 people with no previous LiveWorkPlay connection. You can see photos and a video from this event.

September 1, 2009

It was a difficult year for most charity golf tournaments, but a strong contingent of returning golfers combined with grassroots advocacy and major sponsors brought out 140 golfers on what was a beautiful day for golf! The generosity carried forward at the banquet with aggressive bidding on a small number of live auction items. In the end about $20,000 was raised, exceeding last year's record of over $17,000. Click here for pictures and video!

August 27, 2009

There was a massive turnout of 120 for tonight's LiveWorkPlay Annual Orientation and Annual General Meeting.

Among the many highlights of 2008-2009 two items stood out: the growth of the staff team and advances in independent living.

Re-elected to the Board of Directors were Wendy Mitchell, Mitchell Leitman, Dan Patton, Pennie Styan, and Marlene Floyd. Elected for the first time was Cecilia Taylor.

July 23, 2009

Two groups of LiveWorkPlay youth enjoyed 3 night stays in Toronto during the month of July. Both trips were deemed a great success by those who took part.

Each of the two LiveWorkPlay youth groups chose a slightly different itinerary, but decided to travel by train. Each person was responsible for managing their own identification, money, and transit pass (sometimes they rode the subway more than 10 times in a single day!).

There were visits to the CN Tower, a Blue Jays game, the Sound of Music, Medieval Times, Canada's Wonderland, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Toronto Zoo, and more! It was a real "get in shape" trip with tons of walking with hops on and off not only the subway but also streetcars, TTC buses, and the GO bus.

You can get a flavour for the two trips from these photo albums. If you have a Facebook account you can see hundreds more photos plus weekly video journals from the LiveWorkPlay fan page!

June 25, 2009

A packed house of more than 200 came out on June 25 to celebrate people with intellectual disabilities and recognize individuals, businesses, and organizations that support them to have a good life. Engines of Success has always been a popular event, but this year's audience was the most diverse of all time, thanks to the many community partners that were in attendance.

This year's event featured guest speakers Keith Powell, Executive Director of Community Living Ontario, and the Honourable Madeleine Meilleur, Ontario Minister of Community and Social Services. Mr. Powell talked about the value of relationships and community, noting that while supports and services are important, he reminded the audience that having a place where people can come together around a shared vision of hope and progress has a value far beyond what supports and services alone can offer.

Minister Meilleur talked about the work of the Ministry in closing institutions and supporting the ongoing development of an inclusive society, and credited LiveWorkPlay and like-minded organizations with their forward-thinking approach and ability to influence government policy. She assisted in a number of award presentations that were introduced at this year's event.

Robert Jarecsni, Gillian Gillespie, Melissa Cunningham, and Carl Sanderson were the inaugural recipients of the annual Personal Growth Award. Jennifer Harris received the first ever Ambassador Award, and Caroline Matte was the recipient of the Life Journey Award. Two Legacy Awards were given out, the first to long-time volunteer Pennie Styan, and the second to Bank of America (Ottawa headquarters) represented by June Larkin for their partnership with LiveWorkPlay that has been ongoing for more than ten years.

For the second year, Engines of Success hosted the presentation of The On My Own Recognition Award (TOMORA). TOMORA gives people with intellectual disabilities who have moved to a home of their own a financial jumpstart. Started by Professor Barry Wellar of Wellar Consulting, the award doubled this year to $200 per person thanks to Geoff & Bobbie McGowan Remax Realtors who are now co-sponsors. There were eight TOMORA recipients this year, aging in range from 19 to 45 years of age

There were so many special moments throughout the evening that it is impossible to mention all of them, but one of the clear highlights was the music of David McKillop, who performed a song that he wrote after leaving the Smiths Falls institution. David's voice and guitar struck a chord with the audience, and he was surprised by a thunderous 40-second standing ovation. This was followed by a three part year in review slide show that brought many audience members to tears before the evening wrapped up with door prizes. You can click on these links to watch the Journeys, Work/Travel, and People Power shows.

Special thanks to Alastair McAlastair who MCed the event the entire evening without a break! Former host of Bob-TV, Alastair appears frequently at the local Yuk Yuks comedy club and other venues across North America.

June 20, 2009

The annual LiveWorkPlay Visioning Day and Pool Party 2009 drew a large crowd of 80 thanks in part to special guests Paul Melcher and Noreene Adam from Community Living Upper Ottawa Valley. Following early morning discussions about what LiveWorkPlay is doing and how well that is helping people realize their dreams. Noreene and Paul shared their stories from different perspectives of how their association made effective dramatic changes to make their work more supportive of individual hopes and dreams.