LiveWorkPlay News OCTOBER 2010 (Archived)
LiveWorkPlay News OCTOBER 2010 (Archived)
IN THIS ISSUE…
GET FESTIVE WITH A FEAST & NYE PARTY
LAST CHANCE FOR AL CONDELUCI NOV 20
PEOPLE FIRST ONTARIO CONFERENCE
FROM VOTER BOOTH TO OUT ON THE TOWN
THIS MONTH “IN THE NEWS”
WHISTLER REPORT: MOVING MOUNTAINS
YOUR SUPPORT APPRECIATED
GET FESTIVE WITH A FEAST & NYE PARTY
The excitement of November events will soon be over (see below) which means December is just around the corner! Sign up now for the December 10 Festive Family Feast and the LiveWorkPlay New Year’s Eve Dinner & Dance!
Both events include meals and are priced as low as they can go – these are not fundraisers, these events are all about community building w
ith our members, volunteers, staff, and families!
So sign up now for a great time at great prices and take advantage of earlybird pricing incentives!
LAST CHANCE FOR AL CONDELUCI NOV 20
Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity, register now! LiveWorkPlay is bringing one of the world’s top social capital researchers, presenters, and authors to Ottawa. Al Condeluci (PhD) will be here on Saturday, November 20, from 9-3 to talk about social capital and people with intellectual disabilities.
Condeluci’s presentation on Saturday 9-3 is for everyone (parents, workers, self-advocates, and others).
Built around the Condeluci presentation are opportunities for self-advocates (youth and adults with intellectual disabilities) to network and learn about People First. People First is an important movement by and for people with intellectual disabilities. There is a dinner and social forum on Friday night for self-advocates only.
More information and all of the registration options are at: http://social.liveworkplay.ca and the registration deadline is closing fast: November 15!
PEOPLE FIRST ONTARIO CONFERENCE
The People First of Ontario annual conference in Toronto presented a unique opportunity for four delegates supported by LiveWorkPlay to participate in what turned out to be one of the biggest events of its kind in som
e years, with sold out attendance of 160!
Jennifer Harris, Caroline Matte, Cooper Gage, and Moira Fuenzalida (pictured with People First legend Peter Park) participated actively in all aspects of the conference, including the election of board members and regional representatives.
This included a very active campaign for Eastern Regional representive. Nobody could quite remember the last time a delegate from Ottawa had been elected to this position, but that changed when Josee Varin
came out on top after a highly contested election with great speeches from passionate candidates. You can see how Cooper, Jennifer, Caroline, and Moira felt about the results by watching the video!
There were many serious issues discussed at the conference, from the picketing of people’s homes during strikes to restitution for survivors of Ontario’s mass institutions.
FROM VOTER BOOTH TO OUT ON THE TOWN
The citizens of Ottawa will electe their Mayor and 23 members of City Council on October 25! Sorting through it all can be difficult, and LiveWorkPlay once again helped its interested members prepare t
o exercise their democratic rights and participate in the election by making informed choices.
An election preparation evening was hosted at the C3 Centre on October 21. Those in attendance were supported to review two mayoral television debates and discuss key issues such as public transportation and affordable housing.
October was also a fun-filled month for youth and adult members alike!
It’s hard to keep up with all that youth members got up to, but based on the available photos and videos, it would certainly seem that a visit to Fun Junction was a highlight!
While youth members are supported to enjoy weekly pre-planned outings every Friday, adult members get support to do their own planning to organize and host social gatherings.
Ryan Nevitt recently hosted an evening at Buster’s, and as the photos clearly show, it was a night filled with bigtime smiles and laughs!
THIS MONTH “IN THE NEWS”
It was another busy month in the news! This included not only coverage of LiveWorkPlay, but also offering support to partner organizations such as the United Way of Ottawa and the C3 Centre.
What started out as a story about the United Way Community Builder Award turned into a much bigger feature in the New Edinburgh News with detailed story about LiveWorkPlay and its co-leaders.
Word is getting out about the C3 Centre (new home to LiveWorkPlay!) with one of the most recent examples bei
ng an interview on CFRA that helps explain what this new partnership is all about.
The longstanding LiveWorkPlay connection with Concordia University professor Ann Davidson resulted in yet another interesting opportunity for a LiveWorkPlay member. Caroline Matte’s artwork has graced the cover of the Journal on Developmental Disabilities (JoDD) and it sure looks great.
It’s not news yet, but we sure hope it will be: LiveWorkPlay has nominated MBNA Canada Bank for a Celebration of People award in recognition of the longstanding partnership for the competitive employment of people with intellectual disabilities!
The awards dinner is on December 2. If you are interested in attending and being seated with MBNA and LiveWorkPlay supporters, get in touch with Keenan asap! One table has been purchased for parents of LiveWorkPlay members who are employed at MBNA (click here to order tickets) but the more the merrier, just get in touch so additional tables can be organized if necessary.
WHISTLER REPORT: MOVING MOUNTAINS
The Moving Mountains conference October 22-24 was presented by Family Focus Society, the BC Association for Community Living (BCACL) and the Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL).
LiveWorkPlay co-leaders Julie Kingstone and Keenan Wellar were in attendance, and had a wonderful experience.
Some of the most inspiring presenters included John Lord (pictured) and David Wetherow, both of whom in their own way told important stories about embracing what communities have to offer, and breaking the addiction to focusing only on what systems have to offer. Lord also hosted the closing plenary with Audrey Cole, Jessica Humphrey, and Aimee Morry three mothers who shared hopeful messages about supporting their children to enjoy a good life.
Keenan was himself invited to present at the conference, and his Social Media for Social Change workshop drew a sold out audience of more than 100. The session was very well received, resulting in some impromptu testimonials (see video) with many connections made that will hopefully continue for many years to come. Next year’s conference is in Halifax!
It is United Way Ottawa/Centraide campaign season and this is a great time to contribute to LiveWorkPlay and any other charities that you support. You can download a United Way donation form that already has the LiveWorkPlay information included. The United Way supports LiveWorkPlay youth services!
We hope you have enjoyed this 34th 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.