Happy Holidays and December Updates from LiveWorkPlay
THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY
LiveWorkPlay received more than $10,000 in donations in the first two weeks of December in addition to scheduled monthly and annual donations. Thank you!
Donor dollars make it possible for LiveWorkPlay to invest in more direct help for individuals with intellectual disabilities and to effectively advocate for more inclusive local, provincial and national communities!
They might not spend all that much time in the office together (we came close for this photo!) but the LiveWorkPlay full-time staff team has expanded and currently stands at 18 (including Allison and Grace who are on maternity leave). We won’t take up this newsletter explaining it all, but we did want you to be able to put names to faces, and if you want to understand everyone’s role, you can get the basics from our CONTACTS page. On behalf of the entire team we want to thank all of our members, partners, supporters, and funders for an incredible 2015, and with your help we promise to do our best to keep it going in 2016.
CHANGES IN OUR PROVINCE!
In recent weeks there have been some very significant announcements about support for the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in our province. While there has been a great deal of attention to employment issues, it is clear that a transformation is underway in all aspects of planning, supports, and services. 
It’s about homes, jobs, relationships, and taking part in the community alongside other citizens, rather than being separated or segregated in agency-owned housing or program environments.
LiveWorkPlay has a clear mandate to be on the leading edge of these changes. In 2016 we are planning to share more about the efforts we are making to support inclusive outcomes in housing and community engagement (recreation, sports, arts, culture, citizenship, and natural relationships).
In light of the current spotlight on employment, we recently celebrated exciting new jobs for members Ryan Nevitt and Tim Siebrasse at Elections Canada and Shopify! We also congratulate employment champion Mark Wafer on his receipt of an impressive international award!
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ALGONQUIN PR STUDENTS #MAKEABUZZ
LiveWorkPlay will be getting a lot of extra help with fundraising and awareness campaigns this spring! The #MakeABuzz team of first year Algonquin College Public Relations students entered into a friendly competition with nine other teams, each championing a charitable cause of their choosing. The energetic and creative LiveWorkPlay campaign featured everything from hard core presentations of facts and figures to a Bee Gees dance routine! Special thanks to member Melanie Manion (pictured, front) for participating in the successful final pitch. From here all the teams are joining together to take on different roles in developing events that are expected to take place in March.
THOSE WERE THE DAYS
It can be hard to keep up with days and weeks designated to celebrating causes or special events. Early December brings with it International Day of Persons with Disabilities,International Volunteer Day, and Giving Tuesday all in the same week! Click on the links above to find out how LiveWorkPlay participated in these commemorative celebrations.
We also received a very humbling and supportive note from a donor which you can read by clicking on the word art above.
FESTIVE FAMILY FEAST FAME
It might be a future trivia question! When was the first time a LiveWorkPlay Festive Family Feast attracted more than 200 guests? December 4, 2015! It was a wonderful night featuring holiday sweaters and hats of sometimes questionable style, but inside of those sweaters and under those hats we always found great people in good spirits! To add to the good memories David Keay presented a grant of $2000 from the Ontario REALTORS Care Foundation.
Please SAVE THE DATE the ONE BIG EVENT of the LiveWorkPlay year is booked for THURSDAY, MAY 12! This will be our new combined Recipe for Success and Engines of Success events. That’s right, no auction in April and no banquet in June, it’s all ONE GREAT NIGHT so don’t miss it! Registration will be available from the CALENDAR tab.
JOIN IN THE FUN
There has been a ton of recent activity on our Facebook page, so please join in that fun too! You can also follow @LiveWorkPlay on Twitter, and check out our channel on YouTube. Want to catch up on your LiveWorkPlay history? Don’t forget our 20th anniversary book!