What would you like to know about supporting Community Living Kawartha Lakes?
Why should I donate to Community Living Kawartha Lakes?
Ruth Sheppard of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Bobcaygeon Legion Br. 239 is presenting a cheque to Community Living representative, Nancy Salonius.
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Community Living Kawartha Lakes exists so that people with intellectual challenges and their families can achieve their personal goals and participate in the development of healthy, inclusive communities.
Community Living Kawartha Lakes is a charitable, not-for-profit organization (registered charitable number 107627366 RR0001). Although we receive some funding from the Ministry of Community and Social Services and other sources, we rely on the generosity of our donors to ensure that we can deliver the best of services and to address the growing need for our services. By supporting our association with your donation, you bring us closer to achieving our mission.
Click on any one of the images below to read about the people who are being helped by donors like you.
Donations of $10 and over are tax deductible and you will receive a receipt to include with your income taxes.
Questions? Please do not hesitate to get in touch by email or phone at (705) 328-0464.
What kinds of donation can I make to Community Living Kawartha Lakes?
We gratefully accept monetary and in-kind donations. Monetary donations can be made on a one-time basis or as often as you would like throughout the year. In-kind donations - the donation of items or services - are also gladly accepted although we ask that you contact us first to ensure that we can make good use of the item or services that you would like to donate.
Community Living Kawartha Lakes is a charitable, not-for-profit organization. All donations of $10 or more are tax deductible and you will receive a receipt to include with you income taxes. Receipts can also be arranged for in-kind donations; however, there must be an exchange of invoices and payment (which can then be signed back to Community Living) in order for us to be able to provide an income tax receipt.
Gift & Special Occasion Donations
A donation to support the work of Community Living Kawartha Lakes makes for a unique gift. Why not consider making a donation to our association in celebration of a special person or occasion - perhaps a birthday, anniversary or wedding? Think of us when you are putting together your Christmas list, too, when you're searching for a gift for that someone who has everything.
Receipts for gift donations are provided in the name of the donor. Acknowledgement cards are available upon request.
In Memoriam
Donations can also be made in the memory of a loved one. In memoriam acknowledgement cards are available upon request.
Wills & Bequests
We gratefully accept bequests. When preparing your will, be sure to include our full name, which is Community Living Kawartha Lakes.
Membership
For as little as $10, you can also support Community Living Kawartha Lakes by becoming a member. Click here for more information or to apply to join our association.
Donate Your Hbc Rewards
Now supporting Community Living is easier than ever. If you shop at any Hbc stores (The Bay, Zellers, Home Outfitters and DealsOutlet.ca) you can now donate your Hbc Rewards to Community Living. It's as easy as signing up for Hbc's Community Rewards Program and linking your points to ours. Once you have signed up, your points are donated to us directly each time that you shop.
The points that we collect from all of our Community Rewards Program members will allow us to purchase important items needed in the homes and offices where we are working to bring Community Living to life.
Signing Up
Visit the Hbc rewards website and click 'Donate to a Community Group' to link your card to ours. Once you have signed up, we will receive up to 50,000 bonus Hbc points for your enrollment, plus any points that you collect in the future.
If you cannot sign up via the internet, enrollment forms are also available at Hbc stores. Our Public ID number, which you must use in order to sign up your points with us, is 7038465. Be sure to have this number handy when you enroll in the Community Rewards Program. (And remember, in order to be involved in this program, you must first have an Hbc Rewards Card on which you collect points when you shop.)
Donate Even More
Once you have signed up, and use your Hbc Rewards Card and Hbc credit card together, you can earn 50% more points in support of Community Living. Just remember, you have to sign up first so that your points can be donated to us. You can earn points at any Hbc stores (The Bay, Zellers, Home Outfitters and DealsOutlet.ca).
You can also donate more points to Community Living by using your card with Hbc's Rewards partners - Esso, Thrify, Hbc Rewards Long Distance, Travelodge and CIBC Hbc Rewards Mortgage.
Spread the Word
Please help us to spread the word about this unique opportunity to support Community Living Kawartha Lakes. And thank you for making a difference in our community.
Questions? Please do not hesitate to get in touch by email or phone at (705) 328-0464.
Our Donation Form
If you would like to make a donation to support our work, please fill in our Donation Form. Once the form is completed, you can either:
A) Submit it to us (by clicking on the Submit Donation Form button) and then send your donation by mail (we will know that it is coming because you have submitted the form)
OR
B) Print out the completed form (by clicking on PRINT command in your internet browser) and send the printed version along with your donation.
Please send your donation (in the form of cheque or money order - please do not send cash by mail) to:
Community Living Kawartha Lakes
33 Lindsay St. S
Lindsay, Ontario
K9V 2L9
Online donations to Community Living Kawartha Lakes are not available at this time. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Cash donations (as well as by cheque and money order) are gratefully accepted in person at the Community Living Kawartha Lakes office, located at 33 Lindsay Street South in Lindsay.
Carl
By Kevin Donovan, Toronto Star Journalist
There's an easy banter between John and Carl, the banter of good friends.
It's been like that for six years, a relationship in the true sense of community living. "For me, the rewards are tenfold," says John, 48. A busy sales representative for a pet food company, John volunteers his time as a pal to Carl, 53. "I've learned a lot from Carl. He's taught me that you can have a whole lot of fun doing community outreach. He's such a great guy, and he's got such a great sense of humour that we always have a riot."
"It's just wonderful!" says Carl. "It's great! We do coffee, go to the park and feed the birds, visit family, watch the Leafs lose!"
As waiting lists for more traditional service in community living continue to grow in Ontario, the special bond between people like John and Carl is becoming increasingly important. Carl lives with two other men. They receive 8 hours a day of support at their home. An interesting and outgoing man, Carl's outings with John are a key part of his weekly routine.
There are no set hours for getting together, although Wednesday evening is a favourite time. For Carl, who lived with his mother until she passed away, John is somebody to look up to. They take day trips from time to time, visiting John's family out of town. Carl has even gone to funerals with John, bringing along his own special brand of sunshine.
"Carl just has a way of making people feel good, especially in difficult situations," says John.
The two met each other through the Community Living, which matches volunteers with individuals with intellectual disabilities. They were introduced at Halloween. John brought Carl a pumpkin and they've been friends ever since.
Similar programs exist across the province. The goal of the program is to help people forge lasting friendships and to promote inclusion in the community. Volunteers are asked to spend at least 4 hours a month with an individual.
For John, who is married without children, spending time with Carl "helps me get in touch with my inner child."
For Carl, it is a chance to spend some time with a good friend. They have a great deal to discuss and topics can range from Carl's issues with his recently adopted cat, Tiger ("Tiger follows me everywhere, even into the bathroom," says Carl), to better ways for Carl to communicate, to discussions about sports and the Toronto Maple Leaf's chances of winning the Stanley Cup.
"It's a really nice experience," says John. "I highly recommend it."
Danyelle
By Richard Ouzounian
Playwright, theatre critic and Host of CBC Radio's Say It With Music
Danyelle has a beautiful smile, doesn't she?
She looks like the kind of girl who has a rich and full life with lots to do and plenty of people who care about her - like her good friend, Abby. Sure, Danyelle has Down syndrome, but this 7 year old is living life to the fullest, thanks to a devoted family and the help of Community Living.
Danyelle learns in a safe and productive environment, where she is part of a fully integrated grade one class in the Catholic Separate School Board. Thanks to Community Living, her parents enjoy the benefits of respite care and home service, as well as an awareness of all the numerous activities available to them. Danyelle and her family love the outdoor life, and camping. Biking and hiking are a major part of their lives.
Young Danyelle is also a real winner when it comes to feeding chipmunks, but come on, could you resist that smile?
My son Michael, 13, is intellectually disabled too, and my wife, daughter and I understand very well how lonely and all consuming dealing with a child with special needs can be. But Community Living has made a major difference in our lives, showing us where to look for help and support and advising us on the educational choices to make that will be best for Michael and for all of us.
Community Living is an organization that truly lives up to its name. Its major concern is to enable and empower all individuals with special needs, regardless of age or challenge, to be able to take their place in the vibrant and varied community of which we're all a part.
And "living" is the second part of the picture. People like Danyelle, my Michael, and all the other unique and beautiful children out there deserve as complete a life as we can give them. If they want to participate in sports, learn a trade, express themselves through the arts, or just sharpen up their chipmunk feeding skills, Community Living will help show them the way.
Maybe one day all special needs children will have as much reason to smile as Danyelle. Community Living wants them to, and so do I.
Graham
By Betty Jane Wylie
Playwright and author
"What are you going to be when you grow up?"
This question is in the mind of every young person I know, including my own grandchildren, but it's crucial to someone who has an intellectual disability. It was the cause of real stress in my son Matthew's young adulthood, this uncertainty, plus a need, in his case, to make his late father proud of him. How your heart goes out to all of these people, how much you want to protect them, teach them, help them to find their way to a place in adult society. They need guidance but especially, they need a mentor and a friend.
Graham, 20 and in his 2nd last year of high school, has been fortunate to find both in one person - Ted. With the help of Community Living, Graham is finding his way, trying out a few things and gaining some work skills before graduation - and Ted is there to help him with all three challenges.
As part of his high school co op placement, Graham works at Special Olympics two days a week and in the Community Living office every Wednesday. Ted coaches him and helps him to explore. Graham is finding valid work experiences in the office while the co op placement at Special Olympics makes him feel that he is contributing vital assistance to a cause that is dear to his heart.
It's the best way to make a friend, working side by side, with opportunities for hanging out, coffee conversations and a natural give and take in an easy, focused relationship. This progression is something we take for granted until we see that it doesn't always occur. Nor can it be legislated. Hanging out doesn't just happen. Sometimes friendship has to be learned.
I am so grateful for the friends that my son has made at work and at home he lives in his own apartment with a roommate in a supported independent living program run by Community Living. He is proof that life can be lived with meaning and zest. Living life and living proof!
Kurt
By Michael Enright
Host of CBC Radio's "This Morning - Sunday Edition"
Community Living is Living Life.
Confidence to a child is like the engine in a high performance car it energizes them, motivates them, carries them as far as their dreams and their potential will allow. It is no different for children with intellectual disabilities. They have the same yearnings to do, as well as be, as other children.
Take Kurt for example. He is 12 years old. You can tell from his flashing smile and the light in his eyes that he is eager for new experiences, new people - indeed, new worlds. Kurt has cerebral palsy and an intellectual disability. He is non verbal. But he is an excellent swimmer - he can do the back float and stand on his own in the water. With a bit of help he can dance and play catch. He enjoys going to school and summer camp and is eager to make friends whenever and wherever he can… just like other kids.
Everything in Kurt's life can be seen as a challenge or an opportunity. Or both. Because of his disability, Kurt has problems with communication. His parents, Jane and Greg, are always there trying different methods to enhance their son's life sign language, pictures and most recently, computers. For all their love and attention, Jan and Greg can find their toils frustrating and exhausting.
For parents of an intellectually challenged child, fatigue is the great enemy. You can almost see it around the corners of their eyes. Or the way their shoulders are set, slightly hunched. Every bit of energy they can muster is consumed in the care, love and attention they devote to their child. To help parents like Jane and Greg - and of course, Kurt - there is Community Living respite care. Through Community Living, Kurt connected with a host family seven years ago. He visits the family about once a month for a weekend stay. Over the years he has grown with their children and become a real part of the family. This has not only provided Kurt's parents with the relief they need to carry on, but has given Kurt the chance to build his confidence and overcome the daily challenges he faces. His parents have noticed significant development in Kurt's confidence and abilities over the last six years.
With the support of his family, his host caregivers and the respite care of Community Living respite programs, Kurt's confidence pushes him to new things and a new sense of independence. And really that's what it's all about exploiting potential, restoring confidence and opening up new worlds for Kurt. He lives his life one day at a time in the confidence of his family, his support and his community.
And with every new thing Kurt learns, he gives something back. In fact, Kurt - and children like him - has something to teach all of us. But to do it alone runs from the difficult to the impossible.
Which is why Community Living and the philosophy that underpins it is so important. And which is why it is important for Kurt and his parents to know they are not alone. That's what the spirit of community is all about.
