Gold in our Midst
Our home page photo features athlete, proud paralympian and gold medal winner, Ryan. Ryan and five other players from the Whitby Steel Hawks sledge hockey team recently played their way to victory in the Ontario Paralympic Winter Championships. The local group joined players from across Eastern Ontario to win top honours at the paralympic games.
Read more about Ryan and his team's victory - including a detailed story from Durham's This Week newspaper - in the Our People section of our website.
Link of the Month
March is National Epilepsy Month and 2006 marks Epilepsy Canada's 40th year and Epilepsy Ontario's 50th. It only seems fitting, then, that we feature new epilepsy links on our website this month. To view these new resources, click here.
Please read our disclaimer for external websites.
53rd Annual Conference & General Meeting
It's the farthest north that Community Living Ontario has ever gone for their Annual Conference & General Meeting. This year's conference will be held in Sioux Lookout from Sept 13 - 16, 2006.
The theme of this year's conference will be the Spirit of the North: Catch the Dream. Session streams include:
- · The View from Here - Northern & First Nations' Perspectives
- Citizenship and Inclusion
- Dreams and Discovery - innovative ways to support people
- Making Connections - breaking down social, geographic and cultural barriers
For more information, visit Community Living Ontario's conference web page.
Poker Run a Snowy Success
Mother Nature cooperated to ensure that Community Living Kawartha Lake's first-ever Poker Run was a resounding success. At the end of February, 45 ATV riders and 25 snowmobilers (70 riders in total) braved the elements and rode through the largest single day's accumulation of snow this winter to support Community Living Kawartha Lakes.
Through the Poker Run, the community raised over $1,600 in support of our association. Rod Armstrong (shown here with Jaimie Nixon, event organizer and 45th Anniversary Coordinator) won the Poker Run with an awesome hand of four jacks. He went home with the prize of $750. Congratulations, Rod!
Thank you to everyone who came out to support our Poker Run and to the volunteers who assisted with the day's events. Special thanks to Jaimie, whose dedication and hard work ensured the success of this event from start to finish line!
We hope to repeat our achievement next year; be sure to check out our Coming Events pages when the snow flies in 2007 for news about our 2nd Annual Poker Run!
Strategic Plan Available On-line
We are pleased to announce that we have added the Strategic Plan to our website. Community Living staff members, board members, volunteers and community stakeholders put a great deal of time, effort and commitment into developing this new plan and it will give us a vision for the coming years. To read our plan, visit the About Us section of our website or click here.
On behalf of the Board and staff members of Community Living Kawartha Lakes, we'd like that thank everyone who participated in the strategic planning process. Your efforts are much appreciated!
ODSP in the News
Two recent editions of the Toronto Star featured important stories and an editorial about the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). If you or someone you know has a disability - and especially if you are the parent of a young person who will need to apply for ODSP in the coming years - we suggest you read these articles. (Reproduced with permission - Torstar Syndication Services.)
Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to access these PDF files. For a free download, click here.
Backlog in disability allowances under fire
By Kerry Gillespie, March 15, 2006
Province `to fix' disability backlog
By Kerry Gillespie, March 16, 2006
Red tape ensnares Ontario's disabled
Editorial, March 16, 2006
Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to access these PDF files.
For a free download, click here.
New Resource for Parents
Frontenac Youth Services is offering group support to the parents of young people (12 to 18) who have a dual diagnosis. (Dual diagnosis means having two diagnoses - one being a developmental delay and the other being a mental health disorder.) The group meets for 8 to 10 weeks, during which parents get together to relax, learn, share, and receive support with the challenges of raising a child with a dual diagnosis. The group will be topic-based from week to week, addressing the concerns presented by its members.
This group is run by Frontenac Youth Services, a non-profit, accredited Children's Mental Health Centre. Frontenac Youth Services has been serving the Durham Region since 1972 and offers a variety of children's mental health services.
If you are interested in attending or would like more information, please contact either Mark Veenstra (905) 579-1551 ext. 229 or Margaret Craw (905) 579-1551 ext. 224.
