Volume 9 Issue 2 Summer 2013 TOBIAS HOUSE ATTENDANT CARE INC. The Beacon So Much To See and Do This Summer! What’s On This Summer Front When Torontonians are finally able to shed the layers of the long, cold Resource Centre 2 winter - which, let’s be honest, was not particularly long or cold this year - this city really comes alive. Practically every weekend from Victoria Day What’s On cont’d 3 to Labour Day has a festival, charity run, or street fair, with lots more hap- Tobias Faces 4 pening during the week besides. We’ve put together a somewhat random, Beacon Stories 5 by-no-means exhaustive list of things to see and do around town, with an Beacon Recipe 6 emphasis on events that are free and outdoors. Beacon Lifestyle 7 First up, outdoor movies. This is definitely a growth area in Toronto. Acknowledgements Back Open-air screenings seem to be everywhere, and are all free of charge. Why bother, in the age of Netflix? Why not? It’s different and fun! Don’t forget to bring snacks. City Cinema: Cult Classics - Yonge Dundas Square. Check for Mission Statement: times and listings. Tuesdays at dusk. ydsquare.ca To Create Opportunities For Free Flicks - Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queen’s Quay West. Independence And Choice of Lifestyle by Providing Innova- Wednesdays at dusk. harbourfrontcentre.com tive 24-Hour Personal Support TIFF In The Park - David Pecaut Square, King St. West, between Services for Individuals with Simcoe and John. Wednesdays at dusk. tiff.net Physical Disabilities. Christie Pitts Film Festival - Christie Pitts Park, Christie and Bloor Volunteer Board of Directors West, Sundays at 9. christiepittsff.com President: Stewart Davidson Ward 32 Movie Nights in the Park - various parks throughout Ward Vice President: Frances Mac- 32 Beaches/East York, including East Lynn, a couple of blocks east of Neil-Laflamme the Coxwell location. Various nights and times. Check Councillor Treasurer: Anna Marziliano Mary-Margaret McMahon’s website at councillormcmahon.com Secretary: David Meadows (Continued on page 2) Members at Large: Christie Ladner, Gaurav Marwaha, Neil Mercer, Chris- tene Rowntree, Andrew Tomcik Executive Director: Yona Frishman P a g e 2 Tobias house Tobias News - This Summer Cultural festivals and events are always a big hit, especially given the price of tickets for most concerts and shows. And a little light culture is great for a staycation. Nothing heavy duty. Perfect for summer. Dusk Dances - Dance performances in a park setting, just as the sun goes down. Pay-what-you-can. 7 pm, July 30-August 4. Withrow Park, south of Danforth, between Carlaw and Logan. duskdanc- es.ca Summerworks Festival - Theatre, music, and performance festival of a more artistically adventurous bent. $15. August 8-18. Over a dozen venues. Check website summerworks.ca Toronto Chinatown Festival - Vendors, performers, and a street fair. August 24-25. East side of Spadina Avenue, from Dundas to College Streets. Toronto International Film Festival - Hundreds of movies, dozens of stars, and countless paparaz- zi. Oh the glamour! Tickets can be bought in packages, or individually ($23.50), and there’s a whole process to getting them, so check their site early. September 5-15. tiff.net The Tobias House Resource Centre The Tobias House Resource Centre provides programs and services that support people’s independ- ence and complement the attendant care support they receive. We work with individuals so they can find solutions to the barriers they face in their daily lives. Programs we currently offer: The Barrier Free Access to Swimming Program provides attendant care support (Tobias House staff) to people with physical disabilities at four City of Toronto public pools. Support in the water is provided by Parks, Forestry and Recreation, the Birchmount Bluffs Neighborhood Centre, and the Scadding Court Community Centre. The program is offered in the fall, winter, and spring. The Tobias House Fitness Program provides one hour fitness classes weekly to consumers during selected periods throughout the year. The Tobias House Consumer Grant Fund enables consumers to cover costs associated with ac- cessing a wider range of extra-curricular activities, equipment and other quality of life expenses. Our Volunteer Program matches consumers with volunteers on a one on one basis. Currently, we have five consumer-volunteer matches. We also host workshops and information sessions. In the past we held sessions including on Ombuds- man Ontario, financial planning, accessible reading technologies and accessible travel. If you have any ideas please let us know. For more information on Resource Centre programs, activities and services contact us at 416- 690-8804. Looking for Volunteers Tobias House is looking for volunteers. If you enjoy working with individuals on a one on one basis, or if you have a great telephone manner, we need you. Please call Constantine at 416-690-8804. Volume 9 Issue 2 P a g e 3 Tobias News - This Summer Harbourfront Centre and Yonge Dundas Square have dozens of free events happening all sum- mer long. Check them out at harbourfrontcentre.ca and ydsquare.ca. Miscellaneous Because there’s always a miscellaneous. Use Your Words: Summer Workshops for Emerging Writers - Writing workshops led by es- tablished writers, for ages 16-30. Saturdays 2-4:30. Reference Library, 789 Yonge St. torontopub- liclibrary.ca Live Green Toronto Festival - Green street market, concerts, a CD/DVD/book swap, ecowheels zone, kids' activities and more. Saturday July 27. Yonge Dundas Square livegreentoronto.ca Pedestrian Sundays in Kensington Market - Music, street theatre, etc. on streets closed to traffic. Sundays July 28, August 25, September 29, October 27 College St. south to Dundas West, Spadina Ave. west to Bellevue Ave. pskensington.ca Canada Job Expo - Not exactly a “fun” event, but if you’re looking for a job, there are five free workshops available to all who attend. July 30. North York Memorial Hall, 5100 Yonge St., at North York Centre subway. canadajobexpo.com Fan Expo Sports Show - Pop culture convention featuring gaming, horror, sci-fi, anime and sports. $10/day, kids free, (*Does not include admission to Fan Expo Canada Comic-con Show. They’re $25-$50) August 22-25. Metro Toronto Convention Centre 225 Front Street West fanex- posports.com Toronto Garlic Festival - Everything garlic, which surprisingly includes a lot. $5. September 22. Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Ave., free shuttle from Broadview Station. torontogarlicfesti- val.ca The Big Five (Six, if you count Pride, which will already have happened by the time of publication.) These perennial favourites draw huge crowds every year. Huge! Toronto Caribbean Carnival (formerly Caribana) - A month of events, culminating in the big pa- rade on August 3. July 9-August 4. The parade runs along Lakeshore Blvd., from Exhibition Place, for 3.5 km. torontocaribbeancarnival.com 25th Annual Beaches Jazz Festival - All kinds of jazz, from big band to latin. Concerts at Wood- bine Park, Kew Beach, and Beach Boardwalk. Huge StreetFest closes Queen St. East from Wood- bine to Beech Ave. 7-11pm July 25-27. July 19-28 beachesjazz.com Taste of the Danforth - Festival of Greek culture and food, with live music and Kids’ Funzone. August 9-11. Danforth Ave. from Broadview to Jones. tasteofthedanforth.com Canadian National Exhibition - 134 years and counting. It’s not summer without The Ex: Band- shell concerts, parades, the Air Show, the Midway, and more. $16 adults, children/seniors $12, un- der 4 free. August 16-Sept. 4. Exhibition Place. theex.com Scotiabank Busker Fest - International street performers, in support of Epilepsy Toronto. PWYC (pass the hat). Noon to evening, August 22-25. Yonge from College to Queen. torontobusk- erfest.com Source: the internet P a g e 4 Tobias house Aside from the fact that they are both from Beacon Faces Coxwell, these two very different Beacon Faces share one thing. They both enjoy have somewhat unexpected interests. Theresa Arand is quiet and assuming, with a shy but ready smile. She lives with Peter Goss, her husband of twelve years. They met at the coffee shop just downstairs at Coxwell, set up by a friend, “on a date, kind of.” She likes to read (mostly mysteries), listen to music (all kinds), and go to movies, concerts, and walks in the neigh- bourhood. Having grown up in Stratford, Ontario, Theresa moved to Toronto, first to the Gage, and then Tobias House. She likes Toronto, although she’d like it more if some things were more acces- sible. One thing Theresa doesn’t like about Toronto is that there is only one accessible women’s shelter. A situation involving someone close to her made Theresa more aware of the plight of abused wom- en. She is looking to go back to school to study social work, hopefully at George Brown College, and eventually work in that field. As for that unexpected interest? It’s karaoke. Most people need a bit of encouragement to get up in front of a room full of people and sing. Not Theresa; she loves it. She once sang Wind Beneath My Wings at her brother’s wedding, and had the whole room in tears. And Peter proposed to her at a karaoke bar. Just shows you never can tell. Prati Khatiwada loves doing “weird and scary things”. One could even call her a bit of an adrenalin junkie. Zip- lining, mountain biking, roller-coasters, sky- diving…Things many people would be too scared to try, Prati does with barely a second thought. She loves the rush. Sky-diving, she says, was the “greatest single expe- rience” of her life. Shy and retiring is something you defi- nitely could not call her. Prati has been at Tobias (Coxwell) for eight years, and she loves it.