ISSUE 6 SEPTEMBER 2017 Leo Muzzatti lending a hand at a flood-soaked Several staff take a quick break to enjoy the décor at housing site. the country themed BBQ in August. FROM THE DIRECTOR OF SERVICE AND OPERATIONS IN THIS ISSUE . From the Director of Service 1. I would like to take the opportunity to The On-Call Manager and staff worked and Operations share my admiration for all of the people together to ensure families were notified that support the consumers we serve at and that the consumers had all of their 2. ALSO Celebrates at the ALSO. Even in the most difficult of essentials. Staff and consumers at Monarch Country Hoedown BBQ circumstances ALSO staff and Managers opened their doors so that one of the demonstrate their genuine care and women from Longfellow had a place to stay. 3. Softball a Homerun concern for the people we support. Understanding families picked up their loved ones and Joslin made sure they were offered For all of you at ALSO who have chosen to supports in their homes. Everyone worked 4. Wellness Boards devote your careers to supporting together despite the devastation to Windsor individuals to live a full life in the roads, homes and properties. 5. ACCESS Program community, I salute you. Our Attendant Service Workers and Facilitators at ALSO There were many who worked and helped 6. Walk ‘n Roll & 5k Run are dedicated, hardworking and skilled. that night and you all deserve a pat on the They have what is necessary to work in a back for a job well done. I do not want to 7. 5K Running diverse community. They are adaptable leave anyone out but to name a few Joslin and are able to perform even under Allen our On-Call Superhero, Susan Malanka extreme circumstances. at Longfellow who did an incredible job as 8. Chamber of Commerce the evacuation plan was enacted. Susan Due to the very nature of what we do made sure that all of the women at 9. Beyond Disabilities ALSO staff are required to travel to Longfellow had what they needed in order people’s homes. Sometimes this involves to evacuate. Neva Shaw and Jessica Raeside Recipe / Play List inclement weather. On August 29th 10. stayed later in order to ensure no one went Windsor was hit with a flood. In some without as staff were stranded and unable 11. Stroke Care areas the roads and streets were washed to report to work at Barcelona/Madrid. We out. Basements were flooded and cars at ALSO are one big family. I am proud of the were stranded. A few staff and Managers work that we all do each and every day. Our 12. Erie St. Clair LHIN who were commuting for work were staff are exceptional and it is evident by the unable to get to their destinations. The dedication and support that they offer 13. Crossword Puzzle assigned Manager On-Call was Joslin others. Our rewards come from knowing Allen. She became inundated with calls. that we enable people to live full and 14. Preventing Cervical Cancer Joslin made sure Senior Management was independent lives in the community. That kept up to date with the impact of the kind of empowerment is what keeps us 15. French Language Training flood. Managers and Leads were calling motivated to continue. Thank you and consumers to find out if they had an congratulations everyone! ALSO Profile emergency back up in place. Some staff 16. were rerouted. Six consumers at 17. ALSO PETS Longfellow had to evacuate. - Tina Beneteau Director of Service and Operations 18. Consumer Profile 19. Contact Us STAFF & CONSUMERS AT THE COUNTRY HOEDOWN BBQ In the spirit of the wild west, ALSO and the Social Recreation Committee hosted a country barbeque on Friday August 25 th for staff and consumers to enjoy. Following the success of July’s Canada Day Celebration, this barbeque was another hit with more than 100 attendees from across the organization. The event was held at our head office where hotdogs and hamburgers were served fresh off the grill. Those in attendance also enjoyed participating in games and competing for prizes. The games and photo prop areas were a huge hit, with some great laughs to be had with Mr. Ralph, a horse that was lent to us for the day. Festival tent sponsored one of our tents and volunteers helped cook at the event. ALSO’S STAFF SOFTBALL MATCH IS A HOMERUN On Saturday July 29 th the sun was shining and there was a beautiful breeze off the water at Mersea Park in Leamington. ALSO management and board teamed up for a friendly softball match against ALSO Attendant Service Workers and their significant others. This was the first time for such an event. Everyone was laughing and having a great time, even with some sore arms and a few pulled hamstrings! For some it had been many years since they had played softball, but everyone showed their skills and their spirit! The afternoon ended with burgers, hot dogs, wonderful local corn and cake. Thanks so much to everyone who came out and made the day a fabulous summer experience! Players: Jackie Bedard and Jim, Carole Chamney and Randy, Tabitha Curtis and Ryan, Liz Martin, Kelly Lalonde and Gerald, Joslin Allen and Craig, Reg Hart, Deb Groen, and Ali Coppola. Cheering Section: Tina Triolet and Tom, Karine Fantetti, Sue Labute, Kim Rappe and Chris, Tracey Crow, Lynn Calder and Barb Dwyer-Hart. Special Thanks to: Andrew Groen who served as catcher for both teams and umpire (mediator lol!), scorekeeper Sergio Mannina (it involved high numbers) and The Health and Safety Committee. The the Employee Wellness subcommittee did a great job organizing. Barb Dwyer–Hart, Jackie Bedard, Darlene Demars and Deb Groen handled promotion. Joslin Allen, Kim Rappe, Sue Labute and Liz Martin managed food (thanks for teaching us that you can cook corn in a cooler!). Michelle Russel took care of equipment and trophies. Everyone there “pitched” in with set up and clean up – we had everything we needed and more. Next year we will have shirts for everyone who plays and we are going to work with staff who are interested in participating to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to come out and join the fun. See you next year! - Lynn Calder Employee Wellness Boards Recently the Employee Wellness committee had an initiative that was brought to the management team to implement at the program sites. Front line staff were asked to work together in a team building exercise to create “Wellness Boards”. The boards were distributed to the staff with a small budget. The staff then were given “health” topics and asked to create a board. Each board that was submitted was judged by impartial judges, who did not know which staff or site had created the masterpieces. The Employee Wellness Boards were a tremendous success! The judges were impressed with each and every board, and how colourful and informative they were. It was obvious that the sites worked as teams and enjoyed the project. WELL DONE! The decision was not easy but this is what the judges determined: First Place: SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) – Team Heimathof Second Place: EXERCISE – Team Y-Res Third Place COLD & FLU PREVENTION – Team St. Luke Honourable Mention: Bullying – Team Cencourse, Healthy Eating - Team Longfellow Anxiety Awareness (Team Richelieu) CONGRATULATIONS to all who participated! ACCESS 2 CARD PROGRAM The award-winning Access 2 Program is a collaborative partnership between Easter Seals and over 500 movie theatres, cultural attractions, entertainment venues, and recreation facilities across Canada. Designed for people of all ages who have a permanent disability and require the assistance of a support person, the goal of the Access 2 Program is to improve social inclusion and provide access to entertainment, cultural and recreation opportunities and experiences without any added financial burden. When an Access 2 cardholder (the individual with the permanent disability) presents their valid Access 2 Card at any participating venue partner, their support person receives free admission; the cardholderinvaluable pays experience. regular admission. The staff at ALSO is incredibly welcoming, approachable and inspirational. From Since launching in 2004, the Access 2 Program has emerged as a national leader in promoting and administrative personnel to personal celebrating social inclusion amongst thesupport disability workers, community every in employee Canada. Justat as important, the Access 2 Program has also been at the forefront of raisingALSO awareness is willing about to mentorthe importance and guide of accessible spaces, equal opportunity, and working collaboratively to create a themore student inclus interns.ive, more From accessible their first Canada. day in the office, these students have had the opportunity to develop Applying for an Access 2 Card: essential skills, learn about business In order to successfully apply foroperations an Access and 2 Card contribute, you must to an have a permanent disability that necessitates extraordinary organization. the assistance of a support person. As part of the application process for new (first-time) applicants, you will be Regardless of how small one’s required to have an authorized healthcareinvolvement professio maynal seem,verify thatworking you haveat a permanent disability that requires you to have a support person. Please noteALSO that truly ther instillse is a thesmall principles administration of fee when applying for an Access 2 Card. The cost is $20 for a Card valid upteamwork to 3 year ands, or dedication. $30 for a CardEvery valid up to 5 years. employee works collectively to ensure that events, consumer services and Using the Access 2 Card: daily operations run smoothly and Simply present your valid Accessefficiently.