Winter 2015 NEWSLETTER 2014-2015 BOARD OF DIRECTORS From the President and Executive Director Pres. Pam Coulthurst V.P.: Robert Majkut Treas.: Marilyn Atherton Betty Talbot Sue Doan “The secret of change is to Terry Sampson Elizabeth Majkut focus all of your energy not Tom Kilner on fighting the old, but on Sharon Shilz Exec. Director building the new” & Secretary: Maureen Brown ~ Socrates In This Issue PAM COULTHURST MAUREEN BROWN Stakeholder’s 2 We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and shared many Meeting Accessibility 2 memories and made new ones during the past Holiday Season. Statement With three months remaining in this fiscal year we have Speaking Out 3 many areas to complete work on. Our new Strategic Plan will be Conference available towards the end of January. I hope you all will help us to Bursaries Awarded 3 achieve our Goals and Vision for the next several years. Cynthia’s Hair Story 4 Joe Kissmann 4 he Ministry of Community and Social Services continues to T Returns to Cogeco allocate new funds to families and individuals. Hopefully this will Welcome 5 help to alleviate much of the stress and concerns you feel for your Fundraiser Pictures 6-11 family members. and Information We would also encourage all of you to view our new web AIM 12 site. We are very proud of it and hope you will find it to be very Membership 12 informative and useful. Application Thank you for your Community Living Fort Erie continues to look at a variety of support through the ways to move our Inclusion agenda forward. If you would like to Scotia Employee share your thoughts on any of the areas we are involved in, Volunteer Program. Through this it would be much appreciated. valuable program you Our Organization is only as good as it Members! have promoted the importance of volunteerism and We wish you all a prosperous New Year. All the best for 2015! demonstrated the power of corporate giving. Pam Coulthurst, Maureen Brown, President Executive Director Winter 2015 Page 2 On Thursday October 16th, 2014 over 80 people attended a Strategic Planning Session. Under the leadership and guidance of our Consultant, Paul Muldoon we broke into various groups, each dealing with a specific focus and a variety of areas that the Association needed input on in order to enter into our new Strategic Plan. Many excellent recommendations, suggestions and thoughts for future growth and development came from the evening. Paul has compiled all the information and it will be used to develop the Plan. Once it is completed it will be shared with all of our Stakeholders. We so much appreciated everyone taking the time to participate and share their thoughts and ideas on how we can improve our services and supports. ~ Accessibility Statement ~ Community Living ~ Fort Erie is committed to providing the best possible resources to minimize accessibility barriers. Accessibility is the extent to which a person can access a device, a service, a building or other various environments. Barriers to service are defined as but not limited to: • Structural barriers • Environmental barriers • Communication barriers • Attitudinal barriers • Financial barriers • Transportation barriers Should you encounter any such barriers, please contact: Jackie Sandelli at ☏ 905-871-6770 ext. 230 [email protected] Winter 2015 Page 3 The Speaking Out Conference for 2014 was held at the beautiful Unifor (CAW) Family Education Centre from October 17 -19, 2014 in Port Elgin, Ontario. Some Advocates In Motion (A.I.M.) members were lucky enough to attend. Each year, the strength of the event is clearly in the presentations self advocates deliver to each other...about rights, community inclusion, effective advocacy, and language. Public Speaking workshops give opportunity for self-confidence building. Great food and dancing to the Leask Brothers Band, Karaoke, and Paul the DJ have always added to the satisfaction of hosting and attending these events. When some of the members were asked what they will most remember they replied: “I really enjoyed listening to Justin Hines. He is a very powerful voice for ALL!!” Ste- ve Farkas “I learned that I have the right to get married. The dancing at night was my favourite!” Brandon McRae “It gave me a new perspective on life!! I really enjoyed meeting & getting to know the other advocates.” Bobbi Paonessa “I really enjoyed the conference & how I could be independent.” Candace Somerville Every year a student at our local High Schools receive a bursary. The graduating student must be from the Greater Fort Erie area. The student must exemplify our goal of “An Inclusive Community That Only Sees Abilities” The recipient may have been involved in volunteer activities with our organization or peer tutoring in their school Dalton Glover RCBHS Kate Bailey LSCHS Austin Anderson Fort Erie Secondary School We wish each of you the very best as you forward your education!! Winter 2015 Page 4 Cynthia Grant and her family decided it was time to give back to the community. She donated 12 inches of her beautiful wavy brown hair to Angel Hair an organization that provides wigs and hair loss solutions to financially disadvantaged children in Canada. After a two month hiatus, Joe is very pleased to be returning to his position as production assistant at Cogeco in Niagara Falls. Joe has decided to concentrate on the high energy demands of live television. It is a perfect fit for him to be involved with Kiwanis TV Bingo. This highly successful charity endeavor has been airing since 2002. Joe’s major responsibility is quality assurance. He is right in the thick of things in the studio during the live production on Sunday nights. “Sometimes it gets really intense …I have to keep my eyes open for any mistakes…that’s my job” says Kissmann. “The staff of Cogeco are all friendly, talented pros who expect the best of me. That’s why I’m always early” Joe has caught the broadcasting bug and plans to propose an idea for his own show in the future. Winter 2015 Page 5 New Student Placement: Welcome Christine! Christine Bogar joins our organization as a student placement through the Social Service Worker Program at Niagara College. Christine is a second year student, she will be graduating from the program in June 2015. She attended Ridgeway Crystal Beach High School and has lived in the Fort Erie community most of her life. Christine enjoys gardening, hiking and reading. We will be offering Christine a valuable placement opportunity with the people we support from January to April of 2015. We look forward and appreciate the skills that Christine brings to our organization! A Very Welcome “Buddy” CHRISTINE BOGAR Pam Gorham met Brandon at the Boys and Girl Club in Niagara Falls and a connection was made!! Pam came to Community Living Fort Erie through the volunteer program requesting the opportunity to spend more time with Brandon in hopes of developing a friendship. Pam attended Brock University and obtained her Bachelor Degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies. She also attended Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville Alabama for the Exercise Science and Wellness Program. Pam enjoys outdoor activities, sports, reading and going to the movies. She hope to pursue a career in Developmental Services! Please join me in welcoming Pam to the Community Living Fort Erie Volunteer Team!!! PAM GORHAM Making a Difference Through Volunteerism! Chris Wolfe met his Leisure Buddy in October when he visited one of our Residential Locations. Chris felt that there was a positive connection with the gentleman and knew that he wanted to make a difference in this gentleman's life through his volunteerism! His background in coaching basketball, love of sports and music made him a good match for a person we support with similar interests. We welcome Chris to our volunteer team and know that his passion to make a difference will truly be an asset to our organization! The membership form on the previous page can also be found on-line at CHRIS WOLFE http://www.clfe.ca/get-involved/become-a-member Winter 2015 Page 6 Winter 2015 Page 7 Violinist: Yuchen Xu pictured here with Sandy Annunziata Singer, Joe Green, pictured here with his parents. The Wushu Project wowed our guests with the Lion 尼亚加拉多元文化艺术团 Dance. Many of our guests commented on the Niagara Multi-Folk-Arts authenticity of the evening. Song & Dance Ensemble Over $15,000.00 was donated in prizes and services. We truly appreciate the generosity of our community and the support they show! Winter 2015 Page 8 A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR 2014 FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE. THEY WORKED VERY HARD TO ENSURE A WONDERFUL EVENING FOR OUR GUESTS & A SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISING EVENT! NEXT YEAR’S EVENT CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS IN ITALY WILL BE HELD NOVEMBER 21ST, 2015. Back Row (left to right): Sherry Houser, Andria Willick, Margaret Fidler (chair), Sandy Pedersen, Sandy Miskolczi, Lisa Glover, Linda Beach. Front Row: Pauline Wilson, Elena Polko, Dianna Hayslip and Sue Doan (lower front). Patterson Chrysler - Dodge - Jeep 527 Garrison Road, Fort Erie ON L2A 1N3 Phone: (905) 871-4461 * Fax: (905) 871-6080 Toll Free: 1-877-866-8770 Email: [email protected] Our 2014 “ Christmas Around the World Fundraiser” celebrating the “Chinese New Year” was held November 15th, 2014 and was a very successful event hosting over 300 guests and raising over $24,000.00 This evening would not be possible without the generosity of our Community Sponsors. Winter 2015 Page 9 Atrium Spa Lennox Financial Group Inc. Beatties Basics Office Supplies Lino’s Pizza & Beer Parlor Black Diamond Hair Studio Lococo’s Buffalo Sabres Maureen DeRose of Creative Supply Canadian Tire Nino D’Ambra Hair & Aesthetics Chakra Spa & Fitness Inc.