December 2014 - KW Habilitation

“A community where everyone belongs
and participates”
DECEMBER, 2014
“We are what
we
Repeatedly do.
Excellence
then,
is not an act,
but a habit.”
TAKING THE PLEDGE TO END BULLYING
Aristotle
Inside this
issue:
Magical
Moments
Faces of KW
Hab
Accreditation
News
AchievAbility
Campaign
KW Habilitation was the host for the 2014 Waterloo Region’s Community launch of
“Take the Pledge to End Bullying” leading up to anti-bullying week from November
17th to the 24th. CTV’s Randy Steinman officiated at the ceremony which involved
several dignitaries including Brenda Van Houtven from Parents for Community
Living, Emanuel Sandhu, three time men’s national figure skating Champion and
Olympian, Don Mumford, Regional Vice-President (Radio, Local TV and Bell Media)
and Police Chief Bryan Larkin. Two of the Kitchener Ranger hockey players stopped
by which thrilled everyone. After the speeches, everyone stood up to take the antibullying pledge. Cut outs of hands were signed and put on the pledge banner which
then decorated a city bus to raise people’s awareness and invite others to take the
pledge to end bullying. Various initiatives are occurring throughout the region within
schools, businesses and sport groups to stop bullying. CTV will be airing a number
of commercials on the problem of bullying which will star two people who attend The
Vibe. KW Habilitation urges everyone to take the pledge to end bullying at schools,
in the community, in sports, at home and at work. You can take the pledge at
www.thepledgetoendbullying.ca. Together we can affect change!
Magical Moments at KW Habilitation
Sometimes it only takes a Friend
A person at The Vibe was experiencing some difficulty
when his turn on the computer ended. In his disappointment and frustration, the young man began to disturb
others who were working. Despite staff’s attempt to
resolve the situation, this young man’s frustration was not
easing. All of a sudden, a peer of his came around the
corner. She was unaware of what was going on but could
tell he was upset. She calmly came up to this person and
invited him to come downstairs. He jumped up, hugged
her for her kindness and left on his own initiative. This
young man only needed a friend to find his own solution
and move on. It was a heartwarming moment.
Wishing Everyone a Safe a
Wonderful Holiday Season!
Celebrating an Accomplishment
Another person at The Vibe chose only to participate in a
few activities. With the support of staff he started branching out and trying new things. One afternoon he ran into a
staff’s office beaming with pride to show what he had just
made. It was a beautiful ornament for the Christmas tree.
Celebrating people’s accomplishments is one of the truly
magical moments one gets to experience every day at KW
Habilitation!
TOGETHER WE WILL. . .
Continually Learn
Be Accountable
Maintain Excellence
FACES OF KW HAB
“When you are
content to be simply
yourself and don’t
compare or compete,
everyone will respect
you.”
Lao Tzu
Emma Arnold came to KW Habilitation to attend the
Kinsmen Centre in 2001. She then moved to the David
Fisher Residence in 2004. Emma immigrated from
England and in September of 2010 she fulfilled her
dream of becoming a proud Canadian citizen. Emma is a
member of the Outspoken self-advocacy group, is an
avid bowler and attends the Friendship group faithfully.
She is a good leader, loyal, and compassionate. Emma
loves to dance and sing and, in her spare time, she also
enjoys reading and writing. Emma is very close to her
family and is an adoring aunt. Up for anything, Emma
delights in trying out new things.
Bonnie Ernest was originally hired by KW Hab in 1988 at
our Foxhunt home. After a few years she moved and
began to work for the London Association for Community
Living. Bonnie was rehired again in 1993 as a relief staff
with the Kilkerran homes. She began volunteering at the
Kinsmen Centre when her two boys were young and was
eventually hired full time. Bonnie sits on the Health and
Wellness Committee and is known for her caring,
conscientious and gentle manner. She enjoys cooking,
gardening, her dog & cat and going to her cottage in Point
Clark. As an organization, Bonnie appreciates that KW
Hab establishes warm and respectful relationships with its
employees — ”it feels just like a family”.
ACCREDITATION
When FOCUS Accreditation comes out in the spring of 2015 to complete the accreditation process, peer
validators will interview people associated with KW Habilitation to gather information about the agency and
its process for providing services to the people we support. One of the questions they will ask is, “What
issues or efforts has the organization initiated or backed to support improvements for people using
services?” A long list of accomplishments comes to mind including;
 Inviting people we support and their families in focus groups to develop our vision, mission and value
statements.
 Building a new, accessible building and establishing new opportunities for people attending The Vibe.
 Leading the region’s supports for preschoolers through our expanded Early Learning, Child Care and
Family Resources program.
 The development of KWH’s self-advocate committee “Outspoken” and supporting 12 self-advocates to go
to the annual Speaking Out conference in Port Elgin
 The development of the “Our Farm” initiative has provided opportunities for people to learn and volunteer
tending vegetable gardens and selling the produce.
 Hosted the area’s first Passport information fair for people and their families.
 Supported an annual Health and Wellness fair which is coming up to its 8th year.
 Involved in a university research project to promote person directed planning. A cartoon poster was
developed which used the story of a person within Employment Supports to educate others about the
benefits of person directed support and planning.
 Involved in the development of an Abuse Prevention Education course for people using services.
 Development of the PRISMS philosophy to enhance person directed services which came from the
Committee for Excellence.
 Hosted the regions Anti-Bullying campaign which involved TV and radio commercials to highlight specific
issues involving people with disabilities.
 Ongoing development and review of KWH’s policies and procedures to ensure legislation is being
adhered to.
 Board of Directors governance training and development of governing policies and procedures.
 Development of activities and learning opportunities through our Leg Up program.
 Development of The Studio program which supports our senior citizens.
 Ongoing training and development opportunities for staff members. This includes an annual staff retreat
that is completely organized by a staff committee and is unique to this field.
 The development of the agency Newsletter and Website to share agency news and information. This
provides an opportunity to celebrate our accomplishments and introduce people we support and staff to
the community through “The Faces of KW Hab”.
 Community partnerships with colleges and universities, other agencies and businesses. Our long time
partnership with the Kinsmen Club and KW Association for Community Living has enhanced our services
through financial support, home maintenance and participation on our board of directors.
 Celebrating - KW Hab hosts some of the best parties around! Our grand opening celebration involved
300 guests and community dignitaries. The people we support had so much fun touring visitors around
and showing off our new building that many wanted to do it again!
Over the next several months we will be highlighting some of the questions and standards expected from
FOCUS. Several town hall meetings are being planned in the new year to discuss the accreditation process
and how that affects our stakeholders. Stay tune for more information.
Please give to the KW Habilitation AchievAbility Campaign
WE ARE ALMOST THERE!
Thanks to many personal donations,
fundraising events, Trillium Foundation
grant and MCSS funds, we are 75% of
the way towards meeting our 5.4
million dollar AchievAbility goal! Your
continuing support is truly appreciated.
YOUR CONTRIBUTION WILL HELP
INSPIRE ABILITIES & ENRICH LIVES
Our new 21,000 sq. ft. location will form
the cornerstone of a vibrant, open
community, allowing for expansion of
services for children and adults we
support and their families:
 Expanded early learning (preschool)
services for children who have any
special need in the Region of
Waterloo
 A social cafe, teaching kitchen,
horticulture area, recreation and
meeting place for all
 Fully accessible and barrier-free
community hub with elevator
 Energy-efficient and ‘healthy’ green
building
 Construction completion April 2014
OUR GOAL
$5,400,000
$5,200,000
$5,000,000
$4,500,000
$4,000,000
$3,500,000
$3,000,000
$2,500,000
$2,000,000
Please make your donation today
by calling 519-744-6307 or online at
www.kwhab.ca/donate
Thank you for your generous support!
K W H A B I L I T AT I O N
Inspiring Abilities. Enriching Lives.
www.kwhab.ca
WE’VE MOVED!
99 Ottawa Street South
Kitchener, ON
N2G 3S8
Phone: 519-744-6307
Fax: 519-571-1629
E-mail: generalinquiries@kwhab.ca
“Together with families and the community,
K-W Habilitation provides services and
supports to create opportunities for people with
developmental disabilities to learn, work and live
in the community.”
KW Habilitation was incorporated in 1970 and provides a
wide variety of supports to approximately 1000 people with
developmental disabilities and their families in the
Kitchener-Waterloo area. This includes Early Learning,
Child Care and Family Resources, Residential, Respite,
as well as Community Participation and Employment
Supports. Check out our website for more information.