AQPA-Express - Association québécoise des personnes aphasiques

AQPA-Express
Information Bulletin
August 2011
A successful summer !
Dear friends,
Change is a part of life,
and here at the AQPA
we are no exception. In
this issue, we present
some of the people who
have been instrumental
in our success over the
last year.
Sadly, some are moving on to new adventures, while others are just joining our
team. We are pleased to welcome them
and are confident in their abilities to help
the AQPA continue to grow and flourish.
Computers and art have been at the
heart of our activities this summer. Our
computer lab has been equipped with
new computers and software. Sandrine
Picard and Vanessa Vaccaro have helped
more than thirty of our members through
the maze of communications software
and the internet.
More than 22 photography enthusiasts
participated in a six week workshop led
by Mylène Dion. Thanks to good weather, Mylène’s many talents and a host of
volunteers, a good time was had by all.
Creative inspiration was all around as
participants strolled through the Botanical Gardens, Angrignon Park, Old Montreal and Mount Royal. Congratulations
to all our apprentice photographers!
At the end of this issue, you will find our
call for support. Please take a moment
to read it through carefully. The quality of
the services we offer depends not only
on manpower, but on our financial resources as well. Any financial assistance
we receive is put directly towards activities. Two new projects are in the works:
hiring a social worker, and preparing our
30th anniversary celebration.
Louise Bourbonnais,
Executive Director
Association québécoise des personnes aphasiques www.aphasie.ca 514-277-5678
Grant from Outremont’s deputy
We were granted $ 3,000 from the discretionary fund of Outremont’s MNA
and Minister of Finance, Mr. Raymond
Bachand. With this money we were able
to purchase a large screen TV for our
workshops. The goal is for image communication to become part of our daily
routine at the AQPA.
Moving On…
Mylène Dion will be leaving
the AQPA in September, to study
Occupational Therapy at McGill
University. With warmth and kindness, Mylène welcomed all new
members and led a workshop focusing on the news and cognitive
games. She attended to volunteers, and introduced many to the
delicate nuances of home visits
and accompaniment for people
with aphasia. The photography
workshop during the summer was
also her initiative. She leaves us
with fond memories of her generous nature, always happy to help
others. We wish her a future full of
happiness.
Sarah Limoges left after her
internship in social service technology, to travel to Nova Scotia to
perfect her English. She received
the CEGEP Marie-Victorin Meritas
award for student involvement.
She volunteered at the information center for the Rogers Cup in
tennis at Uniprix Stadium. Since
2007, Sarah has been part of the
first Powerchair football team in
Quebec. This is a sport similar to
soccer, but exclusively for people
with disabilities who use an electric wheelchair. She was named
team captain, as well as one of
the two ambassadors from Quebec at the Powerchair Football
World Cup, to be held this fall in
France. We offer our best wishes
to Sarah in her studies at the University of Montreal.
Association québécoise des personnes aphasiques www.aphasie.ca 514-277-5678
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Moving on...
Contact with people with aphasia is
often an opportunity for young people to validate their career choices.
Sandrine Picard and Vanessa
Vaccaro animated the computer labs throughout the summer. In
September, Sandrine begins her
studies in Speech and Language
Pathology at Laval University, while
Vanessa will attend Concordia University to prepare for the same orientation. We wish them all the best in
their future endeavours.
...and newcomers
Anita Rouette was hired to replace
Mylène Dion as the Coordinator of Volunteer and Member Services. Anita has
a Master’s Degree in Education from
Concordia University, and has experience with community work, having been
a coordinator for many years. She was
integrated into our environment during
the summer, attending activities, getting
to know members, and generally learning the ropes.
Wendy Donston, a social work student
from McGill University, will be joining our
ranks in September. She will be supervised by Maureen Stafford, and her
internship will run until April. Wendy will
be present at the AQPA on Tuesdays and
Thursdays.
Darla Orchard is thankfully remaining
with us to train students in Speech and
Language Pathology from McGill University.
Speech Therapy interns from the University of Montreal will be coming to work
with us in early September. We look forward to this collaboration.
Wedding News
Our Administrative Coordinator, Audrée Bergeron, wed
David Llorens on June 25th in
Val David in the Laurentians. A
little over a hundred people attended the nuptials.
After a two week honeymoon,
Audrée returned fresh and ready
to tackle a new year. The newlyweds would like to thank members for the wonderful gift and all
of their good wishes.
Association québécoise des personnes aphasiques www.aphasie.ca 514-277-5678
3
Condolences
Paul Léveillé, a founding
member of the group in Dollarddes-Ormeaux, died on May 30th,
surrounded by his loved ones. A
member of the AQPA since 2008,
he quickly found his place as an
enthusiastic volunteer and stimulating participant in the conversation groups. His absence will be
painfully felt in DDO.
It is with deep sadness that we
share the sudden passing of
Jean-Paul Lebel, the warm
and leading voice of our choir.
Jean-Paul was awarded the Patrick Demers Prize for his volunteer involvement in the choir.
He attended all the concerts,
generously offering his time and
strength to help one and all. A
thoughtful and generous man,
Jean-Paul will be greatly missed.
Our sincerest condolences to
both families.
Choir News
On Sunday, May 29th, the “Aphasia
Choir” participated in a “Culture and Disability” training session, organized by the
Centre d’Étude Masque et Mouvement
inc. and Mohamed Ghoul, in partnership
with the Plateforme de la Jeune Création
Franco-Allemanden (Lyon) and SWW
München. The AQPA was honoured to
welcome several trainees and present
our activities. A few days later, the “Aphasia Choir” performed in public during the
Salon Prendre sa Place at Complexe
Desjardins.
Membership
Once again it’s time to renew your membership at the AQPA! At the low cost of
only $ 20 per year, a membership grants
you access to all regular activities as well
as the annual general meeting, where
you can take part in making decisions.
Please send your annual contribution by
mail, or deliver it in person to Audrée
Bergeron, who will be happy to see
you!
Association québécoise des personnes aphasiques www.aphasie.ca 514-277-5678
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Annual General Assembly
The AGM was preceded by two information sessions this year, one French and
one in English. This allowed members
to be well informed of the financial statements, budget and action plan at the time
of voting.
Pierre Lefebvre, Micheline DesRosiers, Marc Labrosse, Robert
Primeau and Jacques Robidoux
were re-elected in their administrative
roles.
From left to right:
Robert Robidoux, Micheline
DesRosiers, Pierre Lefebvre,
Marc Labrosse, Gérard Bricourt, Martial Boisvert.
Front from left to right:
Sandrine
Picard,
Audrée Bergeron, Mylène
Dion, Micheline DesRosiers, Louise Bourbonnais,
Darla Orchard, Danielle
Déry, Jacques Primeau and
Monique Sabourin.
Association québécoise des personnes aphasiques www.aphasie.ca 514-277-5678
5
Fall 2011 Scheduling
The activity schedule for the month of September can be found on page 8. See page
9 for the fall calendar or on our website
under the ‘’calendar’’ tab. Workshops will
begin September 7th for English groups,
and September 12th for French groups.
New Activities
Tuesday mornings:
Musical comedies and implementation of
the Small Choir.Come one, come all, to
watch musical comedies every Tuesday
morning from 9:30 to 11:30.
New singers are invited to join our “small
choir” to learn the repertory already familiar to our regular choir. This activity
will last one hour, from 11:30 to 12:30.
Make the most of this special time with
Christine Cantin, our choir director. The
regular choir will begin at 1:00pm.
Fridays:
Movie days. Mornings, from 10:00 to
12:00, screenings of films in French. Afternoons, from 1:00 to 3:00, screenings
of films in English.Have any movie suggestions? Let us know, we’d love to hear
them.
Computer workshops
Computer workshops will continue
throughout the year. In September, everyone will need to re-register according
to available time slots that will be posted
in the office and on our website.
Outside Artistic Activities
Individual art therapy sessions by
Esther Thibeault, from September 2011
to April 2012. Information: 438-391-7789.
Percussion group, led by Martin Ruel.
Information: 514-373-5577 or Daniel
Lepage at doinell@videotron.ca.
Aphasia Theatre:
www.theatreaphasique.org
Association québécoise des personnes aphasiques www.aphasie.ca 514-277-5678
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Call for Support
The Quebec Association of People with Aphasia is a non-profit organization. Its activities
are mainly funded by the Community Organization Support Program. Most of its animators are from institutions with which the AQPA has partnerships: the Center for Educational Resources and Teaching (CREP), the Greater Montreal School Board, the University Institute of Geriatrics of Montreal, the University of Montreal, and McGill University.
The generosity of our donors allows us to retain our human resources. We ask for your
help today in the hopes of hiring a social worker. Many of our members are isolated, with
no one to rely on in times of need. Others find it difficult to communicate with their relatives and fear the consequences of breaking ties.
A move, a change of address, legal problems, family or emotional breakdowns, looking
for a job, preparing or changing a will, power of attorney, and obtaining medication are
just some of the situations in which a person with aphasia needs assistance.
Therefore, the presence of a social worker is essential. This is why the fundraising campaign for this year is geared to collecting the salary needed to hire a social worker.
Help us make a difference.
I am making a donation of: :
25$
50$
100$
200$
Other:
I am making my donation by:
Cash
Cheque (issued to :Association
québécoise des personnes aphasiques)
Credit card
Expiration date :
Signature :
Last Name:
First Name:
Address:
City:
Postal Code:
Prov.:Phone:
Courriel:
I wish to receive via email:
my tax receipt
AQPA-Express
Online Donation
www.aphasie.ca/9/donation/en
A tax receipt will be issued shortly for donation of 15$ and more.
N° d’enregistrement: 8297 10757 RR0001