special-needs services now under one roof

Published by Community Living Huronia / Sponsored by Community Living Huronia Foundation
June 2007
SPECIAL-NEEDS SERVICES NOW UNDER ONE ROOF
BY KIM HOGGINS, THE MIRROR
“Putting On The Final Touches”
Paul Hennig, centre, and his wife Maryanne (not pictured), of Horizon Wireless
Networks have made a significant in-kind donation of $11,360 to the One Roof
Centre at 230 Aberdeen Blvd. (pictured at right).
Seen here accepting the cheque are Executive Director of Community Living
Huronia, Tony Vipond, left, and Eric Rothwell, Past-President of the Board of
Directors.
Cont’d on Page 2
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Very recently I was treated to a presentation
highlighting the exciting plans for renewal and
enhancement at our Olive Street centre. We have a
dedicated and skilled staff and now, plans are
underway to make their working environment
fresher, more exciting and more usable. Of course
the transformation at Olive Street is not really done
for the staff – it is done for the people we serve.
It will result in greater opportunities for learning and for fun, with
calming areas, and areas that will promote interest and social
interaction. I am excited by the possibilities. Change, even very
positive change like this, can often cause temporary discomfort and
because of that, we often shy away from it. I urge everyone to
embrace the possibilities this redesign will make possible. Approached
with a spirit of adventure and optimism, the inevitable bumps in the
road will seem less jarring. I urge all of us - staff, managers, the
people, volunteers and parents to learn as much as we can about the
renewal process and to put our weight and enthusiasm into making it
happen in the best possible way. In a year or so we will be able to look
back with immense pride at what we have accomplished together.
We have grown. In the last couple of years, by all measures, CLH has
doubled in size. Community Living Huronia has taken leadership roles
in video conferencing, networks and, partnerships with the Ministry of
Health. These are all huge endeavours that have impacts far beyond
our home area of Huronia. These initiatives, combined with the
redesigns of our Olive Street building and the way we organize the
delivery of our services will keep Community Living Huronia at the
forefront in providing quality experiences for people. To remain
healthy, our organization will never stay the same – we will continue to
evolve along with the society we live in.
Part of society’s evolution has been the closure of the institutions. It is
heartening to see the resources of government being focused on
serving people in their local communities. We all know it is the right
thing to do and we all have a duty to remind politicians, when needed,
that the old days of sending people great distances to live isolated lives
is over. Change is so good – and now we have the opportunity,
working together, to make the most of it!
FROM THE DESK OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The Redesign process, which is all about supports offered by CLH, is well on its way. The next steps will include some changes to the program area at 339 Olive
Street. During the last week of July, we will commence renovations on the Life Skills kitchen, dining room
area and the larger program area. Shortly afterwards additional space will be freed up and made ready
to welcome the Downtown Centre group to 339 Olive
Street.
CLH’s first annual “Community Living In Blooms” is well underway. The
response from individuals supported by CLH, staff and volunteers has
been tremendous. Judging will take place on August 8th and 9th. The fall
edition of The Pulse will feature some of the best gardens.
The new building at 230 Aberdeen is now up and running. While everyone has moved in, the official open house will be held during the month of
September.
The One Roof portion of the building is designed to support children with
special needs in the area. Partners include the Children’s Treatment
Network, Catulpa, Mikey’s Place for Autism, Simcoe Community Services’
Infant Development Program, CAP C, CLH Resource Teacher Program
with Soldier’s Memorial Hospital and Royal Victoria Hospital providing
clinical resources.
The Network for Specialized Care, the Central Region’s Video
Conferencing initiative, York Simcoe Behaviour Management Services
and Catulpa’s Adult Program is housed in another part of the building.
Video Conferencing is available to all our partners. This is an exciting
opportunity for the families and agencies working together to support
children and adults with exceptionalities.
Ken Thompson
Cont’d from Front Page—Excerpted from The Mirror April 28th, 2007—By Kim Hoggins
Eric Rothwell knows the frustration parents feel when trying to access services for their children with special needs.
Although his son is now 36, he remembers how overwhelming it can be to have a young child with developmental delays.
“There was nothing for us in those days,” he told The Mirror. “We basically were told that our child had problems and the doctor’s advice was to put
him away and forget him, which is what they used to do.”
His son, Michael, was the last person to go into the Huronia Regional Centre (HRC) in Orillia but was moved into a group home operated by
Community Living Huronia, as part of HRC’s move to close its doors by 2009. Although he is doing well, he is still limited in what he can do and needs 24 hour
assistance.
For this reason and many others, Rothwell is excited that the One Roof Treatment Centre Is now open in Midland.
The centre will bring together a number of services for children with special needs and their families, as well as house the administrative
offices of the Central East Network of Specialized Care for Adults.
Involved partners include Children’s Treatment Network of Simcoe County, Behaviour Management Services—York Simcoe, Catulpa Child and Family Services, Community Action Program for Children (CAPC), Preschool Services of Community Living Hurona, Occupational and Physiotherapy Services of
Royal Victoria and Soldier’s Memorial Hospitals, Infant Development of Simcoe Community Services and Mikey’s Place for Autism.
“Families that need the supports that we provide here may have, historically, had to travel to Orillia, Barrie or wherever,” said executive director
Tony Vipond. “They will no longer have to. Many of our families don’t have the resources to travel out of town so, this allows them the access to quality
care and specialists they need under one roof.”
Vipond and Sue Neilon, resource teacher supervisor with Community Living Huronia, credit the community for its strong support.
Vipond points to Paul and Maryanne Hennig of Huronia Wireless Networks in Barrie as a community-minded people who have helped the treatment
centre with an in-kind donation of almost $12,000 by providing telephone and computer wiring and equipment for the site.
“I believe in the common roof theory and what they have done,” said Paul, who also made a similar donation to the Barrie Common Roof project. “I
heard they were going to do one in Midland. I think it’s a great idea. Some of these organizations I’ve hooked up over the years have been renting at various
locations. It’s nice to have them under one roof so they can consolidate that and save costs, as well as put more programs out into the community.”
An official open house will take place for the community once the exterior of the building and the landscaping is completed later in the spring.
2
Midland Area Reading Council (MARC) held their 25th
Anniversary Annual Meeting on May 10th at the Midland Legion
and several people supported by Community Living Huronia
(CLH) were recognized in various ways.
Alison Vallance (MARC Volunteer) &
Jenny Leitch
Jenny received her Certificate for
completing Laubach Way To Reading
Skill Book 4
Receptionists/Greeters (from left to right), Andy Larocque,
Bob Marcellus, Jenny Leitch, Anne Dunlop, Cora Eisenfeller &
(in front) Margaret Tynan shown here along with Volunteer
Greeter Jane Hallyburton, graduated from a 4 week computer
course taught by Jennifer Ellis, Midland Area Reading
Council.
The group learned basic Word & Outlook in a Windows
environment.
The team of greeters showed off the
certificates obtained for their achievement.
June Pedwell & Jennifer Ellis,
Program Coordinator/Instructor
(MARC)
June received a Certificate for
completing 100+ Hours of Upgrading
at MARC in 2006/2007
Florida Trip 2007
th
We started our trip on Friday April 20 , at 6:00 a.m. in the morning .We all met at Community Living Huronia and we all got into the Simcoe
County Airport service and then we drove down to Toronto to the Airport.
We got on the plane we and we flew to Florida. When we got there we were all tired, so we just stayed at the hotel and just ordered pizza in.
Saturday we stayed at the hotel, some went shopping and the rest stayed at the hotel and went swimming. Later on Saturday night we all
went out to this place down the road to Old Town for supper and went for a walk around.
Sunday some went to Magic Kingdom for the afternoon and stayed to watch the fire works after. Monday we all went to MGM Studios for the
day. On Tuesday the group that stayed back on Sunday went to Magic Kingdom. The rest stayed back and went shopping and then went out
for dinner. Wednesday some people went over to Animal Kingdom for the afternoon, saw a few plays, a parade, we got our hats signed by
Mickey Mouse then we went and picked up supper for the rest of the people at the hotel. After dinner we all just met up at the pool and went
for a swim. On Thursday, the group that stayed at the hotel on Wednesday went to Animal Kingdom for the day. The rest stayed at the
hotel, went shopping and then came back for lunch and spent the afternoon at the pool. Thursday night we all went back to Old Town where
we had supper, met some very nice bikers who let us sit on their bikes and Sandra Baker went for a ride on one.
Friday we got up in the morning, got all packed up and then some people went
with Sandra to take the rental van back.
The rest traveled with Darlene and Richard in the van back to the Airport, we all
met up there and got on the plane and came home. At this point I would like to
thank the staff that took us to Florida, Darlene, Linda, Richard and Sandra, for
their time and the staff back at home who helped make this trip possible. I know it
was a dream come true for everyone that got to go on the trip.
Margaret Tynan, Receptionist & Florida Tripper
3
Bryson McQuirter with McDonald’s Staff
A GIFT TO THE
COMMUNITY LIVING HURONIA FOUNDATION
Enclosed is a gift of $ ___________ from:
Tom Kayser serving a Customer
McHappy Day raised $6,000 locally from the
Elmvale, Hwy. 93 and Walmart locations of
McDonald’s for the CLH Summer Teen Camp.
Thank you to everyone from the surrounding
communities for supporting McHappy Day.
Special thanks are extended to Mark & Carol
Cruden and Yvette Dusome for all your support!
4
Name:
Address:
City:
Postal Code:
Official Tax Receipt will be provided
Please make your cheque payable to the:
Community Living Huronia Foundation
and forward to: 339 Olive Street, Midland, Ontario L4R 2R4
If this is a memorial donation please complete the following:
Name of Deceased:
The next of kin will be notified with a sympathy card, informing
them of your kind gift (amount of gift is not divulged):
Name:
WELCOME
Linda Bruce – Videoconferencing Coordinator
Network of Specialized Care,
Central East Region
The Ministry of Community & Social Services identified a
need to provide better services and supports to people with a
developmental disability and a mental health illness and/or
challenging behaviours. Thus, the Community Networks of
Specialized Care were developed.
The first year of the Central East Network of Specialized Care
(Simcoe County, York Region, Durham Region and
Haliburton, Kawartha Lakes, Pineridge Region) has been an
exciting and challenging one. The motivation to provide
needed supports to individuals and their families in their home
community, whenever possible, has been strong. Our
challenge is to work together to make this happen.
Some of our projects in the first year are:
• New specialized transitional treatment beds giving us a
total of 17 (in four homes throughout Central East Region)
to assist people to go back to their home community with
some clear treatment recommendations
• 4 of the 17 beds have been assigned to individuals who
have been in either the Mental Health Centre,
Penetanguishene or Whitby Mental Health Centre for
long periods of time when they no longer need to be
there. This is the first step in moving them back to their
home communities.
• A review of the research to develop some new research
projects for this population, that can be applied to help us
to understand and better support individuals
• Specialized case management – intensive support for
people who are involved with the criminal justice system
• Development of a training curriculum for front-line staff
who are supporting people with complex needs
• Crisis Response Network – short term management of
crises for any adults with a developmental disability – that
is just in the process of being launched throughout
Central East Region
• Videoconferencing – an exciting new tool to support
clinical services, training opportunities and even
meetings.
Linda Bruce has enjoyed an
interesting career path. As a young
adult her interest in children and
youth led to employment a Browndale/
Kinark where she spent 14 years,
most of them in the specialized
education programs. A quick curve
and
Linda
became constituency
assistant to a Member of Provincial Parliament where Linda
was able to work as a community advocate. Another turn
down the path led to the private sector and positions in
vocational and employment counseling, team
leadership
and partnership development. For the last five years before
joining CLH, her career path led to Staff Education and
Telehealth Coordinator at the Mental Health Centre in
Penetanguishene where telehealth and video-conferencing
was an exciting part of her day. Part-time teaching positions
at Georgian College and Seneca College help to fill any free
time.
Linda’s zest for learning was nurtured at Humber College
where she studied Social Work. A BA in psychology was later
earned at the University of Waterloo. Next, Linda’s ongoing
workplace related learning, earned her a number of
professional certifications, including the Certified Training and
Development Practitioner and Accredited Municipal Clerk
Treasurer – which was useful in her work as MPP’s assistant.
Other certifications include, Life Skills Coach, Registered
Rehabilitation Professional and Certified Vocational Evaluator.
Formal academic learning continued with the Master of Arts
in Adult Education program at Central Michigan University and
currently the M.Ed program at Memorial University.
Linda’s present volunteer work includes being a founding
member and chapter leader in the Simcoe County Chapter of
the Canadian Society for Training and Development. Previous
volunteer commitments included acting on the Board of
Directors of “Mending Fences” (Orillia area Community
Mediation Imitative), the Midland Toy Library and the Family
Playhouse (now the Ontario Early Years Centre).
Linda has two teenaged children, Matt (18) & Meg (15).
The members of the Central East Network of Specialized
Care are committed to continuing the work to continually
improve our support to people with specialized needs, and
their families. They are truly meeting the goals of the Ministry
of Community & Social Services by the work that has been
accomplished even within the span of one year.
Fay Towns, Regional Co-ordinator
Network of Specialized Care
Welcome Linda!
5
FONDLY REMEMBERED—MY DOG KIM
(Who Passed Away May 9, 2007)
Shelly Tremblay
My dog Kim was a Golden Lab. I had her for 12 years.
She was a good companion and kept me company in my
house. She was my best friend. I used to take Kim
everywhere with me and she would come fishing with me.
She really liked the water. Kim would always want to play
ball and was always happy to see people when they
came to the house to visit.
Once I was in the hospital for 4
weeks and when I got home Kim was
so happy to see me, she was
wagging her tail, jumping up and
down and giving me a lot of kisses.
Kim was the very best friend I could
ever ask for, she kept me company
and was very loveable. Kim made
every day a good day.
Raymond Quesnelle
Raymond & Kim
WHAT IS A COMMUNITY KITCHEN?
A Community Kitchen is a group of people who cook food together. They are a great way for people of all ages to
improve food skills, including meal planning, shopping and cooking. CLH’s Community Kitchen was held over a 5
month period from January to May and 12 individuals participated.
Participants learned economical and safe ways of cooking, experimented with new recipes, socialized and created
nutritious meals to take home. Each month participants cooked and shared a meal together and took two (2) meals
home.
Some comments from the Community Kitchen that just finished meeting...
" I like peeling the potatoes" Vern
" I learned to cook better" Karen
" I enjoyed making desserts" Cindy
Thanks to our wonderful volunteers for making this program happen !!
Anne Maher, Joan Henry, Marg deJong, Jessie deJong and Grace Holtforster
Nancy’s Niagara Falls Trip
On Friday, June 1, 2007, I celebrated my 5 year smoke free anniversary. I went to Niagara Falls with Jane to celebrate.
I stayed overnight at a motel and went to see the fireworks. I also stayed up until 10:30 p.m. My boyfriend gave me a Harvey’s
coupon which I used while I was there and I also ate at Kelsey’s and had a beer on the patio.
I bought gifts for my family and my boyfriend at the gift shops I visited. We went down to look at the
falls and took lots of pictures. It was very pretty. I had fun and a great time. I would like to go again
next year.
Nancy Brown
6
The Three Musketeers
I would like to tell you about the three amazing guys that live
together at their new home.
Tim moved into his new home over a year ago
and before that he lived at HRC. Tim loves
spending time outdoors, whether that is going for
picnics or a nice long walk at the Wye Marsh. He
is always ready to go. Tim is also an avid
shopper, often adding many different things to the
cart; it’s always a surprise at check out time.
Tim loves music and a bath just would not be the same without a
chorus of “Wheels on the Bus”. During the day you will often
find Tim clapping his hands and stomping his feet to the 50’s &
60’s oldies. We cannot forget Tim’s all time favourite thing to do
– it is to go for a nice long van ride with his can of pop.
Todd moved into his new home almost a year ago.
Todd is a very helpful guy to have around the
house. He also enjoys being outdoors working in
the garden, cutting the grass and raking. Todd
volunteers one day a week at a local school doing
the shopping for their breakfast club. Todd really
loves going to his woodworking day where he builds beautiful
birdfeeders.
Todd really loves old shows like “The Honeymooners” and “I
Love Lucy”. During the day you will often find Todd working
hard at his contract work, shredding office papers. Todd’s
favourite treat is to go to KFC once a week on Friday’s for lunch;
he really looks forward to this.
Adam also moved in around a year ago. Adam is a
very social young man with a wonderful sense of
humour. He loves watching movies and playing
video games and like any other young guy, spends
lots of time talking on the phone. Adam has a
girlfriend and he takes great care when buying her a
gift for Christmas or Easter.
Adam goes to the Alternative Day Program run by CLH. During the
summer he is a member of a rowing club. Last year he took home a
first place medal and he was so proud, he even wore it to bed for a
few days. Adam just recently got home from a week long Disneyland
Florida Trip. The group he went with all had a great time; they saw
Mickey Mouse and went on some cool rides. One of Adam’s
favourite things to do is go to the movies and getting a big bucket of
buttered popcorn with a Coke.
These three guys with very different personalities spend a lot of time
together and just like a family, there are sometimes bumps in the road
but overall they genuinely care about each other and the house just
wouldn’t be the same without any one of them.
Cathy Van Pelt
7
339 Olive Street, Midland, Ontario L4R 2R4
Phone: (705) 526-4253
Fax:
(705) 526-8299
E-mail: clhmidland@clhmidland.on.ca
Visit our Website
Mission Statement
Community Living Huronia is a
partnership of caring people, working together to facilitate our
community’s acceptance, inclusion, and support of people with
exceptionalities as valued citizens.
Community Living Huronia strives to
ensure the availability of supports and services, which address
the needs of the individuals and their families.
For more information on services available in Simcoe County and
for information on Respite please visit:
www.simcoedevelopmentalservices.ca
www.respiteservices.com
MARK YOUR CALENDAR AND SHOW YOUR
SUPPORT FOR THESE UPCOMING EVENTS:
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!
Dreams to Reality Annual Golf Tournament
~ August 14, 2007
Please Renew Your Membership
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
$5.00 per person, per year
AGM ~ September 19, 2007
Annual Gala ~ October 27, 2007
•
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1021 William Street ‹ Midland, Ontario ‹ Canada
Phone (705) 526-3796 ‹ Fax (705) 526-3335
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We offer 25 years experience in the packaging and light assembly field.
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CALL FOR A QUOTE David Hamilton (705) 526-3796 Ext. 228
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THE PULSE is published by Community Living
Huronia / sponsored by the Community Living Huronia Foundation
Editor ................................................................ Penny Moreau
Layout & Design ............................................... Louise Spicer
Committee ........................................................ Allen Carter
Sue Street
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Please enclose a cheque or money order
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339 Olive Street, Midland, Ontario L4R 2R4
Rain Couldn’t Dampen These Golfer’s Spirits!!
Many, many thanks to Brooklea Golf and Country Club for providing our first CLH Celebrity Golf
Event held Sunday, May 27th. Although it rained in torrents there were plenty of smiles and
excitement with every shot. The enthusiasm was so great that Mike and Barb Scherloski couldn’t
help but extend an invitation to do it again next year.
We kindly recognize all those who supported this event:
Mike and Barb Scherloski of Brooklea Golf and Country Club
Teresa Alphonse Grattan of Brooklea and Jim Kosch of Midland Toyota for Lunch
Gord Mink, Golf Pro, Brooklea for Lessons
Lisa Maloney, CLH Volunteer Co-ordinator, and Cathy York, Volunteer, for Prizes
G &A Corporate Events
JD Hunter, DJ, Rock 95
Julie Rudd, Reporter, The Free Press Newspaper
Case de Jong, President, Franke Kindred Canada
Wesley Parent, Head Coach, Penetang Kings
Paul Hamelin, Chief of Police, Midland Police Services
Mike Dodd, Reporter, The Mirror Newspaper
Aaron Duval, Hockey Player, Penetang Kings
Resource Teacher Program Update
At long last, the Resource Teachers have moved in to the building on Aberdeen and said
farewell to our small space at the Sports and Recreation Center! Every day is a new
adventure at the “One Roof” building as the location continues to be a work in progress.
In May, we saw the completion of the parking lot and we are excited to see the
completion of the exterior facing of the building.
We now provide Resource Teacher services under one roof with many other children’s
services in the area and are thrilled to have the opportunity to link our families to many
services in a convenient, accessible location. In the past, we have joked about our
“identity crisis”, and many people did not seem to associate the Resource Teacher
Program with Community Living as a larger entity. We are not only a program of
Community Living Huronia, but also a member of the North Simcoe Early Intervention
Team. Many of our E.I. team members now share space in the One Roof building,
including the Infant Development Program, RVH Preschool Speech and Language
Services, Children’s Therapy Services, Catulpa, CAPC and the Children’s Treatment
Network. In an ongoing effort to increase the visibility of our program in the community
and our connection to Community Living, we have updated our program name to
“Community Living Huronia’s Preschool Services”. So don’t be confused when
calling us and hearing our new name on the auto attendant! We are still the Resource
Teachers and will respond to being affectionately called the Resource Teacher Program!
A warm welcome goes out to Carla Pike who has joined our program as our newest
Resource Teacher. Carla comes to us from the YMCA where she was an ECE at the
Childcare Centre at St Ann’s in Penetang. Carla’s enthusiasm and experience with
children make her an asset to our team.
Once again, we are gearing up to run a summer program. As you may be aware, the
Resource Teachers are laid off for a minimum of 4 weeks each summer and this leaves
a gap in service for the families we support. For the last 3 years, we have been able to
run a limited summer program thanks to the support we receive from the community,
particularly from our local McDonald’s and the Best Start Initiative. For five weeks this
summer, we will support children with special needs who require programming
opportunities over the summer months in order to prepare for that big leap into
kindergarten. This summer program has become very popular and we are anticipating
another great year!
We would like to acknowledge the generous donation of specialized equipment to our
facilities. Beth and Dave Jackson have donated many pieces of children’s equipment
and specialized toys in memory of their son Nolan. Nolan, who had been supported by
the Resource Teacher Program and attended our summer programs as well, passed
away in 2006 of a brain tumour. These items are greatly appreciated and will be well
used by children in the RT program in the future!
Janine Mayhew
Resource Teacher