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1 Out & About Newsletter Community, Connection, Belonging! Fall 2015 iConnect is Coming Soon... ??? Did you know...      October is Commu...
Author: Neal Craig
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Out & About

Newsletter

Community, Connection, Belonging! Fall 2015

iConnect is Coming Soon...

???

Did you know...    



October is Community Living/Inclusion Month October is also National Disability Awareness Month CSCL won a 2015 NAOSH Award for the Health Care Category CSCL will be attending the annual TASH Conference (an international leader in disability advocacy) in Portland, Oregon in November CSCL will be co-sponsoring a conference hosted by the UBC Centre for Inclusion and Citizenship in October

iConnect CSCL’s first-ever Staff Conference will be built around the ideals of connecting to community using people’s Social Capital! How are we connecting to community now? What are some new ways of thinking? What do we think is important in our day, our shift, our supports?

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iConnect! CSCL is proud to host its’ first ever Staff Conference “iConnect” on November 2nd and 3rd.

Mayor Sharon Gaetz

Norman Kunc

Kim Lyster

Dan Collins

The conference will focus on Social Capital and will feature opening remarks by Chilliwack Mayor Sharon Gaetz. The keynote speaker for the event will be Dr. Al Condeluci, CEO of Community Living and Support Services (CLASS), and who teaches at the University of Pittsburgh, writes, speaks, and consults on issues related to culture, community, and social capital. Other presentations will include “True Inclusion vs. Community Presence” by Norman Kunc of the Broadreach Centre and Conversations That Matter who has spent more than 30 years working to ensure that people with disabilities are able to take their rightful place in schools, workplaces, and communities. Norm holds a Bachelor's degree in Humanities and a Master of Science degree in Family Therapy. “Medical Model to Social/Community Inclusion Model of Support” by Kim Lyster who has had an extensive and successful career holding key leadership roles in the community social services sector for over 25 years. Kim has a Bachelor of Education from Simon Fraser University, and is a Masters Candidate at the University of Victoria in the Studies in Policy and Practice program. “Values into Action” by Dan Collins who is the Executive Director of the Langley Association for Community Living and the Chair of the Advisory Board for the Centre of Inclusion and Citizenship at the University of British Columbia. Dan has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and an MA in Organizational Development. CSCL will also be presenting a session called “Sharing CSCL’s Social Capital Stories” hosted by CSCL’s soon-to-be Executive Director Julie Unger, and Brenda Alexander, Director for many of CSCL’s Services. This will also be one of the last official events attended by CSCL’s current Executive Director, Brenda Gillette, and she will close out each day with a few words of wisdom. Al Condeluci

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“Worth Doing” By Danielle Cross

“Who here likes power tools?” A few tentative hands went up, but one stood out – Nic’s hand waved wildly as he grinned from ear to ear. It was a beautiful September day, and we were gathered in the backyard of McNaught Place. Roughly 20 people gathered at the site to build a fence that would divide a yard but bring a diverse group of people together in the first of many anticipated projects. This fence was the first collaborative building project between CSCL and Chilliwack’s Home Depot, who had generously donated materials and skilled volunteers, and everyone was excited to get started. As we broke into groups, the air abuzz with energy and the smell of fresh cedar, someone cranked up a stereo. People high-fived and danced as they

worked, jokes and laughter rang out across the yard. The teams quickly fell into a rhythm of measuring, digging, hoisting, and securing. We hit one snag with a hole that wouldn’t be dug – first a large rock, then a myriad of tree roots was in the way – but with some cooperative problem solving the fence post was soon set and the easy rhythm of work returned. Despite the physically demanding job at hand, every face wore a smile and people worked together seamlessly, trading off, lending a hand, patiently and

Wellness Corner October is Healthy Workplace Month according to worksmartlivesmart.com. You are not alone trying to balance all the roles in your life. Go to healtyworkplacemonth.ca for tips on how to achieve better balance. Be Well! CSCL’s Wellness Committee

enthusiastically showing and teaching one another. Never before have I seen such a large group of workers complete a task in such good spirit, and as the day wore on, rather than tiring, people seemed energized and almost sorry to see the job done. It occurs to me, looking back, we weren’t just building a fence, we were building connections – for Nic, for each other, for something really good - and that is the start of something great.

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Triple Gold! “An Interview with Olympian - Joanne Bunnin”

The moment Joanne lifted the 120 KG bar bell off the floor she knew she had won. “I was amazed and overwhelmed!” Joanne recalls, “I was a little nervous but my coach told me to relax and then I remembered all the days of training I had done to get here.” With that mind, Joanne went on to win 3 Gold Medals in Power Lifting at the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles earlier this year. A few months before that, it was the farthest thing from her mind. “My life went upside down the night my apartment complex caught on fire!” Joanne remembers, “I was in bed sleeping when something woke me up and I smelled smoke. I tripped the fire alarm and knocked on

as many doors as I could to alert my neighbours. It all happened very fast.” In minutes most of the complex was in flames and fire trucks were arriving as Joanne made her way outside. “I knew not to use the elevator,” Joanne said, “Heather and Rob (CSCL employees) had went over this with me and I was very glad to see Heather later that terrible morning. After that, it took a long time to work through all the problems. I started to train again soon after.” Good thing she did, as that training paid off! “Los Angeles was amazing. There were so many countries at the games from around the world. When I look back one day, I will remember this year as the best and worst year ever!” Congratulations Joanne!

“Representing my country was a thrill of a lifetime!”

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CSCL Featured Service: “Crisis Response to Crossroads”

CSCL History Mathieson Centre

the fly. We also knew that the phone was not likely to stop point in their life where you hit a ringing.” This proved to be true crossroads and you've had a immediately since the service bunch of bad days and there's received a number of calls during different ways you can deal with the first month it opened. Since it. Sometimes people need a then, Wanda Dartnell, has stepped helping hand during these times in as the service’s first manager too. With this in mind, Crossroads dedicated to developing and

Everybody experiences a

“The Crossroads service is a result of a unique arrangement with CLBC and CSCL to ensure people in crisis will receive a high quality of support.” began to take shape. “It seemed for awhile the phone would ring every Friday afternoon with a request to respond to a crisis.” CSCL Director, Jeff Gilbank recalls, “Since we demonstrated we had the ability to respond, it felt natural to look at ways to formalize our response instead of patching something together on

operationalizing the service. “It really makes sense to have something like this available to people when they need it.” Wanda points out, “Having one person engage, manage and follow up with the people involved in the crisis seems to work for everyone.”

There are those who might wonder how the name “Mathieson” Centre was chosen. During the mid-1970s and through the 1980s we had a Board member whose name was George Mathieson; his son, Hector attended the Occupational Centre. George, his wife May, and their son came to Chilliwack to retire from a farming life in rural Manitoba. Hector had never received services until arriving in Chilliwack and was thrilled to be involved in the woodshop and have friends. George and May soon made connections with other parents in the Society and became committed volunteers – George with the Board and his “Bingo Store” and May with the Ladies Auxiliary. As they aged and passed away, Hector became the CSCL’s very first Independent Living candidate, remaining in the family home for several years before moving into a HomeShare with Liz and Ray Sullivan where he lived until he passed away. The Mathieson’s daughter donated much of the family estate to the Society. This was shortly the purchase of the Mathieson. In consultation with Ms. Mathieson, it was decided to use these funds to complete much of the renovation required in the building. For those of us who knew George and May well, they would have been thrilled and proud beyond their wildest dreams to know that their estate managed to provide a building that would serve individuals with disability for future generations. So now you know!

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Staff News! Welcome Aboard! CSCL recently welcomed two new additions to the Administration team: Congratulations to Harman Tatlay (Junior Accountant - left) and Harman Dhatt (Administrative Assistant - right).

SES Graduation On June 24th, 2015, Supported Employment Services held a Graduation Day to celebrate two successful, hard working individuals. The festivities were held at Cultus Lake on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon. Graduation from SES means that these individuals have completed a diverse process of discovery, job preparedness, work experience, on-site training, skill applications and completion of their goals. That afternoon, Cam and Mackenzie

(see photo) received Graduation Certificates from their Vocational Counsellors’. Both these young men are an inspiration to all, by working hard and maintaining competitive employment; they have achieved their goal of being independently employed! Lots of laughs and fun were had by all who attended.

Reverse Integration For the last 5 years, Summer’Scapes Day Camp Program (for children 6-12 years of age) has been opening its doors to ALL children in that age range.

FIS Department News: CSCL also recently welcomed 3 new managers to its team: Congratulations to Nicola Ackerman - right (Explore), Danielle Cross - left (ACR) and Wanda Dartnell (Crossroads).

CSCL’s Children & Youth Services department is now opening up its doors to all Youth Programs to any youth between the ages of 13 -18 years of age. Programs currently being offered are a Singing Program on Tuesdays called “Glee Club”, a Cooking Program on Wednesdays called “Culinary Crew” and an Art Program on Thursdays called “Art Attack“. “We think this will be a great additional resource to our community,” says Natalie Karam, CYS Associate Director.

“The idea of Reverse Integration is to develop services with full Inclusion and Social Capital in mind. It is well-documented that typical youth experiencing inclusive environments learn how to communicate better and build better social skills. So it really is a win -win situation regardless of the youth’s ability.” If you know of a youth who would be interested in attending one of the three programs listed – please call 604-846-2015.

A Social Capital Story Melissa Burton has been attending CSCL’s Youth Programs for four years now, and over the years her confidence and self-esteem have grown and developed. These days, Melissa has been attending the VOYCE Youth Meetings. VOYCE stands for “Voice of Youth for Community Engagement” – a Youth group that meets once per week. The VOYCE group has been planning a big community conference and Melissa has been involved with that planning process.

Additionally, Melissa will be a guest speaker at CSCL’s iConnect Staff conference, taking place on November 2nd and 3rd, 2015. Melissa will be talking about her experience of being part a Community Youth Group that is working on a project for the entire community. Congratulations Melissa! Keep up the good work!

CSCL Board Update The Board will be off to a Fall start with an initial meeting scheduled for October 8th. The Finance Committee met in August and will be providing a comprehensive update. At the October meeting, the Board will begin the process of transition with the new Executive Director. While both Brenda Gillette and Julie Unger will be present this will be the first formal meeting with Julie as a contributing party at the Board table. Her role will increase for November and December with Brenda’s final meeting in December. On other fronts, the Board will be continuing with its Property Planning Task Force over the upcoming year. The intent is to ensure that all properties owned by CSCL remain useful to the individuals receiving service

and to plan for potential future alternatives. Board members are also looking forward to an evening with Dr. Al Condeluci on Monday, November 2nd. Dr. Condeluci will be in Chilliwack as the keynote speaker at CSCL’s first Staff Conference. Of course the most significant focus for the Board will be ensuring organizational health and stability during the transition to the new Executive Director and they are confident that this will be a positive experience for everyone involved.

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What's SASS? A New Service for Kids with Autism CSCL is excited to introduce the newly created “Fee for Service” program for children/youth with autism called SASS. SASS is short for “Specialized Autism Support Services”. The program will give families the option of purchasing a service for their child/youth (utilizing their Autism Funding Unit (AFU) money that is eligible to families of children/youth with Autism; funded by the Ministry of Children & Family Development). The SASS program will allow the child/youth to receive one to one support and/or small group support – working towards specific goals that are established by the family. The anticipated starting date for the SASS Program will in October 2015.

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CSCL By The Numbers: As of October 1, 2015 # of

Individuals Supported:

434

Serving Communities in:      

# of

Employees:

302 # of

Active

Caregivers:

247

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Chilliwack Sardis Hope Yarrow Agassiz Harrison Deroche Greendale Cultus Lake Sunshine Valley

ONLINE PRESENCE:

470Likes 421Followers 951Pageloads per week

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CSCL is

100% Non-Profit

12 Services

45 Program Options

CSCL Reports Measuring Up! A random survey of progress updates from CSCL’s official Plans and Reports:

Human Factors! Excerpt from CSCL’s Human Resources Report 2015: Goal: Employee Values Training. Solution: Hold a Staff Conference with a focus on Social Capital. Staff Training Records will indicate # of staff participating in the iConnect Staff Conference

Accessibility @ Work!

EMPLOYMENT STATS:

49 Working Individuals 53 Inclusive Employers

Excerpt from CSCL’s Accessibility Plan 20152016: Goal: Ensure all Residential Service environments meet a high standard of quality of living. Solution: Taylor House will be replaced with a home that meets residents’ needs. A new house will be constructed by the summer of 2016.

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STAR Award Congratulations to Lisa Stromdahl of Children & Youth Services who received the latest CSCL STAR Award for excellence in a support worker role. Lisa was presented with a STAR Certificate, a Letter of Recognition and a $100 cheque. Other nominees included Jennifer Doyle, Nicola Ackerman and Katrina Bosch.

Lisa Stromdahl (left) is presented her STAR Award by Children & Youth Services Associate Director, Natalie Karam.

Lisa’s nominators wrote this about her: “Lisa did an amazing job this summer planning and leading an incredible WOW event for CYS teens. Lisa went above and beyond by planning two days worth of fun, engaging activities for youth, as well as a healthy and fun menu. She did most of the cooking, and made sure everyone had enough healthy food to eat while also making every meal delicious and fun. Lisa also pitched in this summer by covering the BRIDGE service classes in August. She jumped right in and developed lessons consistent with the curriculum, while also using her own gifts and talents to teach the participants. In addition she also provided work supports to a youth who otherwise would not have been able to keep working during staff's holidays! This summer would not have been the same without her!”

Remembering Keegan... CSCL is sad to announce the sudden passing of Keegan Combes on Saturday, September 26, 2015. Keegan was supported through CSCL’s HomeShare and Explore services and was a terrific young man who connected with anyone that met him. He loved to fish, play the piano, play chess, hang out with friends and family and was planning on attending college this Fall. Keegan’s untimely passing was peaceful and he will be deeply missed by family, friends and all who knew him.

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Coming Events... October is Community Living Month Begins Thursday, October 1, 2015 Each year, Community Living Month is celebrated to acknowledge the contributions of people with developmental disabilities.

CSCL Photo Contest Begins Thursday, October 1, 2015 CSCL will be hosting its 4th Annual Photo Contest - “What Does Social Capital Look Like To You?” Look to CSCL’s Facebook Page or ShareVision for more info.

Community Living Event Saturday, October 24, 2015 at Tzeachten Hall Boot, Scootin, Boogie! Dress up in your favourite Western outfit. Tickets go on sale - August 17, 2015 Contact CSCL’s Home Office for more information.

iConnect Conference Monday & Tuesday, November 2 & 3, 2015 CSCL’s first-ever staff conference! Contact CSCL’s Home Office for more information at 604-792-7726.

Giving Tuesday Tuesday, December 1, 2015 CSCL has partnered with this organization to raise awareness about our mission. Visit GivingTuesday.ca for more information

International Day of Persons with Disabilities Thursday, December 3, 2015 CSCL will observe this day with an event TBA. Contact information TBA.

Retirement Tea for Brenda Gillette Monday, December 14, 2015 Open House Retirement Tea (come and go) at the Mathieson Center from 1pm to 4pm for all service areas, families and anyone interested in popping by!

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Social Capital @ Work! “Ryan’s Story” Social Capital is about discovering or enhancing the value of people’s social networks and commonalities and using it to better the lives of everyone involved!

awesome sport and I want to be a part of it!” Through his time at the track, Ryan has also crossed paths with professional driver, Tim Nemeth (Ice Man), who has set track records all over Western Canada and the United States racing Nitro Funny Cars.

Ryan is a racing fanatic and loves heading to the Mission Raceway to attend the Friday Night Street Legal Races. become one of the racers instead of a passenger. Ryan had been struggling Ryan has also been working at with the driver’s exam for over 5 years Chilliwack Gravel for over a year and but with the support of various CSCL has made connections with a few of Supported Employment staff and a the staff members. Steve, pictured passion for racing Ryan was able to here on the left with Ryan, owns a 1987 Red Corvette that he races at the fulfill this first step to his goal. Within Friday Night Street Legal Races. Ryan a week of Ryan attending the raceway he took his knowledge test for his got the opportunity to experience some intense racing as a passenger in learner’s license and passed! “To hang with the guys makes me feel the Red Corvette with Steve. This like I belong as one of the team,” Ryan ignited a passion in Ryan to get his driver’s license and a vehicle so he can says enthusiastically. “Racing is an

Tim took time out of his busy schedule to meet with Ryan at his place of employment to show some photos of his past races and crashes.

Chilliwack Society For Community Living

Your Voice!

Supporting adults with developmental disabilities, children and youth with special needs and their families since 1954.

Many thanks to Natalie Karam, Nancy Gauvin, Wanda Dartnell, Julie Unger, Leah Gill, Danielle Cross, Kami Edwards, Brenda Gillette, for their contributions to this edition.

9535 Mary Street Chilliwack, BC Phone 604-792-7726 Email [email protected] Web www.cscl.org “Our Vision is for a community that welcomes and includes everyone.”

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Do you have something to say? Let’s hear from you! Please contact Jeff Gilbank at [email protected] for your comments, editorials, and/or newsletter ideas.