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2001-2002 News Archives
Choose from the links below, or scroll down the page to view each entry in chronological order:
Support For Against The Grain June 27, 2002
Visioning Weekend: Report June 10, 2002
A Great Day At Mont Cascades! May 25, 2002
NewRO Features LiveWorkPlay May 24, 2002
NewRO Promotes Golf Tourney May 17, 2002
Time To Get Swinging April 26, 2002
The Auction Was Amazing! April 25, 2002
Sens Support JOURNEYS March 12, 2002
Five Years Of LiveWorkPlay! February 20, 2002
The Picture Galleries Are Here January 31, 2002
SMILE Participants on CJOH-TV January 7, 2002
Welcome to 2002 January 1, 2002
Gala Is Sold Out! December 18, 2001
A Dramatic Luncheon December 16, 2001
Images in the IMAGE December 14, 2001
Friends Forwarding Funds November 12, 2001
What A Lovely Lunch October 28, 2001
Welcome To The House! October 25, 2001
Promoting Volunteerism October 8, 2001
Celebrating Heartwood House October 1, 2001
Carleton U Features LWP September 25, 2001
LWP Open House Event September 22, 2001
AGM Honours Volunteers September 21, 2001
Yahoo Youth Service Canada August 24, 2001
The Summer Was ACES! August 17, 2001
We Are In The House! July 31, 2001
LWP Meets Minister Jackson July 25, 2001
LWP On CJOH News July 3, 2001
June 27, 2002
Efforts to develop the LiveWorkPlay woodworking initiative known
as "Against The Grain" got off to a great start this week.
The Community Foundation of Ottawa has provided $4000 in support of
the project objectives, which include "providing additional
opportunities for new hobbies, fulfilling leadership roles in the
community, and generating additional personal income."
In addition, project manager Dale Kerr received assistance from a
team of ten staff members from the Ottawa-based headquarters of MBNA
Canada Bank to clean out the future site of Against The Grain
operations, which is on the lower level of Heartwood House, the
community building at 153 Chapel Street.
"Without their help, the clean-up would have continued into July,
which is a very busy time here at LiveWorkPlay, with the start of the
ACES summer learning program," said Mr. Kerr. "Instead, the work was
completed in one day, and we can now start moving ahead with
finishing work and making plans for the installation of equipment."
Additional assistance is required to get the project up and running.
If you have funds or equipment to donate, please contact
dale.kerr@liveworkplay.ca or 235-9550 x 226.
June 10, 2002
Saturday, June 8, was the occasion for the third annual Visioning Day
exercise for all constituents of the LiveWorkPlay organization. Fifty
representatives, including program participants, parents, staff, and
volunteers, took part in the four-hour session, which was hosted at
MBNA Canada headquarters, and included a delicious lunch.
Housing was the hot topic for all concerned. What came out of the
discussion was a remarkably unified viewpoint, and a determination to
move ahead in seeking to develop a unique housing option to meet the
future needs of many LiveWorkPlay clients. Although this vision will
require a lot of shaping, one important outcome from the discussion
was the clear determination that energies need to be focused on
creative efforts, rather than continued exploration of existing
affordable housing options, which are extremely limited, and
generally inappropriate for the vast majority of LWP individuals
concerned.
"We are talking about people who are capable of a high degree of
independence, who will require assistance in specific areas that will
vary from person to person, and a level of required support that will
change over time. In other words, dynamic and flexible. This means we
are looking at an approach that is philosophically and functionally
identical to what we are doing with the Skills and More for
Independent Living and Employment (SMILE) daytime system of supports.
So from that perspective, it's a matter of extension, not
reinvention," says LiveWorkPlay co-founder Julie Kingstone, who
facilitated the parent discussion group.
The adult program participants came out of their meeting with a new
priority: to develop a fundraising plan to work towards taking a trip
together. "For a lot of our SMILE participants, having the
opportunity to explore the world beyond the boundaries of the local
transit system is not an option. The experience of travel can be an
important contributor to personal growth, and obviously the
participants feel they are missing out, because they took the
initiative to discuss the issue on Visioning Day. We will look
forward to helping them explore this further," said Jen Roberts,
LiveWorkPlay coordinator of Employment Supports, facilitator of the
session.
"I think it would be nice to take a trip together," said Jenny
Dobson, a SMILE participant. "And we have lots of ideas about how to
raise the money. I think we can do it."
On Sunday, the Harris family hosted the Summer Blast-Off Barbecue
event for the third consecutive year. "I think it was a big success,"
said Jennifer Harris, one of the hosts, and a member of SMILE. This
year's event featured parent Jack Murphy on the barbecue for the
second straight year. Jack's sons Ian and Warren, along with new
staff member Dale Kerr, acted as judges in the cannonball contest,
which was won by LWP co-founder Keenan Wellar. "Now that he has a
little experience, I guess he will be ready to take me on next year"
said Ivan Harris, father of Jennifer.
Although the Visioning Day marks the end of the season for the Friday
night programs, this is actually the busiest time of year for
LiveWorkPlay. The SMILE system of supports operates Monday to Friday
during the day, along with the ACES summer learning program which
begins on July 8th. The next major event will be the Orientation and
Annual General Meeting, tentatively scheduled for September 20th. The
July edition of the LiveWorkPlay BUZZ newsletter will provide updates
with respect to other coming events.
May 25, 2002
The weather cooperated with a perfect day for golf, as the first ever NewRO LiveWorkPlay Charity Golf Tournament went off without a hitch. About 120 golfers spent the afternoon on the fairways and greens of beautiful Mont Cascades golf course, followed by an evening of dinner, awards, and prizes under the tent on the giant patio. Visit the tournament website for more information, and visit the picture gallery for photos !
May 24, 2002
The NewRO featured LiveWorkPlay on the news at 6:30 with a segment that included interviews with SMILE participants and cofounder Keenan Wellar. The interviews were conducted on Thursday at LWP headquarters.
May 17, 2002
Julie Kingstone and Keenan Wellar appeared on Breakfast@TheNewRO with Cyndi Edwards to promote the May 25th golf tournament. The interview took place at the Mini Golf Gardens on Colonnade Road. The tournament is almost sold out, although "dinner only" tickets are still being sold for just $20.
April 26, 2002
The next important event for LiveWorkPlay is the NewRO Charity Golf
Tournament at Mont Cascades on Saturday, May 25. Co-hosted by Cyndi Edwards
and Kevin Nelson from Majic 100, there will be an incredible array of
prizes, including the chance to win a boat or a car. In addition to 18 holes
of golf with the use of a power cart, there will also be a number of awards
and a fajita dinner, all for just $85 per person. The NewRO is accepting
registrations of foursomes until May 9th, which is fast approaching.
April 25, 2002
The third annual Celebrating Productive Living charity auction benefit for
LiveWorkPlay took place on Thursday, April 25, at Lakeside Gardens. The
evening also celebrated the fifth anniversary of the LiveWorkPlay
organization, a non-government agency which provides a variety of innovative
programs and services for young people with developmental disabilities.
The event was co-hosted for the third straight year by Cyndi Edwards of the
NewRO and philanthropist Dave Smith, with a keynote speech by Jennifer
Harris, a LiveWorkPlay participant who has been there from the beginning. As
she completed her speech to a standing ovation from the audience of 150, the
bidding got underway. When it was all over, $19000 had been raised, coming
up just short of last year's record total.
"This year our corporate sponsorship support from the high tech sector was
down, but thanks to an infusion of volunteers, donations of retail items
were way up, which resulted in increased auction sales and almost made up
the difference," said co-founder Julie Kingstone. Major sponsor MBNA Canada
did return this year, and also brought with them a team of some 20
volunteers who worked diligently behind the scenes to keep lineups to a
minimum.
For more information, see the story in the Ottawa Sun or the Ottawa Citizen and another one in the Sun.
March 12, 2002
Dave Ready, President of the Ottawa Senators Foundation, announced a contribution of $5000 in support of the LiveWorkPlay Friday night JOURNEYS programs for youth with developmental disabilities ages 13-21. "On behalf of the Ottawa Senators Foundation and our supporting sponsors, we congratulate you in your good work and wish you every
success," said Mr. Ready.
February 20, 2002
Can you believe it? It's been five years since LWP opened its doors back in 1997 with little more than a basket of hopes and dreams. Thanks to a great deal of hard work and determination by all concerned, many of those hopes and dreams have been realized. We will take a moment to celebrate these achievements at the Celebrating Productive Living Auction Event of Thursday, April 25.
January 31, 2002
The LiveWorkPlay picture galleries are now on-line! Just click here to go to the gallery home page, and then choose a shoebox. If you have pictures to contribute, click here.
January 7, 2002
CJOH-TV was on site to tell the story of the OC Transpo Lost and Found program, which has relocated to Heartwood House. Three participants from the SMILE system of supports are involved in the daily operations of the lost and found. For more information please view the news release.
January 1, 2002
Over 120 revellers packed into the Penthouse Panorama room of the Crowne Plaza hotel to bring in the new year at the fourth annual LiveWorkPlay New Year's Eve Gala. For the second straight year DJ Dangerous Dale volunteered his services and was again a major contributor to the event's success. Due to the growing popularity of the event, a sellout is expected even earlier next year, so please plan to purchase early next November to ensure that you can take part.
December 18, 2001
The fourth annual New Year's Eve Gala is officially sold out! Over 115 guests will pack into the penthouse panorama room of the Crowne Plaza Hotel to bring in 2001.
December 21 update: the continuing success of the gala was featured in the Ottawa Sun. Click here to view the article.
December 16, 2001
The LiveWorkPlay holiday luncheon was a sellout! 85 diners jammed into the Jungle Cafe for delicious chili and a dessert buffet that was prepared by participant families. The entertainment featured a play written and performed by SMILE participants.
December 14, 2001
SMILE participant Caroline Matte was noted in a feature in the Sandy Hill IMAGE newspaper, which provided coverage of the Heartwood House: au coeur de la vie Grand Opening event. Click here to read the story.
November 12, 2001
Over the course of the past month, four different friends of LiveWorkPlay have come through with unexpected funding contributions totalling $3350! Sara Van Vlymen of TD Canada Trust (Pretoria Branch) and Wendy Mitchell of MBNA Canada Bank each organized donations of $1000 from their respective employers. Ivan Harris of the Ottawa District I Masons organized a fundraiser that brought in another $350. And Cyndi Edwards of the NewRO volunteered as a celebrity chef in the Bon Appetit Ottawa fundraising event, which earned her the opportunity to designate $1000 to LiveWorkPlay.
October 28, 2001
The first family luncheon of the season was held in the newly decorated Jungle Cafe. More than 80 persons crowded into the facility to enjoy a delicous lunch of tacos with all the trimmings, followed by creamy pudding for dessert. There was a spooky haunted house in a nearby room, and about two dozen of those in attedance were in costume and took part in a costume parade. The next family luncheon is on December 16th. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Contact info@liveworkplay.ca for more information.
October 25, 2001
LiveWorkPlay was a proud participant in the Grand Opening and first annual
Open House event of the Heartwood House: au coeur de la vie community.
The event saw more than 400 people pass through the building at 153 Chapel
Street, which is now home to eight nonprofit organizations and two
collaborative projects.
LiveWorkPlay hosted a special ceremony at 6:45 pm to launch the official
opening of the LiveWorkPlay Internet Centre. The Community Access Program (Industry Canada),
Object Technology International, the Ministry of Community and Social
Services, and Heartwood House: au coeur de la vie were all honoured for
their contributions towards the centre.
At 7:30, LWP representatives joined with other members of the Heartwood
House: au coeur de la vie community in a ribbon-cutting ceremony. A
supportive audience of hundreds, including the NewRO and CJOH, filled the
lobby and stretched down the halls and out the front doors.
SMILE participant Caroline Matte was honoured for her contribution in
painting the logo that graces the lobby wall. Many other SMILE participants
received certificates of appreciation for their volunteer efforts in getting
the building ready. LWP co-founders Julie Kingstone and Keenan Wellar, who
are also Heartwood House: au coeur de la vie board members, made
presentations to key partners and recognized Community Coordinator Maureen
Moloughney for her hard work.
October 8, 2001
CJOH-TV showed up at Heartwood House: au coeur de la vie to talk about an upcoming visit from 25 volunteers at EDS who will contribute their time on October 13 in conjuction with the International Year of the Volunteer. LWP's Keenan Wellar was on hand to represent the Heartwood community in thanking CJOH and EDS for their participation. The bulk of the work to be done by the volunteers is involved with painting hallways, including the top floor where LWP headquarters are found.
October 1, 2001
LWP Co-Founder Keenan Wellar was interviewed Rita Celli of CBO Morning regarding the Heartwood House: au coeur de la vie community building, where LiveWorkPlay is now headquartered.
September 25, 2001
The fall edition of Carleton University Magazine includes a feature of LiveWork Play and co-founders Julie Kingstone and Keenan Wellar. Click here to read the article. See also Keenan's letter to the editor, which inspired the writing of the article.
September 22, 2001
LiveWorkPlay (LWP) is pleased to invite the entire Ottawa community to an Open House event on Thursday, October 25, from 6:30-8:30 pm. This is the first such event since LWP established operations at the new Heartwood House: au coeur de la vie community building, 153 Chapel Street at Rideau.
There will be a ceremony at 6:45 pm to launch the opening of the LiveWorkPlay computer training centre and to recognize the partner organizations who made it possible. This will be followed at 7:30 pm by a gathering of all Heartwood House organizations to celebrate the Grand Opening of the building. Snacks and refreshments will be served. Following the ceremony, LiveWorkPlay and other Heartwood House organizations will remain open until 8:30 to provide tours of their new facilities. Tours will also be available from 1:00-5:00 pm for those who cannot attend the evening festivities.
For a map that includes driving instructions, please click here. There is limited parking in the Heartwood House lot at the rear of the building, in addition to ample free parking on Chapel, Rideau, and other surrounding streets.
September 21, 2001
LiveWorkPlay hosted an Orientation and Annual General Meeting event on Friday, September 21. The first portion of the evening welcomed participants and their family members to the new programming season for JOURNEYS (ages 13-21) and SMILE@NIGHT (age 21+). These Friday night programs offer a variety of community participation opportunities, organized through a client-directed planning process, supported by dedicated volunteers and trained staff.
JOURNEYS and SMILE@NIGHT volunteers were honoured with a presentation of special edition LiveWorkPlay fleece jackets, which were sponsored by MBNA Canada Bank in celebration of the International Year of the Volunteer.
The orientation was followed by a sneak preview of LiveWorkPlay headquarters, on the top floor of the new Heartwood House: au coeur de la vie community building at 153 Chapel Street. The official LiveWorkPlay Open House will take place on the evening of Thursday, October 21 (see above).
The evening closed out with the conducting of the Annual General Meeting. The Board of Directors for 2001-2002 will have a number of familiar faces, with 8 of 9 representatives returning from last year. New to the Board is Elaine Kerr, who brings with her the experience of serving as a program volunteer for the past three years. Retiring from the Board was Christina Norris, who has served the organization in that capacity since 1997. Christina was also honoured with a special edition fleece jacket.
Another highlight of the evening included the Treasurer's Report. Although core programs such as JOURNEYS still lack renewable funding support, the organization saw increased revenues through fundraising and donations in 2000-2001, and has managed to carry forward a surplus of funds, which will offer a measure of security for the coming year even as the search for ongoing support continues.
August 24, 2001
LWP has just completed its second successful Youth Service Canada project in partnership with Human Resources Development Canada. The one year project began in September 2000, with the purpose of providing a work experience and community service opportunity to unemployed and/or underemployed youth. The experience was very challenging, due to the frequent turnover of program participants. However, there were also many successes. Two of the participants are now permanent LWP staff members, and many others went on to full-time employment with other agencies in their chosen field
Many of these participants helped support the pilot project version of Skills and More for Independent Living and Employment (SMILE) which is now a permanent program. LiveWorkPlay hopes to conduct additional YSC projects in future, but intends to target LWP clientele as the potential candidates.
August 17, 2001
Another successful year of the Active Community Experiences in Summer (ACES) program wrapped up today. Some 40 participants, ages 13-20, took part in a variety of educational, recreational, and vocational activities. This included cooking, canoeing, and work experience at MBNA Canada Bank (for those 16 and over). MBNA once again provided the core of the ACES work experience component, and were recognized for their efforts at a special banquet on August 16.
July 31, 2001
As reported on June 25, LiveWorkPlay is now a member of Ottawa's most exciting community collaborative, Heartwood House: au coeur de la vie. LWP has just completed substantial renovations, and staff, clients, and volunteers are busy getting settled in the new premises. For more information about the Heartwood House community, visit the new website at www.heartwoodhouse.ca.
July 25, 2001
LiveWorkPlay clients, staff, and volunteers were pleased to accept a cheque
for $5000 today from the Honourable Cam Jackson, representing the Ontario
Ministry of Citizenship. SMILE participant Jennifer Harris accepted the cheque on behalf of the LWP organization, which was also represented at the event by a broad spectrum of
clients, volunteers, and staff.
The funds come as a result of an application to the Community Access-Ability
initiative, which provides funding for projects that create practical,
workable projects to remove barriers for persons with disabilities in their
communities. LiveWorkPlay will be initiating a practioner research project beginning in
September, which is to involve members of both the Journeys community
participation program (ages 13-20), and the Skills and More for Independent
Living and Employment (SMILE) daily system of supports (age 21 and over).
July 3, 2001
LWP Co-Founder Keenan Wellar was interviewed for the 11:30 edition of CJOH news. Host Leigh Chapple inquired about the many changes that have taken place in recent months, including the name change and new headquarters. In response to a question about funding, Mr. Wellar took the opportunity to recognize the new partnership with the Ministry of Community and Social Services. CJOH also provided a shot of the liveworkplay.ca website, which led to hundreds of extra visits to the site the next day.