LiveWorkPlay: What's New?
Welcome to the 2006-2007 LWP news page! Items listed here (reverse chronological order) are from June 1, 2006 - August 31, 2007. For news from last year go to the 2005-2006 news page. You can also check out news from 2004-2005, 2003-2004, 2002-2003, and 2001-2002. For older news, see the archives. For a glimpse into the future, visit the calendar.
Looking for more than newsclips? Get the full story:
Do you want the latest news when it happens? Get it here:
THE LATEST NEWS
Choose from the links below, or scroll down the page
to view LWP news items in reverse chronological order:
SMILE-TOG Returns From Boston August 10, 2007
Wrapping Up ACES and SMILE 2006-2007 August 3, 2007
Engines of Success "A Good Life" June 20, 2007
Summer Blast-Off Pool Party 2007 June 10, 2007
Visioning Day Explores Key Challenges June 9, 2007
Roger Dodger Volleyball Sets Record June 3, 2007
TELUS Ottawa Community Board Supports LWP Technology May 29, 2007
Gore Mutual & O.B. Villeneuve Support LiveWorkPlay May 10, 2007
Recipe For Success Raises $55,000 April 4, 2007
Participants Shine At Family Fun Showcase March 30, 2007
Meeting The Public At LWP Open House March 30, 2007
Celebrating Accomplishments At March Mini-Banquet March 28, 2007
Media Coverage And LiveWorkPlay Day At Cora's March 26, 2007
Midweek Talks LWP Housing March 14, 2007
SMILE Returns From The White Mountains March 1, 2007
Ottawa Citizen Literacy Foundation Supports Yearbook February 9, 2007
Affordable Bus Pass Saved For Now! January 31, 2007
LiveWorkPlay Housing Innovation In The News January 28, 2007
Speaking Up For The Affordable Bus Pass January 26, 2007
Standing Up For Rights Of People With Disabilities January 24, 2007
New Year's Eve Party Blowout January 1, 2007
SMILE Mini-Banquet Bash December 13, 2006
Hanes Holiday Fundraiser December 9, 2006
Holiday Family Fun December 8, 2006
On On Our Together - Again! December 6, 2006
Self-Advocacy In Action November 18, 2006
SMILE On Ottawa Morning November 14, 2006
SMILE On CTV Ottawa November 12, 2006
Halloween Family Fun Night October 27, 2006
SMILE On CBC Television October 25, 2006
SMILE On CBC Radio October 23, 2006
Annual General Meeting 2006 October 4, 2006
Program Orientation Night September 25, 2006
Volunteer Orientation Night September 8, 2006
First Week For New Season Of SMILE September 7, 2006
SMILE-TOG Returns From Charleston Lake August 17, 2006
SMILE-TNG Returns From The Big Apple August 11, 2006
The End: "Best SMILE Summer Session Ever" August 4, 2006
ACES Summer Learning Begins July 10, 2006
Engines Of Success: Full Steam Ahead June 21, 2006
Pool Party Streak Continues! June 10, 2006
Looking Ahead At Visioning Day June 10, 2006
LWP Featured In Star Newspaper June 9, 2006
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August 10, 2007
Thirteen SMILE-TOG participants and the LWP staff team returned to Ottawa International Airport yesterday after a very successful excursion to Boston. LWP trips offer unique learning opportunities in support of self-advocacy and personal development. Get all the details including photos and videos by clicking here.
August 3, 2007
Active Community Experiences in Summer (ACES) came to an end today after four one-week sessions that featured a record number of new participants. ACES featured everything from computers to volunteering to a day at the beach! On the final day of the program two ACES participants ended up getting involved in a live public performance as part of the Ottawa Buskers Festival! Check out the pictures and photos by clicking here.
Self-Advocacy and More for Independent Living and Employment (SMILE) is also over for the year for members of SMILE-TNG (the next generation) but continues for another week for SMILE-TOG (the original generation) most of whom are now preparing for a trip to Boston that departs on Sunday. Check out all the action from SMILE summer 2007 by clicking here and watch the LiveWorkPlay home page for a link to photos and videos from the Boston trip when the group returns!
June 20, 2007
The Engines of Success recognition banquet was a sold-out affair with 170 members of the extended LiveWorkPlay family in attendance! Leanne Cusack served as host of this celebration and demonstration of self-advocacy and contributing citizenship. For the full story of this exciting evening including live footage and photographs please visit the Engines of Success web page.
June 10, 2007
The traditional LiveWorkPlay launch into summer is the barbecue pool party. Attendance was up slightly with some 75 persons taking in the glorious early summer weather. For the entire story including live footage and photographs visit the pool party web page.
June 9, 2007
This year's Visioning Day tackled the question of "What is a good life?" for people with intellectual disabilities, addressing barriers ranging from discrimination to limited social roles. There was also a dialogue with the Board of Directors about how to better promote the work of LiveWorkPlay to the Ottawa community. Please visit the Visioning Day web page for a full report as well as photographs.
June 3, 2007
The third annual Roger Dodger Volleyball Tournament raised a record $1500. The weather was great and the pictures and video show that it was non-stop fun! Drop by the Roger Dodger web page to check out all the action.
May 29, 2007
The TELUS Ottawa Community Board has granted $20000 to LiveWorkPlay in support of technology initiatives that help people with intellectual disabilities live as self-advocates and contributing citizens. An early example of the results of this grant can be found later in the latest edition of LiveWorkPlayNews. Some of the stories are now available in audio format, thanks to a new digital voice recorder and software that was used to record and edit reporting by SMILE participants!
May 10, 2007
Gore Mutual Insurance Company Foundation in cooperation with O.B. Villeneuve Insurance Brokers Ltd. visited LiveWorkPlay headquarters to announce a donation of $2500 to assist in the creation of affordable housing for people with intellectual disabilities. "Gore Mutual - along with our broker partners - is proud to support such a worthy cause," said Christine Casey, Marketing Representative for Gore Mutual Insurance. Pictured right (click to enlarge) are Caroline Matte (LWP participant), Paul Sheldon (O.B. Villeneuve), Julie Kingstone (President, LWP), Kevin McNeil (President, Gore Mutual), and Ms. Casey.
April 4, 2007
It's the biggest LiveWorkPlay fundraiser of the year, and the MBNA Recipe for Success Culinary Adventure and Charity Auction needs the support of hundreds to achieve its goals. This year there were many serious challenges but in the end the event came together beautifully - sponsorship was up, donations were up, and attendance was up!
One of the challenges to overcome this year was to find a new caterer. Truffle Treasures stepped in to provide some incredible desserts, and DISH Catering went above and beyond their original plan with a fabulous offering of delicious hors d'oeuvres that had the crowd buzzing - and bidding!
Kurt Stoodley from the A-Channel and Codi Jeffreys from Majic 100 were re-united as co-auctioneers and at times had the crowd of more than 300 roaring with laughter. But the auction is also serious business, with a top bid of more than $3000 for an Air Canada and BestBuyHolidays.com trip to Los Angeles. For more about the 2007 auction including photos and videos click here.
March 30, 2007
After the Open House (see below) came the Family Fun Night Showcase. This is an opportunity for SMILE participants to take on leadership roles in sharing information about what they have been learning and doing at LiveWorkPlay. There was a great turnout with lots of positive feedback about the presentations. Click here to view a slide show and find out more about Family Fun Night.
March 30, 2007
The annual Open House provides an opportunity for the general public to tour LiveWorkPlay and have access to participants, staff, and information. This year the two-hour event started slow but got very busy in the last hour. Congratulations to Amanda Manuel, Caroline Matte, and Jennifer Harris for their hard work as tour guides. For more information including a slide show click here.
March 28, 2007
After a busy morning and afternoon with LiveWorkPlay Day at Cora's (see story dated March 26, below) it was time for a full evening with the SMILE mini-banquet. It was a celebration of participant accomplishments, and a chance to practice public speaking. Find out more and check out a slide show by clicking here.
March 26, 2007
The week leading up to the MBNA Recipe for Success Charity Auction and Culinary Adventure on April 4 has been full of excitement! First Leanne Cusack from CTV Ottawa visited to learn more about LiveWorkPlay and promote upcoming events - watch the video clip by clicking here. On Tuesday the A-Channel spent the entire morning at Cora's Breakfast & Lunch promoting LiveWorkPlay Day. On Wednesday columnist Gay Cook from the Ottawa Citizen shared information about the gourmet delicacies to be expected at the auction.
LiveWorkPlay Day was held March 28 at the Cora's locations on 1545 Merivale and 1971 St. Joseph. 25 percent of all proceeds for the day went to LWP and over $1000 was raised! It was not only a great fundraiser but a good time for the many members of the LiveWorkPlay community who ended up in the same place for breakfast and lunch. Click here for video from the A-Channel!
March 14, 2007
The Midweek program on CKCU Radio aired a story about the LiveWorkPlay housing initiative. Click here to listen!
March 1, 2007
The first ever LWP trip for both SMILE-TOG and SMILE-TNG participants was
a resounding success! Twenty participants, four staff, and two volunteers
spent three nights at the New Hampshire chapter of the Appalachian Mountain
Club for hiking, snowshoeing, lounging, and shopping. Visit the trip website for the full story including a slide show
and video clips.
February 9, 2007
The Ottawa Citizen Literacy Foundation/Raise A Reader program has approved a LiveWorkPlay application for funding to support the production of the LiveWorkPlay yearbook 2007. The purpose of the grant is to help LWP promote literacy and art.
January 31, 2007
It was quite a busy day! Co-founder Keenan Wellar was interviewed on CBC Ottawa Morning and appeared on CTV Ottawa at Noon. Throughout the afternoon CBC Television followed SMILE participant Laura Stewart and a delegation of 12 of her peers to a special meeting of the Transit Committee at the City of Ottawa. Laura had prepared a detailed presentation in support of the Community Bus Pass program, but thanks to all of the community interest prior to the meeting, committee members announced that they were in unanimous support of continuing the program. Ms. Stewart took her turn at the microphone and changed her speech to focus on thanking the committee, and her peers exploded in applause. It was an exciting day of self-advocacy in action! Community Living Leaders published a story following the Transit Committee vote.
January 28, 2007
Patrick Dare of the Ottawa Citizen wrote a column about LiveWorkPlay and housing. You can read the story in a two-page 8.5 x 11 format, as a one-page 11 x 17 format, or in its original context.
January 26, 2007
SMILE participant Robin spoke up to the Kanata Kourier to share her concerns about the possible elimination of the OC Transpo Community Pass, and affordable bus pass for people with intellectual disabilities. Click here to read the article.
January 24, 2007
A decision to deliberately and permanently stunt the growth of a child with disabilities in Seattle has raised alarm bells across North America and the world. Disability advocates and organizations have been speaking out, and LiveWorkPlay is no exception. Click here to read the article from the Ottawa Citizen.
January 1, 2007
It was a record-setting evening with 270 guests in attendance at the sixth annual New Year's Eve On Top Dance Party. Tickets were sold out by December 12, with a few seats released later in the month thanks to the addition of two extra tables. The party was an absolute blast that turned briefly into a complete blowout thanks to a power failure just after midnight! That was a perfect opportunity to hand out more than 30 door prizes and also gave DJs Allison and Paolo time to think about the best recipients for the various fun trophies that were handed out! Click here for pictures and videos from the party.
December 13, 2006
It was a huge turnout for the first SMILE mini-banquet of 2006-2007, as the group took over the top floor of the Lone Star on St. Laurent for a fajita buffet. The event was highly social with lounging, drinking, and of course eating, but it also had a serious purpose: to celebrate the many accomplishments of participants thus far in the SMILE year. This is the third mini-banquet that has been held since the concept was initiative in 2005-2006, and the outcomes get better every time - the nature of the accomplishments, the way they are presented, and the reaction from the audience - it's all become a little more impressive and a little more enthusiastic! To see for yourself visit the mini-banquet page.
December 9, 2006
It's a longstanding holiday tradition: the Hanes family wine and cheese fundraiser for LiveWorkPlay. SMILE participant Angela and her mother Kari are the hosts, and the guests are family relations and just about anyone from the town of Russell who enjoys good food and great company. Invited guests also include LWP staff and participants.
December 8, 2006
It was a packed Heartwood House for LiveWorkPlay Holiday Family Fun Night. There were six activity stations run by the staff and volunteers, and also a special appearance by Heartwood Executive Director Maureen Moloughney and People, Words and Change Executive Director Kae McColl who helped out with guitar and singing! At one of the stations teams of participants, parents, grandparents, and siblings composed holiday greetings that were recorded on video for the LWP website. Click here to see dozens of photos and also the entire collection of video greetings.
December 6, 2006
There was a huge turnout for tonight's housing meeting at LiveWorkPlay. Participants and parents from Journeys and SMILE packed into LWP headquarters to review the On Our Own Together housing strategy and discuss next steps. OOOT is no longer an idea, it is now a reality. LiveWorkPlay is working with parents who are purchasing housing units, and the organization itself is also purchasing units for individuals from families of lesser means. To find out more click here.
November 18, 2006
40 representatives from the parent and participant community at LiveWorkPlay spent the day at the Self-Advocacy In Action conference at LWP headquarters. It was a challenging and thought-provoking journey that resulted in many families making immediate plans to alter the power relationship between parents and children. A key theme for the day was understanding how limited decision-making puts people with intellectual disabilities in danger, not only for abuse at the hands of others but for a poor quality of life. The topic was serious but the atmosphere was upbeat and energetic. Check out pictures and video from the conference by clicking here.
November 14, 2006
CBC Radio (Ottawa Morning) aired a follow-up to their earlier story about SMILE and the municipal election. Reporter Hallie Cotnam visited the SMILE post-election party and discovered that participants had a lot to say about their experience. Click here to listen to the story.
November 12, 2006
CTV Ottawa aired a short feature about SMILE preparations for the municipal election on the 6:00 news the day before voters went to the polls. Click here to see it online.
October 27, 2006
Halloween Family Fun Night is one of the oldest LiveWorkPlay traditions, but there were a few spooky twists at tonight's gathering. Among the six activity stations there were traditional favourites such as Halloween Family Feud, Ghost In The Machine, Mystery Table, and of course the Snack Station.
There were also two new stations including Six Senses and Who Am I? This was also the first opportunity to purchase tickets to the LiveWorkPlay New Year's Eve On Top Dance Party, and 50 tickets were sold. There are still 200 available, so get yours today! Click here for a movie slide show from Halloween Family Fun Night.
The stations were managed by teams of volunteers and the LWP staff. Special thanks to volunteers Jane, Fran, Jen, Marissa, Allison, Erinn, Caroline, Daniel, and Pennie for making this evening a success!
October 25, 2006
Marnie Kagan from CBC Television Ottawa visited with SMILE on October 23rd, hot on the heels of the CBC Radio report (see below) that aired that same morning. She prepared a feature about the work SMILE participants are doing to prepare for the upcoming election, and interviewed participants Jennifer Harris and Lucas Rodgers for extra information. The piece aired on the 6:00 PM news as part of the program's election coverage. Click here to see the video footage.
October 23, 2006
Hallie Cotnam from CBC Radio Ottawa 91.5 visited SMILE last week to prepare a feature about the work that SMILE participants are doing to prepare for the upcoming municipal election on November 13. The lengthy piece featured a number of participants answering a variety of questions about the election and explaining why it is important for them to vote. Sometime later in the program a group of political strategists for the three major candidates were debating the issues and made reference to the SMILE feature and their concerns about affordable housing. LiveWorkPlay was also flooded with emails from people around the city who heard the story and wanted to express their support to the participants. You can listen to the story in two parts by click here for CBC PART 1 | CBC PART 2.
October 4, 2006
A healthy mix of LiveWorkPlay community members came out to the AGM for what amounted to about 90 minutes of good news. This included details about how LWP core programs are supporting self-advocacy and contributing citizenship for people with intellectual disabilities, and also about the organization's efforts to work at being more accountable, transparent, and efficient. Mitchell Leitman and Dan Patton were welcomed as new members of the Board of Directors, joining returning members Wendy Mitchell, Sue Proctor, Colin Trethewey, and Pennie Styan. This year LWP has produced a detailed annual report that provides more detailed outcomes-oriented information (including financial data) than ever before. Visit the Annual General Meeting web page for more information, including a digital version of the Annual Report.
September 22, 2006
There was a 95% turnout for the annual program orientation tonight, and it was a very efficient and purposeful gathering that lasted just over 2 hours. There were four breakout sessions: 2006-2007 schedule, self-advocacy review, registration/information, and Journeys/SMILE orientation. If you are part of the 5% that missed out or you are just curious, click here for pictures and information including online versions of all the presentations.
September 8, 2006
A new season of LiveWorkPlay programs signals the return of Friday night volunteers to the LWP environment. LiveWorkPlay has successfully recruited a number of new volunteers to join with our group of dedicated veterans. Visit the volunteer page to meet some of them on video! Volunteer recruitment continues this month with LWP participation in the Volunteer Marketplace at Bayshore Shopping Centre on September 28.
September 7, 2006
September brings the return of SMILE participants for daytime sessions, and it was a tremendous first week. In addition to reviewing the upcoming calendar and conducting individual meetings with staff to organize their personal schedules, participants worked together to establish group goals for the fall session. Two of the three goals came from the participants themselves, with the third being a suggestion of staff that was embraced by the group through a democratic process. The three goals (to be realized by mid-December) are:
- Review and revise the SMILE handbook so it is more appealing to participants
- 100% voter turnout for SMILE participants in the November 13 municipal election
- Every participant will be able to answer the question What is an intellectual disability?
SMILE-TNG participants have added their own group goal of making a decision about their next major trip, which is scheduled for February 2008. SMILE-TOG participants will be working out the details for their trip to Boston in August 2007. And more than 20 participants from both groups will be working on final preparations for their trip to the White Mountains in February 2007.
August 17, 2006
Yesterday 9 participants from SMILE-TOG returned from two nights of camping at Charleston Lake Provincial Park. This trip showed how significantly TOG participants have improved their self-management and coping skills over the years. To find out more (story, photos, movies) just click here.
August 11, 2006
The long tradition of LiveWorkPlay trips continued this August with the SMILE-TNG trip to New York City. The trip came after almost a full year of planning by SMILE-TNG participants. The planning process combined with the challenge of self-management on the trip makes for the ultimate self-advocacy experience. Find out more (story, photos, and movies) by clicking here.
August 4, 2006
SMILE (Skills and More for Independent Living and Employment) supports adults with intellectual disabilities 12 months of the year, but during the summer months the schedule takes advantage of many opportunities that are not available at other times of the year. Participants and staff were all in agreement at this was the best summer at SMILE ever! Participation was up for everything - in-house sessions, outings, and the Friday lunch club. Special thanks to the Keay/Hudak household for hosting two outings at their cottage and to the Stewart household for hosting an outings at the family farm. Much of the SMILE summer was captured in photographs. Just click here for the awesome slideshow!
July 10, 2006
The ACES (Active Community Experiences in Summer) summer learning program started the first of two two-week sessions today. The program will benefit from the experience of coordinator Fran Childs, who is spending part of her summer vacation from her teaching job with LiveWorkPlay. She will be assisted by Anne-Marie Villeneuve, an Algonquin College student. This year ACES will include 5 new participants, all in the 13-14 age range. This is by far the biggest influx of new participants since the program began back in 1998. The new registrations were made possible thanks to the graduation of many participants to SMILE. You too can experience the fun and excitement of ACES...just click here to see the ACES summer in a slideshow format!
June 21, 2006
After the excitement of last year's tenth anniversary banquet there were some understandable concerns that this second annual Engines of Success banquet would be a letdown. However, thanks to a new format that saw Journeys and SMILE participants featured front and centre for most of the night, the evening was a definite smash hit.
This was also the occasion for the public release of the LWP short film "Self-Advocacy Is" and the evening concluded with a slideshow full of refreshing memories from 2005-2006. Guest speaker Alex Munter got the evening off to a terrific start with a motivating message about the importance of volunteerism and the valuable contribution that people with intellectual disabilities can and should be able to make to the Ottawa community. You can check out almost all of the materials presented and memories of the evening itself by clicking here.
June 11, 2006
After 8 years without interruption would this finally be the year that the Pool Party had to be cancelled? No! The party carried on at the Harris household on an overcast but pleasant day in Stittsville. There was less swimming than usual, but a lot more lawn chair conversations, and perhaps even more food than usual was consumed! Find out more including pictures and movies by clicking here.
June 10, 2006
Visioning Day is an important annual event where LiveWorkPlay constituents gather to consider key issues for the future. This year the theme was "self-advocacy."
The goals included examining attitudes and beliefs about self-advocacy and identifying what parents and LiveWorkPlay can do to better support self-advocacy choices and skill development for people with intellectual disabilities. It was a challenging and productive day. Find out more by clicking here.
June 9, 2006
LiveWorkPlay attended a City of Ottawa summer camp information fair, and one of the surprise outcomes was a feature article in the Orleans Star newspaper. Reporter Tina Barton worked on the piece for several weeks. You can read a copy of the article by clicking here.
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