Posted Oct. 5/05

By Tara Jackson

The United Way helps communities across Canada through its charitable funding, including one Ottawa association that has a strong Carleton connection.

LiveWorkPlay is a 10-year-old charitable organization, funded by the United Way and other agencies, that supports people with intellectual disabilities as well as their families. Co-founders and Carleton alumni, Keenan Wellar, MA/01, and Julie Kingstone, BA/97, started the group in 1995 after witnessing societal barriers first-hand.

"As a volunteer with intellectually disabled youth, I was struck by how isolated they were," says Wellar. "I knew there had to be a better way of integrating these kids into the community."

So Wellar left his job in the hi-tech field and immersed himself in the world of start-up grants and strategic plans. Soon, the organization was busy helping clients aged 13 to 38 with daily living and employment issues. The mandate eventually expanded to address housing concerns.

"Many of the older parents of our clients are worried about what will happen to their kids when they're no longer around," says Wellar. "A group home environment isn't ideal, so it was up to us to come up with a better alternative."

That initial exploration led to a housing experiment on the Carleton campus in the summer of 2003. The LiveWorkPlay team took 10 people and set them up in Leeds Residence for a month. Each resident was responsible for his or her own grooming, laundry and the other basics of daily living ‹ quite a feat for adults who had never spent a day out of their parents' care.

"The 'I did it' factor for our clients is just huge," Wellar says of the project. "There's this undeniable sense of accomplishment and it has such an impact on their quality of life."

The housing project ran again in the summer of 2004, this time with a larger number of residents and an extended stay. Now the LiveWorkPlay team is taking the project a step further by looking for property that can be turned into permanent housing for up to 20 clients.

In addition to that long-term goal, Wellar and Kingstone, with their staff of Carleton graduates, Allison Moores, BSW/05, and Grace Hudson, BSW/04, are celebrating a recent renewable funding grant, courtesy of the United Way. The money will help support a weekly program that allows clients to participate in a wide range of social activities.

You can target your donation to this and other charities when you complete your United Way pledge form.

From - http://www.now.carleton.ca/2005-10b/946.htm