LiveWorkPlay For People With Intellectual Disabilities Making A Buzz In The Ottawa Community We've Been Growing Together Since 1995 ON OUR OWN TOGETHER II Interdependence - Independence - Self-Advocacy The Innovative LiveWorkPlay Approach To Long-Term Housing For People With Intellectual Disabilities June 25: Day 49 WHAT A PARTY! "I can't believe you managed to outdo last year." Whichever parent said it, that captured the reaction of those who attended last year's end-of-project party. Some of the newcomers were almost speechless, offering many hearty handshakes and kind words to organizers. Much of the agenda for the day had been kept under wraps. It wasn't easy, with participants and parents alike peppering staff with questions in the days leading up to the event. The covert operation began in the early afternoon. Dale, Fran, Julie, Keenan and Elaine picked up 4 Mustang convertibles and 1 Cadillac from a west end rental agency and snuck on to Carleton campus through the back entrance into a special parking location arranged with Carleton security. The participants were then gathered in the lounge where they were presented with corsages and boutineers provided by Caroline's mom out of thanks for their support of her daughter. The excited group were then told to head to the bus stop - but not to get on the bus! The fab five then drove the cars to a hidden point near the bus stop, and began to drive by in ten second intervals. It was an amazing sight. Julie went by first (with the top down of course) and although she was easily identified by the participants, they didn't really react. Keenan came second, and again, although identified, there was not much of a reaction. As he drove by Keenan could hear Rachel saying "I don't understand what's going on!" Then Dale, then Fran, and then Elaine in the Cadillac. As the cars circled the campus to return for the pickup, clearly the group had figured things out. Lucas sprinted alongside one of the cars screaming "I'm getting in that one!" The squadron parked near the Commons building and everyone picked their vehicle. There were some photos and then the all important discussion about which radio station everyone should use to synchronize their noise (BOB FM was the winner) and then it was time to hit the road. The convoy cruised down the canal, blasting the tunes and waving at onlookers, who understandably thought they were waving at a group of graduates or a wedding party. The most fun was probably had in a bit of heavy traffic right in front of the Westin Hotel. The song "unbelievable" came on the radio and it was a bit of a party right there at the corner of Rideau and Sussex. From there it was down Wellington past Parliament Hill, and then a drive by past the wild waving group of guests who were cheering from the front of the hotel. Wendy Mitchell had organized everyone and got them in place while keeping everything a secret! The cars wheeled around the block and then pulled up in front of the lobby doors. The participants were greeted with an enthusiastic standing ovation and then things went a bit nuts before Wendy herded everyone up to the penthouse. The Panorama Room was nicely decorated with an enormous head table for all 14 participants. Ryan and Moira were the MCs, and throughout the dinner they introduced different participants who then each made a toast to individuals or groups. This included parents, staff, volunteers, board of directors, participants themselves, United Way, Trillium Foundation, University of Ottawa researchers, and special guests like Big Mike and Little Jerry, who work at Carleton and went above and beyond the call of duty to make LiveWorkPlay feel welcome. The participants sang the new LiveWorkPlay anthem and also a bluesie tune that had the house rocking. Added to there repertoire was "I WASN'T HOME" which was a humorous tribute to the parents to the tune of "King of the Road." Also on the agenda the staff sang a LIVEWORKPLAY ISLE tribute to the participants to the tune of "Gilligan's Island." Then came the much anticipated "participant roast." Each participant received a special gift and a story. Moira got a happy face mug because she smiled so much for the past 50 days. Warren got a whoopee cushion (or is it whoopie cushion?) for reasons that need not be stated. Jen got an umbrella as a memory of getting drenched in the storm on Tuesday. Cooper got a little battery-operated fan to keep him cool since he always seemed overheated. Caroline got a funny tiara because she looked like a queen in the robe she put on after she got soaked with Jen. John got a wind-up chatterbox because he was so talkative during the project. Jenny got a happy face top hat to designate her role as social coordinator. Ryan got a little dustpan and broom because he was always trying to clean everything. Rachel got a big Coke glass because she was often found having a pop late at night. Lucas got a goofy microphone because of his leadership as a singer. Robin got a bag of jujubes because she was often seen sharing some with her suite mates. Ian got a special pair of boxer shorts to retaliate for Ryan's early morning "greetings." Laura got a magnifying glass to help her intensify "THE LOOK" which she uses to tell the boys when they are bickering too much. Paul got an inflatable pillow so he can sleep more comfortably on the sofa. After a rather delicious dinner, which ended with a fabulous chocolate dessert, it was time for the long anticipated slide show. This year the slide show also had little movies in it, which were mostly humorous and had people rolling in the aisles. But there were some serious ones too, and the messages really hit home. Half way through the slide show, somehow the songs got out of order and put Keenan into a panic trying to fix it, which he did. It was worth the wait though and there was a lot of laughter and maybe a little bit of tears. Everyone thought that the evening was wrapping up, but suddenly they were herded down the hall and into the other penthouse room where staff put the doors under guard and wouldn't let anyone out! What was going on? Well, the participants' favourite performer of all time, Dave Kalil, along with guitar accompaniest Todd, were off with Dale who was helping them set up in the Panorama room for a surprise concert! When they were ready Dave started playing the intro to the Muppet Show and the participants stormed down the hall and jumped all over the dance floor and just about right on top of Dave, forcing him to play with one hand at one point! The dancing that followed was as wild as any of the LWP New Year's Eve parties have ever been. The party went on sometime past midnight. It was a bit of a surprise but the participants wanted to keep the night going, so the convoy was reassembled and wound up at the Elgin Street Diner until 2:00 AM! Some of the tops were still down on the convertibles arriving back at Leeds at 2:30 in the morning, and a lot of participants remained hanging out in the drop-off area. They simply didn't want the evening to end. It's just as hard to summarize this evening as it was any other day in the project, and this report just doesn't do it justice. It was an incredible celebration, and the amount of mutual respect in the room helps explain why a little organization like LiveWorkPlay has been able to accomplish some great things. PICTURES! Lucas and Robin's Ride Luxury Caroline, Rachel, Jenny's ride John, Cooper, and Moria Jen and Ryan Front door reception More front door reception In front of House of Commons Part of the convoy Jen and Ryan arrive Cooper, Moira, John arrive Part of the head table Moira the MC Lucas and Jenny Julie back of shirt John and Laura Paul shows off front Big Mike Sing out loud Laura and parents Jenny and parent Rachel and parents Paul and parents Cooper and parents Jen and parents Paul back of shirt Lucas and parents Head table Robin and parents Moira and parents Ian and Warren parents Caroline and parents Ryan and parents Jerry! Jerry! Front of shirt Dave group photo Chowing down MOVIES! You need to download the free Quicktime movie player to watch these. Drive by! Dancing Cars! Jerry!