CLOC has been in full-on planning mode since the beginning of the new year!

 

Finance and Program Supervisors have been busy finalizing budgets and preparing for year end and the Spirit Crew is developing plans for future fun engagement activities. The leadership team has begun to develop the implementation plan to help CLOC reach the goals set out in the Strategic Plan for 2019 - 2023. Teams are beginning to develop their own action plans to support the Strategic Plan. There are many changes on the horizon in light of the Provincial budget announcements and future directions coming out from the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. This is even more reason for having a solid plan to sustain CLOC in the future. 

 

Our Board of Directors is also planning for the future, as we have several Board members completing their term this September. We are in active recruitment phase for CLOC's Board, and Board affiliated committees, and are looking for people with specific skills that will help to fill the gaps left by those departing this year. Please continue to read this newsletter for further information about the Board and how to apply.

 

An MCCYS Children's Licensing audit took place in January, and a Quality Assurance Audit with MCCSS in February. There is always a great deal of preparation that takes place prior to these audits, and CLOC is pleased to report that we are in compliance with all of the Ministries' guidelines.  A huge thank you to the whole CLOC team for all your efforts and hard work you put into providing high quality supports and services.

 

It is more important than ever to be agile, flexible and be able to respond to growing and changing needs in the world around us. On April 11, 2019, the PC Government announced its first budget. This announcement is at a high level and over the next few weeks, we will learn more about potential impacts to the Developmental Service Sector and to CLOC. What we do know is that the budget of MCCSS will decrease from $17 Billion to $16 Billion with an average annual decrease of 2.1% per year. They say they will do this through social assistance reform, transforming employment and reducing administrative burden. They also say the will target operational efficiencies and cost savings through evidence based sector transformation including service integration, streaming transfer payment processes and increasing choice for people being supported and their families. We have yet to hear about the sustainability funding committed under the Liberal government for the upcoming year, but based on the current government's agenda to address the provincial debt, we worry it will not be forthcoming. Developmental Services have expanded over the past several years, targeted to serving more people, but base budgets have not increased in regards to cost of living. Hydro, groceries, and other expenses are on the rise, but budgets have been frozen over the last decade. Amazingly determined people work very hard in this sector to adapt with less money to meet these growing needs, all working to meet the Ministry's expectations, and the people who work for and with CLOC are no different. We are very thankful to all of our hard working, dedicated and resourceful employees, who make such a difference to the people we support, and to our community partners who are always sharing ideas and resources to help CLOC move forward in our mission.

 

Plans are also coming together for the launch of the new 4 year fundraising campaign, called 'My Life. My Community. My Way.'. This Campaign will focus on quality of life for people; community involvement, health, respite, experiences, inclusion within the community and accessibility. Expect to see exciting details about the fundraising campaign shortly.  

  

Although we are facing what might be trying times ahead, I continue to be grateful to be working along side CLOC’s amazing employees, Board of Directors, volunteers, community partners, and families. All that you do to help further the Community Living movement is invaluable to CLOC, and for that, I thank you!!!

 

Terri Gray

Executive Director

In September 2018, CLOC unveiled our new Strategic Priorities for 2019 - 2023, via the document to the left (click on the document to open) at the Annual General Meeting.

The selected areas of priority for the next four years are:

Currently, teams across CLOC are in the process of developing goals to be implemented over the next year of the plan. Once the goals and action plans are developed, they will be incorporated into the Strategic Planning process.  

Keep an eye on your emails and this newsletter about how you can be involved.

On the first nice day of spring, Martha and Elizabeth decided to have a picnic lunch outside, followed by some adventures around the great city of Oshawa. They had a great day! The historic preservation society was at the Canadian Automotive Museum, so off we went! They had a personal tour by the Head Historian in Canada for Lincoln Automotive. He knew so much about the history of the vehicles, the area and about the surrounding buildings. It was one of the most unique things Martha and Elizabeth have ever experienced. Having the Head Historian personally give us a tour was fantastic! He gave us a list of museums and historical sites that we should view in order so we can get the full experience of the history of our city! 

What an amazing Spring day!

Submitted by: Nicola Stevens

CLOC is pleased to be able to host many placement students over the course of each year, within many different disciplines, including Developmental Service Worker (DSW), Social Service Worker (SSW), Community Support Worker (CSW), Computer Sciences, Public Relations and Event Management (just to name a few). Each discipline prescribes the requirements for a student to complete placement, including how many hours they must complete, and what goals they should be working to achieve.

While students are here at CLOC, it is our hope that we can provide them with practical skills that, along with their classroom time, will help them to become competent workers in the Not For Profit/Social Services field. This is also a terrific employee recruitment avenue for CLOC.

If you have any questions or comments in regard to placement students or think that a volunteer would be a welcome addition to your team, please contact Julie Maskell, Human Resources Coordinator - Students and Volunteers, at [email protected] .

Ever dealt with a really difficult situation? We’ve all had our emotional resilience tested. Sometimes it feels like you just want to give up.

 

How do the toughest people summon the will to keep going? Steven Southwick and Dennis Charney have studied resilient people for over 20 years. They spoke with Vietnam prisoners of war, Special Forces instructors and civilians who dealt with terrible experiences like medical problems, abuse and trauma.

 

In their book  Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges , Southwick and Charney assembled the 10 qualities that resilient people have in common.

 

Here’s what they learned…

To continue reading the rest of this article, click here.

People often come to me with a common question; " Community Living Oshawa/Clarington has a $15,595,034   operating budget from the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS)... so why does CLOC continue to need to fundraise "?

The Ministry funds  services and supports for people with developmental disabilities  and their families. People with developmental disabilities want to be active participants in their communities. To do that, many rely on a range of services and supports that promote social inclusion and involvement, such as:

The Ministry also provides direct funding to people and families to give them choice in their support arrangements and allow them to select the services and supports they feel best meet their individualized needs.

CLOC must budget the money received from the Ministry very carefully, to ensure that service targets are met, the dollars are used in a financially responsible way, and that there is value attached to the dollars spent.  

What will the Ministry NOT fund?

The Ministry is not able to respond to all of the maintenance, upkeep, renovations and accessibility updates on CLOC's locations (both residential and offices). They have limited dollars, and our needs go well beyond the dollars available. CLOC’s current needs are estimated at well over $1,000,000; our small repair and maintenance budget doesn’t even scratch the surface. If we are lucky, the government will fund a few small projects each year. We are always adding new things to our growing list while very few things come off. CLOC depends on fundraised dollars to allow us to address the more critical issues that come up. The agency attempts to keep major repairs/replacements to a minimum by performing regular maintenance, but if a furnace decides to break down in the middle of the winter and cannot be fixed, the money must be found somewhere to replace it. Programs and Services often do without materials for programming or updated equipment because their budgets don't allow for it. 

The Ministry also does not allow for funding of employee recognition or appreciation from their pot. Funding for these items, like flowers when someone passes away or has a baby, tokens of appreciation when employees celebrate years of service or retires, and CLOC-branded items (tshirts, hats, etc) all comes from outside Ministry funding.

How were fundraised dollars and donations used by CLOC in 2018?

Money raised through events and donations covered the costs for over $40,000 in enrichment for the people CLOC serves, program items, water systems, a new accessible bathroom, the garden competition, new furnace and air conditioning units, and employee recognition for years of service and retirees.

Why is CLOC Launching the 'My Life. My Community. My Way.' Campaign?

As the Ministry requires CLOC to stretch its budget further each year, it becomes more important to fundraise to be able to cover unfunded expenses. CLOC continues to focus what resources we can on enriching people's lives, and would like to be able to do more of this using money from fundraising and donations.

Our previous 'Make A House A Home' Campaign raised dollars specifically for upkeep and renovations of our locations. The new Campaign, 'My Life. My Community. My Way.', has a goal to raise a minimum of $500,000 over 4 years, in order for CLOC to focus on quality of life for people, by providing them with the necessities and experiences that they need to feel fulfilled.

How will the Campaign help CLOC as a whole?

Money raised through the Campaign will augment our supports and services beyond the funding received through MCCSS. Funds raised will enhance the lives of the people that CLOC serves. More one to one experiences can be provided for people. For example if a person's goal is to go to camp at a place like WindReach Farm or Nova's Ark, CLOC may be able to provide funding and supports for the experience. If a person or location needs specific items to ensure more independence and accessibility, the Campaign may be able to provide funding. In short, CLOC needs to fundraise money in order to ease the burden on everyday operating budgets and to provide even more high quality services for people with developmental disabilities.

How can you help?

Be a CLOC Champion! Getting the word out about CLOC's work, our fundraising campaign, and WHY we need to fundraise is very important to CLOC, so we are able to sustain through all of our unbudgeted expenses.

Donate! Every penny counts when it comes to providing quality of life for the people that CLOC serves. Donations can be made on a one-time or recurring basis, by individuals or companies. And you can designate where you would like your money to be spent - Quality of Life or Bricks & Mortar. If you do not designate where you would like your money to go, CLOC will use it where it is needed the most.

You can donate today by visiting: http://communitylivingoc.ca/get-involved/donate/

Fundraise! CLOC is always grateful when organizations and companies raise money on our behalf, whether through Casual Fridays, Employee Giving, Employer Matching, Bake Sales, Coffee Fund... the sky is the limit. Connect with us today to discuss how CLOC can help to support you in your fundraising efforts.

We are extremely excited to reveal further details over the next few months about the 'My Life. My Community. My Way.' Campaign!

Questions? Reach out to me at any time.... Marnie Salonius, Manager - Resource Development & Public Relations, 905-576-3011 x 304 or [email protected] .

CLOC's Cupidy Bear initiative for Valentine's Day was extremely successful, and Cupidy travelled not only around CLOC's locations, but also out into the community to several of CLOC's Community Partners and events. In fact, Cupidy Bear took so many photos with people that he had to send us one of his last photos as he vacationed on the sunny beaches of the Bear-hamas .... thanks for rubbing it in, Cupidy Bear!

Here he is, in his finest bow tie, having lunch with the Leader of the Official Opposition, Andrea Horwath.

Thank you to everyone who took photos with Cupidy, purchased raffle tickets for our Valentines Day Wine Baskets, and helped Cupidy travel from place to place out in the community.

Andy was recently able to reach his goal of visiting the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. He had a great day checking out all of the hockey memorabilia, including jerseys, goalie masks, Stanley Cup rings, and, of course, the Stanley Cup. He even had the opportunity to sit in the broadcaster's chair, as though he was delivering the news on Sportsdesk.

Thanks Andy (and Nicole) for sharing the photos of your day with us! It looks like you had a lot of fun.

RBC in Bowmanville recently celebrated their 150th Birthday by donating $150 to the Clarington Project. The members at the Project were eager to receive the money, and gave a hearty thank you to RBC for their support!

From L to R : Ron Hooper - Councillor, Municipality of Clarington, Patrick Grist - President, CLOC's Board of Directors, Fred Horvath - Municipality of Clarington, Terri Gray - CLOC's Executive Director, Tim Welsh - Municipality of Clarington, Rob Groen - Municipality of Clarington

On April 11th, the members of the Clarington Project invited the Municipality of Clarington's Operations Department to attend a celebratory luncheon, in honour of their assistance with securing the Clarington Project's new location on Baseline Road two year ago. The lunch also marked the 22 year partnership that CLOC has had with the Municipality, since the inception of the Clarington Project at its former location on Church Street. As a thank you, the Operations Department, along with Councillor Ron Hooper, were presented with a beautiful mosaic art piece which was created from individual tiles made by each member of the Project, and put onto canvas by our resident artist, David Gillespie.

The Enrichment Fund was established in 1998 and is responsible for allocating funding in order to enhance the lives of the people CLOC serves. Such enhancements include, but are not limited to, activities such as travel costs, fees and material items which are related to Personal Outcome goals or personal needs.  

In 2018, the John Strange Enrichment Fund provided almost $3000 for the people CLOC serves in order to assist in the purchase of accessibility equipment, event tickets, dental work, specialized orthotics, household safety items, an orthopedic bed, and a ticket to travel to visit a loved one.

CLOC is pleased to announce we are collaborating with Dr. Jennifer Eastabrook and Jese Duran from Trent University for their research study. Dr. Eastabrook and Jese are interested in how attributions of stress can influence level of resiliency in parents/unpaid primary caregivers of a child or adult with a disability. 

Please complete the survey, if you wish, and/or pass the survey along to a parents or caregiver.

 

What are attributions?

Attributions are the explanations people give as the cause of a situation or experience.

 

What is resiliency?

Resiliency is the ability to bounce back from a stressful situation.

 

Dr. Eastabrook and Jese are hoping to recruit parents/unpaid primary caregivers to complete a brief set of online questionnaires (20 minutes), which you can find by clicking the link below. Please note you are eligible to complete these questionnaires regardless of your child’s age or whether or not they currently live at home. The surveys and information provided is kept strictly confidential and you will not be identified by name. This study has been approved by the Trent Research Ethics Board. You may choose to be entered into a draw to win one of six prizes worth $50 each.  

 

Link: Parent Resilience Questionnaire

 

Please note you are NOT obligated to complete this survey, although participation is extremely appreciated. Your choice to participate or not, will have absolutely no impact on the services you receive with us. 

 

Information from this study will lead to a better understanding of resiliency in parents having a child with a disability. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Dr. Eastabrook ( [email protected] , 905-435-5102 x 5041).  

The Durham Improv Collective has worked with CLOC over the past several years, offering opportunities for the people we serve to express themselves through learning improv skills, comedy and film making. This service is provided free of charge to CLOC, due to the fundraising efforts put on by Durham Improv, such as this show coming up on May 23rd. We encourage you to support those who support CLOC!

Did you know that family members are able to nominate any CLOC employee that they deem worthy to receive the Mark Forgette Memorial Award?

We all know that there are employees who go over and above to ensure that the people they support improve their lives by obtaining their outcomes through family contact, inclusion in their community, encouraging friendships, socializing, etc.

Please take the time to consider an employee who has made a difference in your family members life, by submitting a letter outlining your reason for the nomination.

The recipient’s name will be engraved on the trophy located in the front entrance at the main office at 39 Wellington Avenue, and a monetary award is also presented at the Annual General Membership (AGM) meeting in September

Nominations can be submitted at any time throughout the year to Doris Maniacco at the main office located at 39 Wellington Avenue, East, Oshawa, L1H 3Y1 or by email at [email protected] .

.

We sincerely hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to recognize someone outstanding!

Thank you,

The Selection Committee for the Mark Forgette Award

To listen to the Podcast, click HERE.

How to create a life worth living? … am I implying that there are lives that aren’t worth living? This a big question that I ask you to consider for yourself.

 

People with developmental disabilities are devalued and suppressed (largely unconsciously) by society, our families and even ourselves (I am guilty too).

 

When a person is devalued, it is very difficult to access the opportunities that everyone else can access, and often results in isolation, loneliness, and suffering. Again, I ask - A life worth living?

 

Well, what I do know, is that I can do better, and we can do better, and our society can do better.

 

And, and it starts with a vision.

 

Why do we need vision? Well, as human beings the sense that we trust the most is our eyes, we are looking out for dangers and rewards. Also, where we look is where we go - If we are surfing and we are looking at the rocks, we will end up on the rocks, if we are looking at the beach, we will end up on the beach. Here I am talking about vision as one of our 5 human senses. However, these truths about our sense of vision apply to our future. If we can imagine, or see in our minds, where we want to be 5 years from now... we can trust that we can get there, and we move in that direction. We are looking at the destination we want to get to 5 years from now and will move in that direction, just like the surfer that looks at the beach and steps off their board into the soft sand (instead of crying out for help to be saved while being pushed upon the jagged rocks).

 

 

In this conversation with Michael Kendrick, we discuss 'Imagining Better" and we attempt to answer; What is vision? Why is vision so important for people with IDDs? and, How do you go about creating a Vision?

 

 

Michael Kendrick PhD. is a well-known international consultant in Human Services. Michael is involved in consulting, education and evaluative work with many governments, private agencies, advocacy groups, community organizations, universities and colleges across the globe. His work has involved training, evaluations, strategic planning, critical problem solving and confidential advice in the areas of mental health, disability and aging with an emphasis on persons requiring long term support.

To read the entire article, click HERE .

Family Services Durham (FSD) provides individual, couple and family counselling to people who live or work in Durham Region. FSD is accredited by the Canadian Centre for Accreditation. It meets the certification requirements of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW), the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario, and ISO 9001:2008 registration. FSD is a member of Family Service Ontario, Family Service Canada, and Family Services Employee Assistance Programs (FSEAP).

 

Our Family counsellors have Masters-level training. They are:

 

To request counselling: Call 905-666-6240 ext. 1 or toll-free at 1-866-840-6697 ext. 1. Intake workers are available Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

An intake worker will take your call and assess your situation. The information you share with intake staff and your counsellor will remain confidential. We will only release it if we are legally required to tell other professionals.

Counselling can help you find solutions to many types of problems, including:

 

FSD provides counselling in locations throughout Durham Region. Specific hours depend on the location. Daytime and evening appointments are available at most offices. OHIP does not cover counselling fees; however, we will not deny counselling if you are unable to pay.

Fees are based on your income and family size. Your counselling fee will be discussed when you call, and set by the intake worker. If you cannot afford your fee, you can discuss this with your counsellor. If your income changes, so will your fees.

 

For more information about Family Services Durham, please visit durham.ca .

Don't forget that you can connect and get the latest in news from CLOC by checking out our Social Media pages. Please encourage the people who receive services, their families, and anyone else you know to connect with CLOC via social media, as well. Click below to transport to CLOC's Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and YouTube profiles, along with CLOC's brand new website.

www.communitylivingoc.ca