‌

Greetings to you all! We hope you and your family are keeping well.
 
We are all well and so thankful for all the kindnesses that have been shown to us! We have been busy trying to ensure that everyone is safe, engaged and connected during this very isolating time.

We realized early on that without connections and learning opportunities, individuals would have become isolated in their homes, without friends, activities, or other means of engagement, so quick action was taken.

Our two social inclusion programs have undergone dramatic pivots in programming and still continue to adapt and re-imagine how to meet the needs of our participants with intellectual disabilities who are continuing to ensure they are safe from COVID-19 by staying at home.

Sol Express, our creative and performance arts program, which addresses social inclusion and well-being, has gone online. Performance arts transformed into choreography and photography, videography evolved into story-boarding and collaborative video-creation sessions, and creative arts became sessions that focus on drawing, singing and story telling. New sessions for the fall and winter have just been announced.

Not to be held back by COVID-19, L'Arche Toronto Sol Express's Video and Storyboarding group created a new video called “wikiHowNOW” for the 2020 Toronto Fringe Collective Festival in July.

You can enjoy the performances of Andreas, Nick, Rachel and Irene and a few other clowns when The Fringe Collective brings the videos back, due to popular demand, during the weekend of August 19 to 23rd. Follow our social media or The Toronto Fringe for more information!
Trying It on For Size (TIFS) is our life-skills program for young adults. During the past months TIFS programming also went online so that participants could continue to work with their coaches and the entire group of TIFS participants using ZOOM. Sessions taught participants about COVID-19 and ways they could protect themselves. Fun home challenges such as “Who's Cooking”, “Domestic Challenges”, “Building Friendship” and exciting game nights served to reduce isolation. 

As the usual program uses a one-to-one format, in-person programming and overnight stays at the TIFS apartment have resumed with a focus on social-distancing and life-skills coaching using a COVID-19 lens, e.g., how to safely use transportation, clean, shop or meet friends in a post COVID-19 world. As the entire group of TIFS participants still can't get together, TIFS continues to hold a weekly TIFS Cooking Homebound Challenge on ZOOM for them and members of the L'Arche Toronto community homes.

---------------------------------------------

Programming to respond to the impacts of COVID-19 has shown that there is a large group of individuals with intellectual disabilities, who live in our homes and within or outside their family context, who may lack technical skills and/or be able to be engaged by ZOOM-type programming. For this reason, we are about to offer more one-to-one day support in our homes. This support could help the individuals to participate in ZOOM sessions or be new participant-focused individualized programming. The goal will be to work with core members to plan and participate in meaningful and engaging activities during the daytime hours both within the home and safely in the community

These vital changes due specifically to COVID-19 have led to an extraordinary increase in expenses. At the same time, we are also facing reduced revenues due to lower fees for service and the postponement of our largest annual fundraiser. Both Sol Express and TIFS, which are not government funded, are experiencing significant budget pressures.

Your partnership during this exceptional period of uncertainty would help to defray costs and sustain engaging, creative and meaningful programming for individuals with intellectual disabilities in Toronto.

As we look to the future, please consider partnering with L'Arche Toronto by making a monthly gift which will provide the necessary financial stability to continue our mission even when fundraising events and typical fees for service are not materializing.

  • $120 or $10 monthly will provide a five-week online ‘Drawing Techniques’ session with supplies for a Sol Express participant.

  • $160 or $14 monthly will provide an individual with one-to-one support for two half days.

  • $300 or $25 monthly will provide an individual with five days of specialized transportation in order to get to appointments or activities.

  • $650 or $55 monthly will cover the costs for an individual to participate in the TIFS program for a one month.

  • $2,800 or $235 monthly will contribute to the TIFS apartment rental fee where participants try out living on their own.
Thank you to everyone who has already donated towards our programming costs over the past five months. Thank you as well to our over 50 monthly donors who help ensure a consistent monthly income for L'Arche Toronto.

We couldn't do all that we do without you!
Are you or a family member looking for a creative program for the fall and winter? L'Arche Toronto Sol Express fall and winter sessions are online now! Please register at www.mycommunityhub.ca
NEW!!! L'Arche Toronto has three exciting part-time opportunities for individuals who are keen to make a difference while working alongside persons with intellectual disabilities!
Check out the posting on our website at: www.larchetoronto.org/employment
For over 45 years, the L'Arche Toronto community has brought to life the mission of L'Arche, where women and men, with and without intellectual disabilities, share life in community by engaging with a wide circle of family, friends and neighbours.

L'Arche Toronto provides homes and supports for daily living, employment and volunteer placements, and community participation. We also offer Sol Express, a creative and performance arts program, and Trying It on For Size (TIFS), a life skills program. L'Arche Toronto helps persons with intellectual disabilities discover their gifts and abilities, and supports them to achieve their goals for a meaningful life.

L'Arche Toronto is a member of the International Federation of L'Arche. Founded in 1964, there are now 153 communities in 38 countries. www.larchetoronto.org

Please keep connected by following L'Arche Toronto on social media!