Birthday Celebrations!
Kevin celebrated his birthday earlier this month and helped his friend Stephen celebrate his birthday, too! Kevin took part in a drive-by birthday celebration outside of Stephen's house with balloons, streamers and a homemade sign! Happy birthday to both Kevin and Stephen!
Making Valentine's Day Crafts
Nick, Ali and Ryan enjoyed making the Valentine's Day coasters that we featured in the newsletter earlier this month. They look amazing, great job!
Happy Family Day from Ensemble
We in Ontario can look forward to Family Day, Monday February 21st, 2022 .

Family can take many forms depending upon your circumstances. In today’s ever-changing world, the traditional North American family continues to evolve.

As you celebrate Family Day:
  1. Practise gratitude
  2. Give the love you hope to receive
  3. Improve family communication
  4. Be forgiving
  5. Be patient
  6. Respect each other’s privacy

And last but not least - from your Ensemble family team,
Marilyn, Rubina, and Lois

Happy February 21st, 2022

Contact us by email or phone.
ensemble@communitylivingessex.org or 519-776-6483, ext 225

We have included the following weblink for you to read.
Nonprofit Appreciation Week

It's the first official Nonprofit Appreciation Week in Ontario! Did you know Ontario's nonprofit sector employees nearly 850,000 people and contributes $65 billion to the economy?

Together, let’s celebrate Ontario’s nonprofit employees, including the employees at Community Living Essex County and the dedication to people receiving supports! 
As part of Nonprofit Appreciation Week in Ontario, we want to highlight some of our employees who are involved in our Virtual Supports. Danielle and Paisley are two support workers who have been integral in getting Virtual Supports to where it is today. This is what they have to say:
Danielle:
I began supporting people virtually in July 2020. During the beginning of Virtual Supports, we focused heavily on ensuring participants were able to join our sessions and were enjoying what we were creating for them. Fast forward to over year and a half later, the people we support are providing us with ideas and sessions they want to see! It has been a fantastic experience to meet such amazing people!

Paisley:
Supporting people through Virtual Supports has been an amazing experience. At the beginning it was a big change for everyone, but it was great to make new relationships with each of the participants and stay connected. It was truly a lifeline when everything around us was changing daily. My favourite session is Ready to Read and I love being able to share some of my favourite stories and books each week with the participants.

Virtual Supports started with a few sessions a week and is now offering 15 sessions a week. We have added activities that require supplies for crafting to be delivered, and have also partnered with local businesses to bring fitness sessions to the participants.

The ideas are ever-changing with Virtual Supports as more and more activities are added to the schedule.

Virtual Supports has been a huge success and we will continue to offer new activities into the future.
Healthy Living
My name is Stephanie and I am 34 years old. I have been living a healthy lifestyle for the past two years and would like to share some of my tips on being healthy.

First, let's talk about exercise. I always start my day with a one hour workout. I do this because it makes me feel awesome and happy. Some of my favourite workouts are Richard Simmons videos. I also enjoy listening to Christmas music while I work out. I am in a wheelchair and have found videos that I CAN DO. I tell myself to workout every morning because it makes me feel awesome, awesome!

Now, let's talk about nutrition. To get in my water intake I drink lots of flavoured herbal and black teas. I start my day off with apple pancakes or a yogurt parfait. I have a salad every day with my lunch. Instead of salad dressing, I add cottage cheese, salsa, olives, and hummus. For dinner I try to avoid pasta. I will replace it with spaghetti squash. I try to eat a few vegan meals though out the week. I eat a lot of quinoa and sweet potatoes. I love anything with a lot of vegetables. For snacks I have apple chips, veggie straws, popcorn, and yogurt with fruit and granola. When I choose to eat out, I still try to make healthier choices. I will order a Greek salad with chicken and light feta. Subway also has great choices such as flatbreads or you can make any sandwich into a salad. Another great choice is Chinese food. I order a meat dish with a side of vegetables.

I hope that some of these tips and tricks will help you live a healthy and happy lifestyle like me.

Try the below recipe for these delicious Salted Chocolate Chip Sweet Potato Muffins.

Stay tuned for future articles from Stephanie!
An Update from New Day
New Day spent most of January putting together and practicing their "Year in Review 2021" for the Board of Directors. It was great to share that, even with a year of uncertainty, New Day was still able to connect virtually and continue their self-advocacy work.  

New Day is proud of:
  • Sending six advocates to the Speaking Out Retreat.
  • Donating $100 to the Kingsville Lions Club to help build an accessible playground for their community.
  • Partnering with Virtual Supports to host a virtual fieldtrip to Bird Kingdom. 
  • No matter what the world threw at them, they were still able to do something meaningful.
 
New for 2022, New Day has decided to meet virtually once a month. Night meetings will be held on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. The next meeting is February 15th 6:00 - 8:00pm and then March 15th 6:00 - 8:00pm.  

New Day's theme for 2022 is "Try Everything."  
 
They have been busy planning for the in-person Speaking Out Conference that will be held this October in Port Elgin. 
 
New Day has been brainstorming ways to fundraise to be able to attend the conference and also be able to give back to their community. New Day would like to host another virtual field trip this year. They are very excited that they will be featured on the Arms Bumanlag's podcast this spring. Stay tuned for more details. 

If you would like to connect with New Day reach out to us at: newday@communitylivingessex.org
Get Crafty!
Supplies:

  • Glue - either white glue or glue stick
  • A Paintbrush (if you’re using runny glue)
  • Origami paper or any alternative paper that you probably already have on hand.
  • Regular Printer Paper
  • Magazines
  • Maps
  • Colouring Book Pages
  • Vellum
  • Old Books
  • Newspapers

Cut into 7x7-inch squares.

1. Choose your paper. You’ll need five square pieces for each flower.
2. Take your square and fold it in half along the diagonal to make a triangle.
3. Fold both the bottom corners up to meet in the middle.
4. Fold both the points back so they line up with outside edge. This will make two pockets.
5. Pop open the pocket using a finger.
6. Flatten along the seam to make a kite shape and squash down.
7. Do the same on the other side.
8. Fold the top of each kite down to make two triangles. You want the top of the triangles to line up with the edge.
9. Take both the sides and fold them in half towards the center.
10. Apply glue to one of the flaps.
A glue stick works best here but if you’re using runny PVA glue like white glue make sure to apply as thin a layer as possible using a paintbrush. Too much glue can make the paper buckle and give you a messy end result.
11. Bring the two sides together so that both the flaps meet.
12. Press together. You may need to hold in place for a minute while the glue sets.
13. You’ve now made one petal. You can use your fingers to gently neaten up the inner pieces.
14. Repeat the steps above until you have five petals.
15. Take a petal and glue along the join.
16. Join together to a second petal. Hold until the glue sets.
16. Keep adding petals until you joined five together.
17. Set aside to dry.
Happy Family Day
Family Day is Monday, February 21st and is observed in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and New Brunswick on the third Monday of February. This holiday celebrates the importance of families and family life to people and their communities.

On Family Day, many people plan and take part in activities aimed at the whole family. These include visiting art exhibitions, watching movies, skating on outdoor ice rinks, playing board games, and taking part in craft activities. Some communities plan special public events, and art galleries and museums may have reduced price or free entry.

As the weather is usually very cold in February, hot chocolate and freshly baked cookies are popular snacks. Other people use the long weekend as an opportunity for a short winter break or to travel to visit family members or friends. As Family Day falls on the same date as National Heritage Day, some people use the day to explore their personal heritage and family history.
Enjoy Local Activities This Family Day Weekend
Chase away the mid-winter blahs with exciting activities sure to appeal to the entire family. Windsor Essex has many Family Day activities for fun, laughter, and family memories to cherish forever. 

In celebration of Canadian Heritage Week, Museum Windsor will have a free admission day at the Chimczuk Museum on Saturday, February 19th. 

Clip ‘n Climb has special hours February 18th - 21st. Friday 10:30am - 9:00pm and Family Day Monday 9:30am - 9:00pm.

Ontario Family Fishing February 19th - 21st pick up your fishing rod and enjoy this province-wide opportunity for Canadian residents to fish Ontario waters without the otherwise mandatory fishing license. There has never been a better time to go fishing with your family!

Outdoor Skating The ice is open for skating at Charles Clark Square, and Lanspeary Lions Rink. COVID-19 protocols will be in place. Visit www.ActiveWindsor.ca to secure your spot.
  • Lanspeary Park. Public skating Wednesday - Friday 4:00pm - 5:00pm and Sundays from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm 1250 Langlois Ave, Windsor
  • Charles Clark Square Public skating Monday - Friday from 4:00pm - 11:00pm, and 8:00 am to 11:00 pm on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. 215 Chatham St E, Windsor

Windsor Public Library Family Day Activities Monday, February 21st. 
  • Family Day Origami Frog Races, 1310 Grand Marais Rd W, Windsor
  • Family Scavenger Hunt: Stay-at-home edition, 185 Ouellette Avenue, Windsor
  • Visit www.windsorpubliclibrary.com for more details.
Positive Thoughts
Binge-Worthy TV
The Ultimate Braai Master
In this competitive cooking show, teams of two must brave the elements of the outdoors and barbecue the best dishes they can in order to win a cash prize.

Using only what they can catch in nature, the teams must prepare the best food they can over an open fire, or Braaing, to impress the judges or face elimination. Now streaming on Netflix.
Recipe of the Week
Quick Crispy Parmesan Chicken Breasts
Enjoy the crispy, cheesy, savoury delight of this fast and easy to make recipe. Serve by itself or topped with spaghetti sauce for a delicious dinner.
Laughter is the Best Medicine
Weekly Poll Question
Which is your favourite pet?
Dog
Cat
Rabbit
Bird
Fish
Lizard
Poll Results
The perfect Valentine's Day date is:
Going out for dinner ~ 38.6%
Watching a movie ~ 6.8%
Dancing ~ 4.5%
Staying at home ~ 18.2%
Spending time with friends or family ~ 31.8%