This Week's Possibilities Newsletter is Here

A Fun Day at Colasanti's

Last week, Zina visited Colasanti's Tropical Gardens for the first time! As you can see by the big smile on her face, she really enjoyed herself!

Our Journey to Re-Accreditation

As many of you know, Community Living Essex County was first accredited in 2014 by FOCUS Accreditation. This is a significant milestone in our agency’s history and highlights our commitment to excellence and quality supports, as accreditation is not mandatory, nor is it required by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. Every four years, accredited agencies must complete a re-accreditation process to ensure standards continue to be met and to verify compliance with any new standards developed by the accrediting body. Our agency is currently well into the re-accreditation process for 2022, with a great deal of work completed already but with several steps to come.

Next week FOCUS Accreditation will be soliciting feedback from all stakeholders associated with Community Living Essex County by way of an electronic survey. Input from people receiving services, families, and employees is an important part of FOCUS’ re-accreditation review. This feedback can help identify areas where we excel, areas that require improvement, and ways we can best meet the needs of people with intellectual disabilities and their families. In fact, without a response rate of at least 80% from each stakeholder group, our organization will not qualify for re-accreditation. Beginning Monday, we’ll be sending regular emails to all stakeholders to encourage participation in the survey process. It’s important to note that the survey is developed, collected, and reviewed by FOCUS alone, and responses are anonymous. We hope you’ll take a few minutes to share your thoughts and join us on this journey to becoming re-accredited in 2022!

Ensemble: A Wealth of Information

Looking for information? Caring for someone with a disability? The Ensemble website houses an extensive library of resources. We’ve got information regarding accessibility, advocacy, children and youth services, disability legislation, education, financial resources, housing, planning services and much more.

Want to talk? Reach out to us. We’re here to help.

Olivia, Jessica, and the Ensemble Committee

Call or email Ensemble

ensemble@communitylivingessex.org 519-776-6483, extension 225

Click Here to Visit the Ensemble Website

Essex Centre BIA Presents

Bike Rodeo and Outdoor Movie

Essex Centre BIA presents an evening of FREE fun on August 6^th at 5:30 pm! Kick off the night with Wrench Up! (a beginner bike repair class) and Bike Rodeo, followed by activities with Essex Fire and Rescue at 6:00 pm and the movie Encanto at dusk. Taking place at Heritage Gardens Park - Station Street, Essex (Rain Location: Essex Centre Sports Complex).

163^rd Annual Comber Fair

The 163rd annual Comber Fair is taking place this weekend, August 5^th - 7^th, at the Comber Community Centre, 6400 Community Centre Street. Price of admission is $7.00 for a day pass, $15.00 for a weekend pass, and kids 12 and under are free. Gates open daily at 8:00 am Friday and Saturday and 7:00 am on Sunday.

Click Here for a Schedule of Events

Busk on the Block

Busk On The Block is two-day festival happening on August 5^th - 6^th. There will be world-class touring acts performing for Windsor-Essex audiences of all ages.

Busk On The Block takes place on Argyle Road in Windsor, from Wyandotte Street to Assumption Street, and from Brant Street to Devonshire Road. Closed to traffic with performances on Friday from 6:00 pm - 10:30 pm, and 11:00 am - 10:30 pm on Saturday, each performance day will end with a Busk After Dusk group show.

Click Here for a Map of Events

Fruit Stamped Tea Towels

Tips for Fruit Stamps

Use fruits with distinct shapes. Stay away from bananas, grapes, etc. and go with fruits that have a noticeable shape (like a pear) or pattern (like citrus).
You can really use anything you like, but you’ll get better results with shapes that are more recognizable.
Use fruits that are less ripe vs. those that are overly ripe. Fruits that are less ripe are less juicy so you won’t make as much of a mess. They will be firmer and that will make them easier to stamp.
Cut cross sections. You can get more stamps out of one piece of fruit if you cut the fruit into cross sections. For example, cut an apple in half and stamp it - but then cut it further into sections so you can have more stamps. You can get about eight stamps out of one round fruit (and you can use both sides of the slice!).
Apply your paint in an even and thin layer. Definitely do a practice run first. Try dipping the paint in the fruit as well as painting it on to see which effect you like more. Citrus fruit patterns show up better when your fruit stamps are painted with a thin layer.

Supplies:

Blank tea towels
Acrylic paint and fabric medium or fabric paint
Black fine tip permanent or fabric marker
Paper towels
Wax or parchment paper
Fruit
Knife
Cutting board

Cut your fruit in half and then cut one of the halves again. Dab the cut sides on some paper towel to get rid of some of the excess juice.

Put a piece of wax or parchment paper in the middle of your tea towel to keep the paint from leaking through.

Press the fruit onto the tea towel, just like a regular stamp. Be careful when you are using juicy fruit like the lemon and orange. You want to press firm enough to get an impression, but not so hard that juice starts squishing out the sides.

Repeat with the other piece of the fruit to make one that looks like a slice.

Allow the paint to dry completely and outline with a permanent or fabric marker. Write what the fruit is at the bottom for an extra touch.

Once all of your fruit stamps are dry, be sure to heat set it. Do this by placing a cloth over the design and ironing it on a high setting (no steam). Do it for about 30 seconds.

Positive Thoughts

Binge Worthy TV

Friday Night Lights

Friday Night Lights is about a high school football team set in the town of Dillon, Texas. It follows the lives of the Dillon Panthers, one of the best high school football teams, and their head coach Eric Taylor. Five seasons are streaming on Crave.

Recipe of the Week

Italian Green Bean Salad

Fresh green beans are boiled and tossed with a simple vinaigrette of olive oil, red wine vinegar, crushed garlic and dry oregano to create this summer staple.