This Week's Possibilities Newsletter is Here

Notice of Annual General Meeting and Call for Nominations to the Board of Directors

We will be holding our Annual General Meeting virtually again this year due to COVID 19. This year the AGM is taking place on Thursday, June 23 beginning at 6:30 pm. The agenda will feature the year in review, presentation of several awards, election of our Board of Directors, and presentation of the audited financial statements.

Please save this date and watch for registration information in the coming months.

The above flyer contains the AGM invitation and the Call for Nominations for the Board of Directors.

Submit your nominations to the Board of Directors before April 15^th.

Send you nominations to:

Chairperson - c/o Executive Director

2021 Nominating Committee

Community Living Essex County

372 Talbot Street North

Essex, ON N8M 2W4

If you have any questions, please contact Karen Bolger, Executive Director at 519-776-6483 ext. 224 or email karen@communitylivingessex.org.

In order to be able to vote in this years Annual General Meeting you must renew or become a member by June 2^nd.

Click Here to Renew Your Membership or Become a Member Today!

Karen Bolger to Be Honoured

by St. Clair College

Community Living Essex County Executive Director, Karen Bolger, has been named as one of the 2022 recipients of St. Clair College’s Alumni of Distinction. Karen graduated in 1985 from the Developmental Service Worker program. She is being honoured in the category of Community Studies. This year’s Alumni of Distinction ceremony will take place on Friday, April 29^th in the Alumni Skyline room at the St. Clair College Centre for the Arts in downtown Windsor. Visit www.stclairalumni.com for more information.

Ensemble Is Searching For Volunteers

Ensemble is a parent-directed resource for families caring for a child with a disability that provides support from birth through adulthood. The name, Ensemble, is French for “together” and was chosen for the strength and resiliency found in the connections built between families and within the community.

Ensemble inspires possibilities for children by promoting family leadership so that families thrive and become active members in the community.

Ensemble was founded in 2000 by two moms whose lives have been affected by their children’s diagnosis of a disability. These moms understood the importance of connecting to others as the first step in helping families cope with the challenges of raising a child with a disability.

We meet ONCE a month via telephone or Zoom at 7pm for approximately 1 hour. By joining our committee, you will be able to openly share experiences and make suggestions. These opinions will provide valuable family perspectives everyone will benefit from.

Please consider making your voice heard.

Marilyn, Lois and Rubina

Family Consultants

ensemble@communitylivingessex.org or 519-776-6483, ext 225

What's Happening In Other Ontario Regions?

Click Here to Contact Your Local LHIN Office

RUDY

Virtual Personal Safety and Assault

Prevention Workshop

All men deserve the opportunity to increase their knowledge around personal safety and assault prevention. The workshops will provide teens and young men with intellectual disabilities with effective education to increase their understanding of personal boundaries, respecting yourself and your body, building healthy relationships and being able to identify various forms of assault and violence. If people have a healthy understanding of boundaries and positive relationships, the incidence of abuse and violence will decrease while a person’s self esteem and self worth will increase.

Session Dates:

Wednesday, March 16^th
Wednesday, March 23^rd
Wednesday, March 30^th
Wednesday, April 6th

From 3:00pm-4:00pm

Click Here to Register

Social Work Week in Ontario

#MoreThanEver

This week, between March 7^th to 13^th, Ontario is celebrating the over 20,000 Registered Social Workers across Ontario.

This year’s campaign comes at a pivotal moment for mental health. Two years into the pandemic, Ontarians are navigating the mental health impacts of anxiety, stress, and burnout like never before. Across the province, the country and the globe, people are looking for hope and for signs of brighter days as they navigate complex challenges and an even more complicated world.

The 2022 Social Work Week theme of #MoreThanEver speaks to this unprecedented need for mental health and addictions support across the province, and the vital role of social workers in ensuring mental health access for all Ontarians.

Click Here For More Information

Bridging the Digital Divide

Through funds raised, Canadian Down Syndrome Society (CDSS) is able to provide Android tablets and resource apps to a limited number of Canadians in 2022. Their application process allows CDSS to determine which persons have the greatest need at the current time. All applications are held in the strictest of confidence.

Again, the application deadline is March 14th, so don’t delay! Details about the program, as well as the application are at this link: https://cdss.ca/technology-initiative/

Click Here to Apply!

Authentic Inclusion & Awareness

Free Virtual Workshop

Michael Jacques, who never surrenders to the idea of “can’t,” will speak about topics such as learning, inclusion, advocacy, independence, and the power of perseverance. His journey with Re:Action4Inclusion started in Grade 10, where he found his voice as a participant. He then became involved with Re:Action4Inclusion as an organizer and since then has given numerous presentations promoting this fabulous youth movement. Michael’s insights and views on the world are equally challenging and inspiring. Through his witty and positive voice, Michael offers a glimpse of what it is like to be his authentic self.

All youth and supporters are welcome - you do not want to miss this session!

Join in to learn more about Michael’s story and how YOU can make a difference through your incredible leadership.

Click Here to Register

Spring Forward

Don’t forget to set your clocks forward one hour as Daylight Saving Time (DST) will begin this Sunday, March 13^th, at 2 am.

DST is the practice of setting the clocks forward one hour from standard time during the summer months, and back again in the fall, in order to make better use of natural daylight.

Ontario Parks Passes Available At

Essex County Library Locations

Starting Friday, March 11^th: Ontario Provincial Parks Passes will once again be available for loan from the Essex County Library! You'll be able to place a hold online or stop by one of their branches.

These permits allow unlimited day use access for one vehicle and its occupants to all provincial parks in Ontario where fees are normally charged. Park capacity limitations will apply. The permits must be displayed on the rear-view mirror or dashboard of the vehicle while it is in a park.

The loan period is one week. Visit OntarioParks.com/park-locator for a list of Ontario Provincial Parks.

Thanks to Ontario Parks for this amazing program!

Note: Point Pelee is NOT a provincial park, it is a national park.

Click Here to Reserve Your Pass

Celebrate Pi Day with Pie!

Pi Day is March 14 (3.14)! To celebrate, Essex County Library will go over how to make some quick and easy mini pies. They will focus on one sweet and one savoury recipe, but almost any flavour combination can be adapted into a mini pie!

Thursday, March 10^th, 2022 6:00 - 6:15 pm.

Ingredients: frozen tart shells (traditional or phyllo dough) (or make your own)

Sweet:

2 large apples
1/2 to 2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup oats
2 tbsp butter

Savoury:

3 eggs
1/4 cup feta
1/4 cup thawed and drained frozen spinach
1 tbsp cooked crumbled bacon

Watch this video on the Essex County Library’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EssexCountyLibrary/

Lucky St. Paddy’s Day FREE Virtual Paint Party

Join Julie for a free virtual St. Patrick's Day themed paint party.

Supplies:

Canvas, watercolour paper or mixed media paper: any size
Acrylic craft paints: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and black (a few different shades of green)
Brushes: 1/2" flat head & liner brush
A cup of water, paper towel, & paper plate for your paints

This party is pre-recorded and will be available to watch from March 12^th-19^th for FREE!

Make sure you respond “GOING” to the Lucky St. Paddy’s Day FREE Virtual Paint Party, so you get notified when the fun starts!

Saturday, March 12^th at 3:00 pm.

Click Here For More Information

Learn How to Meditate

Meditation is a mind and body practice that has a long history of use for increasing calmness and physical relaxation, improving psychological balance, coping with illness, and enhancing overall health and well-being. Mind and body practices focus on the interactions among the brain, mind, body, and behaviour.

There are many types of meditation, but most have four elements in common: a quiet location with as few distractions as possible; a specific, comfortable posture (sitting, lying down, walking, or in other positions); a focus of attention (a specially chosen word or set of words, an object, or the sensations of the breath); and an open attitude (letting distractions come and go naturally without judging them).

When you meditate, you inject far-reaching and long-lasting benefits into your life: You lower your stress levels, you get to know your pain, you connect better, you improve your focus, and you're kinder to yourself.

Meditation is simpler (and harder) than most people think. Read these steps, make sure you’re somewhere where you can relax into this process, set a timer, and give it a shot:

Take a seat
Find place to sit that feels calm and quiet to you.
Set a time limit
If you’re just beginning, it can help to choose a short time, such as five or ten minutes.
Notice your body
You can sit in a chair with your feet on the floor, you can sit loosely cross-legged, you can kneel - all are fine. Just make sure you are stable and in a position you can stay in for a while.
Feel your breath
Follow the sensation of your breath as it goes in and as it goes out.
Notice when your mind has wandered
Inevitably, your attention will leave the breath and wander to other places. When you get around to noticing that your mind has wandered - in a few seconds, a minute, five minutes - simply return your attention to the breath.
Be kind to your wandering mind
Don’t judge yourself or obsess over the content of the thoughts you find yourself lost in. Just come back.
Close with kindness

When you’re ready, gently lift your gaze (if your eyes are closed, open them). Take a moment and notice any sounds in the environment. Notice how your body feels right now. Notice your thoughts and emotions.

That’s it! That’s the practice. You focus your attention, your mind wanders, you bring it back, and you try to do it as kindly as possible (as many times as you need to).

Positive Thoughts

Must See Movies

Surviving Paradise: A Family Tale

Sometimes, survival of the fittest isn't enough in nature. As a dry season in the Kalahari Desert worsens, animals need to rely on their families even more to survive the elements. Now streaming on Netflix.