MINDEMOYA—A bright sunny day capped off a brilliant month of activities and festivities to celebrate Community Living Month. Each year, Community Living Ontario promotes a province-wide awareness campaign to recognize the accomplishments of the Community Living movement and to demonstrate how inclusion matters for people who have an intellectual disability and their families.
Members and employees of Community Living Manitoulin (CLM) kicked off the month by lighting homes along with the community HUB in green and blue lights to “shine a light” on their involvement in Manitoulin life. In conjunction with the Municipality of Central Manitoulin they raised the Community Living flag at town hall, as well. And a walking challenge encouraged staff and CLM Board members to step up and show their support by keeping a step count. The objective was not to determine who got the most steps but to challenge people to get up and get moving. Appreciation cards with key chains were distributed to staff with personalized messages to recognize their hard work and dedication
Another highlight of the month was joining forces with Central Manitoulin Public School to take part in Red Shirt Day during National Accessibility Week. Students, along with 25 individuals from CLM decked out in red shirts, participated in an accessibility and inclusion walk through Mindemoya on May 28.
The grand finale was a yard sale and barbecue held at one of the CLM residences on May 31. An earlier appeal for community support resulted in massive donations of clothing, toys and household goods that drew good crowds of enthusiastic shoppers. Unsold items were then donated to other local charities to generate additional funds for their worthy causes.
“I am so thankful for the wonderful support we received from the community, both those who gave us things to sell and those who bought them,” said Adrienne Farquhar-Kuula, executive director of Community Living Manitoulin. “People often contributed more than the asking price, rounding up to give a little extra. I’m especially grateful for the food for the barbecue that we received at cost from Foodland management and staff in Mindemoya. I also cannot say enough good things about our terrific staff, management team and CLM individuals who put in volunteer hours to set up, work during the event and then tear down the site, which helped enormously.”
The turnout for the event was great, with plenty of folks enjoying burgers, sausages and hot dogs as well as the entertainment provided by a pet goat owned by a staff member’s family who was a welcome addition to the day’s fun.
Proceeds generated by the event contribute to CLM’s fundraising efforts to purchase a new mobility van to replace one on its last wheels. The campaign is off to an excellent start, thanks to a very generous donation of $50,000 from the Douglas A. Smith Family Foundation. However, there’s still a way to go given the cost of a van ranges from $85,000 for a good condition used vehicle to $100,000 for a new van.
by Heather Marshall
