Amigo News - Heads Up for Inclusion

Amigo News
Spring 2016
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Pink Shirt Day...........................1
From the Chair…………...………...2
Board Update…………….………….2
Community Program..……………2
Thank You!...............................3
Back Page Contest……...……..….3
Upcoming Events…………….…....3
Charitable Giving…………………..3
PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS:
Campbellford D.H.S
Crestwood S.S
East Northumberland S.S
Kenner C.V.I
Kenner Intermediate
Thomas A. Stewart S.S
Holy Cross Catholic Secondary
School
Amigos Support Pink Shirt Day, and Anti-Bullying!
Pink shirt day was celebrated in many of our local schools on
February 24th with a variety of activities, and students asked to wear
pink. Our Amigos groups were no exception! Our Crestwood Amigos
participated in a pink shirt activity where they conveyed messages of
encouragement and how to be kind to others on bright pink shirt cut
outs. The shirts were displayed in their foyer for the whole school
and visitors to see. Way to go Amigos, and way to get the message
about anti-bullying out there!
Heads Up for Inclusion Board
members include:
 John McNutt, Chair
 Jill Duncan, Vice Chair
 Marshall Elliott
 Catherine McGrath
 Fenna Green
 Breanne Mackenzie
 Lori Wilson
 Paul Corneya
 Jewel Green
 Julia Marino—Resource
 Carrie Wright,
CLP Advisory Member
 Heather Cunningham,
Resource KPRDSB
Crestwood Amigos Pink Shirt Display!
Follow us on
Twitter and
Facebook!
@headsupamigos
Facebook.com/
headsupforinclusion
Would you like to learn more about Amigos or start a program at your
school?
Visit www.headsupforinclusion.ca or contact
[email protected] for more information.
Amigos News
www.headupforinclusion.ca
2
Board Update
HUI’s Board has been very busy
over the past couple of months with
planning for Heads Up for
Inclusion ‘s future. There have been
many discussions surrounding how
to modernize the Amigos Program
to reach all youth who have barriers
to inclusion, and how to better suit
the needs of our rural programs.
There have also been discussions
about what HUI’s financial future
should look like. In light of this,
Heads Up for Inclusion’s Board
members will be participating in a
retreat and planning session to take
place in June 2016. This is critical to
an organization like HUI, and will
help to ensure the longevity and
relevancy of programs like Amigos
for many years to come!
We have also had a new addition to
the Board. Our newest resource
person is Julia Marino, and she is a
student at Holy Cross Catholic
Secondary. We look forward to her
fresh perspective!
Interested in joining
the HUI Board?
Heads Up for Inclusion is asking persons
with disabilities, teachers, parents and
supporters of people with disabilities to
help us promote inclusion by becoming
Board members. The Board meets on a
monthly basis at the HUI office, 250
Sherbrooke St. Unit 6 in Peterborough.
Contact
[email protected]
Message from the Chair
Many new and
exciting things have
been happening here
at heads Up for
Inclusion! I am
pleased to announce
two new additions to
our Board. Lori
Wilson has taken on
the position of
Treasurer for HUI’s
Executive Board. Lori
comes from a tax
background, and we look forward to her
expertise in this area. Julia Marino is a Grade
11 student at Holy Cross, and is our newest
resource person. Julia works closely with the
Amigos and LLS class. “During my time as a
peer support helper in the LLS classroom, I
learned a lot about students and individuals
with intellectual disabilities, and formed close
and great relationships with them. I'm very
excited to be taking the next step by joining
the Heads Up for Inclusion board, and
working with others to better our community
and find ways for these individuals and other
students to become involved! I am so grateful
for the opportunity to be a part of this board
and I look
forward to
what is to
come”. In her
spare time
Julia is
involved in
competitive
Julia with her Amigo Rebecca
dance, field
lacrosse and enjoys working as a hostess for
a local restaurant.
I am also very excited to announce that HUI is
a recipient of an Ontario Trillium Fund Grant!
This will allow us to re-boot our highly
successful Amigos in the Community
Program. We will be hiring a Community
Program Coordinator. For more details please
visit www.headsupforinclusion.ca
It is that time of year again where we look
forward to our Amigos Fiesta BBQ
celebration. This year we will be partnering
with the Council for Persons with Disabilities,
and the Active Together program for some
new and fun activities.
Overall it has been a great quarter, and thank
you to all who make our programs possible!
Re-boot of Amigos in the Community Program
Heads Up for Inclusion is pleased to
announce the re-boot of the Amigos in
the Community Program! This was
made possible through an Ontario
Trillium Fund Grant that Heads Up for
Inclusion received in March. The
community program will focus on supporting those with barriers to inclusion
who are currently out of school. Many people with barriers feel
disconnected to the communities in which they live, and have difficulty
making friends. The format of this program will be similar to that of the
Amigos in Schools Program. Participants will be paired together based on
mutual interests, and will explore the community in which they live. This
will lead to the building of meaningful friendships and a better quality of life
for those living with barriers to inclusion. This program was very successful
in the past, and we are hoping to repeat that success! If you are someone
who faces barriers to inclusion, or know someone who could benefit from
this program, please use the contact information below to register. Also we
are looking for volunteers for our community program. If you are a person
with a passion for volunteering and helping to better the lives of others,
please call the number below to register! Our thanks go out to the Ontario
Trillium Fund for making this program a possibility!
to request an information package.
Thanks for your interest!
Amigos News
Heads Up for Inclusion: 705-745-1700
www.headupforinclusion.ca
3
Thank you!
To our 2015-2016 funders and partners
 City of Peterborough
 Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough
 Community Living Peterborough
 Community Living Campbellford
 East Side Mario’s—Peterborough
 Fleming College
 Harry E. Foster Charitable Foundation
 Kawartha FEST
 Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board
 K.M Winter Jewellery Studio Inc.
 Mackenzie Investments
 Medichair (Trent)
 Minute Maid
Ontario Trillium Fund
 Pilkington– Henninger Charitable Trust
Upcoming Events
Amigos Fiesta BBQ May 25 2016: The countdown is on to
our annual celebration of our Amigos participants! The BBQ will
be held at Beavermead Park in Peterborough on Wednesday
May 25th. This is a well attended event and everyone gets to
participate in interactive games awards ceremony as well as a
free BBQ lunch! Dianne and Matt Kraft from East Side Mario’s
have generously donated all of the food and Kawartha Dairy
has offered to provide dessert. What a great day for our
awesome Amigos!
Applications for the Amigos Bursary are due by
MAY 11TH! Please contact Christa McCorquodale at
[email protected] for more
information!
HUI Board of Director’s Retreat June 12-13 2016:
The Board of Directors for Heads Up for Inclusion will come
together for a two day planning session. We will be discussing
what the next few years will look like for the Amigos Program
and HUI in terms of programming and budget.
Amigos News
Back Page Contest Winner
Congratulations to our first
ever back page contest
winner June Switzer!
June is a Crestwood student
from Millbrook, Ontario. Many
may consider her natural talent for
drawing to be an inherent gift. However,
June has dedicated thousands of hours
of practice to become proficient at
drawing her unique perception of objects
on to the page. It is rare to find June
without her sketchpad and pencil. Good
work June! Your hours of practice have
paid off.
Looking for an end of
year gift for your
child’s teacher?
Consider a donation to the Heads Up for
Inclusion Amigos Program!
Cards can be sent on your behalf to the teacher of your
choice. Heads Up for Inclusion also accepts monthly and
legacy donations. Every donation helps us to reach our
goal of supporting as many people suffering barriers to
inclusion as possible! For more information about how to
give, please contact John McNutt at:
[email protected], or 705-745-1700
*Registered charitable
number 84547 3255
RR0001. Tax receipts are
provided for donations of
$20 or more*
www.headupforinclusion.ca
4
Congratulations to our first Back Page Contest winner
June Switzer!
Heads Up for Inclusion promotes connections in
our community leading to the development of
relationships, so young people with barriers to
inclusion can lead meaningful lives.
www.headsupforinclusion.ca
Amigos News
www.headupforinclusion.ca