Stroke Recovery Association of British Columbia CORKY`S

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Winter 2012
CORKY`S SNIPPETS
Winter 2012
ODD
Isn't it odd that things that we took for granted all our former life (i.e. before our stroke), like talking,
thinking, or walking or using our left hand, and now these things have become huge efforts? When I
meet another stroke survivor I'm continually amazed at their tenacity to overcome their individual
problems. What it tells me is the amazing drive that all living things have to keep striving to live on.
Stroke Recovery Association of British Columbia
Corky Knight
DONATION FORM
STROKE RECOVERY ASSOCIATION
OF BC
301 - 1212 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6H
3V1
Registered Charity Number: 13053 2500 RR0001
PERSONAL INFORMATION:
________________________________________________
(Name)
________________________________________________
We are the Stroke Recovery Association of BC and (Address)
we offer stroke recovery programs across BC. If
________________________________________________
you are interested in making a donation please fill
(City)
(Postal Code)
out this card and send it with your cheque to the
address above.
FOR IN MEMORIAM:
Your support of SRABC allows us to continue with PLEASE SEND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO:
our mission of helping stroke survivors and
caregivers throughout BC to improve their quality
of life.
In Memory Of:__________________________
Name:_______________________________________
Please indclude all of the information on the left
hand side of this donation form so that we can
issue you a donation receipt.
If you would like to advertise in this publication
please contact us at:
[email protected]
Amount enclosed: $_____________________
Address:_____________________________________
Printed by Laser Graphics. Thank you for your support!
http://www.printedpromoproducts.ca/
T h e S t r o k e Re c o v e r y A s s o c i a t i o n o f B C g r a t e f u l l y a c k n o w le d g e s t h e f u n d i n g p r o v i d e d b y :
T H A N K Y O U ! W e th a n k a l l o u r p a r t n e r s a n d i n d i v i d u a l d o n o r s f o r t h e ir v a l u e d s u p p o r t .
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www.strokerecoverybc.ca
www.strokerecoverybc.ca
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Winter 2012
Happy
New Year!
In this issue
of Voice of
the Turtle
you’ll find
details
about our brand new Board of
Directors - see page 9. I’d like to
officially welcome the new
Directors to Stroke Recovery
Association of BC and thank the
returning Directors for continuing
to help us to fulfill our Mission to assist stroke survivors and their
caregivers throughout the
province to improve their overall
quality of life.
I must apologize for my
attempted moustache in the
picture on the cover. It was for
Movember - fund and awareness
raising for men’s health - so I had
a good excuse!
Finally there’s a piece on page 8
about what the Provincial Office
does. If you have any questions or
comments please let me know.
Tim Readman
Executive Director
VOICE OF THE TURTLE
This newsletter is published quarterly.
Advertisements contained herein or
articles reprinted are not necessarily
endorsed by SRABC.
Submissions are welcomed but we
reserve the right to select items for
printing.
Please send submissions to the address
below:
STROKE RECOVERY
ASSOCIATION OF BC
301 - 1212 West Broadway,
Vancouver, BC, V6H 3V1
Tel: 604-688-3603
Fax: 604-688-3660
Toll Free: 1-888-313-3377
SRABC is a registered
charity
No. 13053 2500 RR0001
Winter 2012
BLAST 2012
2012 Board of Directors
Dan Kennedy
Alan Thackray
Gail Bellward
Stroke Survivors B.L.A.S.T.
"Building Life After Stroke Together”
Easter camp for stroke survivors, caregivers and
friends!
Ann Wreford
Kate Keetch
Greg McKinstry
Mary-Joan Giffin
Marc Montrichard
Atud Gadhia
Penny Swales
SRABC website!
www.strokerecoverybc.ca
Make sure you take a look
and direct others to it!
Good Friday to Easter Monday
April 6th - 9th, 2012
$225.oo includes coach from lower mainland
meals, bedding, and all activities.
Register online and get more information
www.TurtleTalk.ca
Days 604 943 3206 Evenings 604 253 2390
On the Cover: Our 2011 AGM Top: Winners
of the 2012 Phyllis Delaney Life After Stroke
Awards . Middle: Members enjoying lunch,
Dr. Jennifer Yao giving a presentation and
president Dan Kennedy hosting the event.
Bottom: Tim Readman and Genevieve
Thompson, Jim Watson giving a presentation
on fundraising and members enjoying the
speakers.
T h e S t r o k e Re c o v e r y A s s o c i a t i o n o f B C g r a t e f u l l y a c k n o w le d g e s t h e f u n d i n g p r o v i d e d b y :
T H A N K Y O U ! W e th a n k a l l o u r p a r t n e r s a n d i n d i v i d u a l d o n o r s f o r t h e ir v a l u e d s u p p o r t .
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Winter 2012
Winter 2012
SAANICH PENINSULA
TEMPLETON
COWICHAN
Our Christmas Dinner was held last Dec. 3, 2011 at
Lion's Den, Vancouver. It was very well attended,
60 plus people, and we got some other Stroke
Branches attending; from Coquitlam, Delta,
Douglas Park and North Shore, too. Margaret &
Dennis Hansen, Annie; Karel Ley and Blair from
Delta; Martha H. from Douglas Park and Ray East
from North Shore.
Our raffles was a big hit, especially the Balloon
Raffle! We got everybody a door prize courtesy of
Templeton Santa. Templeton Carolers got the
Christmas spirit going by singing Christmas songs.
We're planning already for next Christmas Dinner
2012! I hope you all come next year!
We had our Christmas party for the Stroke
Recovery Association Cowichan Valley Branch
as well as our first meeting at the Vancouver
Island Regional Library in the multi-purposed
room, where we will have speakers on Fridays
at 1:00.
The Peninsula Stroke Recovery Branch held its annual Christmas Dinner at the Cedar Hill Golf Course in
Saanich on December12th. It was a beautiful sunny day with lots of activity on the golf course. The Gypsy
Rovers three piece band provided an hour of musical entertainment and song before dinner and then
joined in with us for a traditional turkey dinner and the usual trimmings.
It was nice to see some members out who are not always able to attend our weekly meetings, as well as
other behind the scene supporters of our program. In addition, Bruce and Bronwyn Hackett from the
Victoria Branch were invited to attend.
After dinner there were a number of draws for door prizes under the direction of our Vice-President, Judy
Hedquist. The prizes were donated by a number of merchants in the community including the Peninsula
Co-op, Brentwood Bay Pharmasave, Orr’s Family Butcher, Tuscany Village Pharmasave and Applebee’s
Neighbourhood Grill & Bar. Letters of Appreciation have been sent to the merchants by our Secretary,
Barbara Brown.
Submitted by: Lyall Copeland, Coordinator
In Memoriam
Thank You and Welcome
Oceanside Stroke Recovery members have had some
Branch Coordinators
emotionally challenging experiences during the fall season. In
Welcome to Sara Wood our new
October, our former treasurer, Gwen McMillan passed away
coordinator at the Campbell
after 20 years of volunteer service to our branch. She did have
River Branch!
a long and full life at 89 years of age and we focussed on that
during her "Celebration of Life".
Canadian Stroke Network
On November 20, we lost another member. Lucinda Socha,
caregiver and only child of stroke survivor, Ted Socha,passed
away suddenly at the age of 61. Lucinda was a wonderful
caregiver and a willing volunteer at our branch.
On November 29, Rosie Werdal, wife of our president, Jim
Werdal, passed away unexpectedly from complications
following knee replacement surgery. She was only 68. In her
role as Sunshine Lady, she prepared the birthday and get well
cards and sang Happy Birthday to our members. Her cheery
disposition and ready smile spread joy and comfort among our
members and it was a great shock to hear of her passing. Our
sympathy and compassion goes out to the families of these
three wonderful ladies. We will miss them.
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"Check out the Canadian Stroke
Network's new website:
http://www.lifeafterstroke.ca/
It's a great resource for individuals and
families living with stroke."
Email Addresses
If you haven’t done so already, please
send us your email address. This way
we can save paper by sending you
newsletters online! Plese send your
email to: [email protected]
www.strokerecoverybc.ca
www.strokerecoverybc.ca
Our first speaker was Stephen Shumka who
encouraged stroke survivors to be patient with
themselves and to use repetition to re-build
neural pathways that support motion and
activity. His talk was very encouraging, and he
is the son of our president Hanneke Shumka
and her husband Ken, who are rightfully very
proud.
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Winter 2012
VERNON
We held a donor appreciation luncheon on Oct. 13 with
Arlene Bone and Klara Schubert from The Eagles Ladies
Auxilliary, John Mayrhofer from The Eagles and Stella
Meger from The Royal Purple Lodge.
On Oct. 22 we handed out brochures at the Village
Green Mall where we used our new banner.
We had our Halloween party with Brenda Paul dressed
as a crazy hockey player and Wilf Knopp as a pirate.
On Dec. 8, 2011 Clarence Cameron's Christmas Party for
Stroke Recovery was held and on Dec. 15, 2011 our
Christmas Party at The Eagles Hall took place with the
Chilly Creaker band that always performs for us.
Winter 2012
KAMLOOPS
Wow what a year!! Happy New Year to all of the
Stroke Recovery Branches from us in Kamloops.
I am happy to say that we played a big part in
making a wonderful Christmas come true for a
Kamloops Family in need. We provided a family of
four with a Christmas Hamper (a wicker hamper
and three large boxes) overflowing with food and
presents. I am very proud of what everyone in our
group contributed to make a difference in that
family’s life.
2011 was filled with many great memories and we
are excited about the year ahead of us. A new year
brings the opportunity for us to expand our minds in
learning new things, and change our lives with
experiencing new challenges.
Having balance in our lives and increasing wellness
is important to us. So this means our schedule on a
monthly basis is balanced with exercise for the mind
and body, and activities, as well as outings and guest
speakers.
Last year we enjoyed many outings including a
Riverboat Adventure, a trip to Vernon’s Davidson
Orchards as well as many local tours and of course
our favorite past time of bowling and “Armchair
Travel”.
“Attitude has everything to do with your life, health,
and happiness – having the right attitude starts by
choosing to have one”.
– Shona Cox, Program Coordinator, Kamloops
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Winter 2012
WHITE ROCK
Winter 2012
STRATHCONA
We’re happy to be in our new facilities now but
like any move to a new place it can be a challenge
getting used to the changes. Even though it was a
busy time for both Monday and Tuesday groups
decided to get together and celebrate Halloween.
So out came the costumes and up went the
decorations. The new offices were festooned with
black cats, pumpkins, ghouls and ghosts.
Volunteers Laura Langdon and Kelly Craik did a
great job and the place looked absolutely haunted.
The hall was only one part of the affair. Members
dug into their closets and retrieved old costumes
or used some imagination and a bit of sweat to
create new ones. They also went to their recipe
books or memories and cooked up some treats for
a potluck. The tables were filled with excellent
fare. It was a lot of fun and a good time was had
by all. Gary, our resident photographer, took
some excellent photos to remember the event.
They are shown below.
Here are some photos of our Christmas celebration this December, where we had our yearly
photo shoot with our beloved Santa! Say Cheeeese! Pictured are our dedicated and supportive
volunteers! Thanks to the Strathcona preschoolers, we had a wonderful mini concert during our
Christmas party!
Submitted on behalf of Pat Chow and the Strathcona Stroke Recovery Branch by Anna.
Some special thanks go out to our volunteers
Marg, Jean and Val for their efforts in serving the
coffee and tea and setting out the food. Special
thanks to Gayl Hutchison, our coordinator for
doing all the things she does to make the branch a
continuing success. Everyone had a great time
and a lot of fun.
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Winter 2012
Winter 2012
COQUITLAM
DELTA
On Tuesday, Nov. 22 at our weekly meeting we used
new equipment purchased through the generosity of
donors to assist members in their exercise balance and
strengthening exercises. In addition speaker and
physical therapist Erin spoke to the members
regarding pain control of the upper body. We were
honoured that she brought her new service puppy to
visit on the same occasion. Erin's puppy is named
Ricky-Wayne.
Joanne Vondette (SLP) received a gift of appreciation
from the branch members for her on going service to
those who need communication assistance. Members
assembled in the library for punch and games prior to
moving to the large hall for lunch.
Recently, one of SRABC Delta Branch's members
landed up in hospital with gangrene, and as a
diabetic needs hospital care until he can be returned
to his home. He looks pretty happy and why not? He
had 21 visitors in one day! Surely that must be a
record.
In December, Delta branch members gathered to
celebrate Christmas. Photos show volunteer, Heather,
serving everyone punch in the library while the
members played word games with SLP, Joanne
Vondette. Everyone them moved into the large hall
for a buffet Christmas turkey with all the trimmings
SLP, Joanne Vondette, shown with her board used
during the communications group session assisting
aphasics and those with comprehension difficulties in
the intricacies of selecting 5 out of 8 nominees for
directors at large with SRABC.
Sumitted by Karel Ley
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In late October 2011, Speech and Language Pathologist Meena Paranjpe treated everyone at the Coquitlam
Branch to a Diwali Festival of Lights party. Meena brought in saris for many ladies to wear, plus displayed
small lanterns, candles and jewellery. She gave an informative talk and slide show about Diwali. The
presentation finished with a delicious vegetarian stew of chickpeas served with fresh naan bread all
homemade by Meena. The meal was complemented with lots of packaged savoury and sweet treats to
sample. It was a delightful day. Thank you Meena! It is wonderful to have such caring and interested
professionals work with us.
Also I got a copy of Kevin Sorbo's book True Strength from my library. (From cover story of Stroke
Connection magazine: When Hercules had a stroke.). I thoroughly enjoyed it. A quick, easy and fascinating
read.
~ Margaret Hansen
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Winter 2012
VICTORIA
Lots of fun this fall at the Victoria branch, BC
Ambulance service came and gave us a
presentation and we all had lots of questions. A
local drivers school came and talked to our
members about keeping your drivers licence. The
highlight so far was our annual halloween
costume party with prizes for the best costume.
We had clowns,pirates,vampires,and a cereal
killer! We also celebrated a members 90th
birthday with love and cake.
Busy fall with exciting presentations from
University of Victoria on neuro motion
psyiotherapy as well as entertainment all leading
up to a wonderful xmas dinner held at the Gorge
Vale Golf club. The Irish Rovers entertained us
and it was an occasion of fun and good food.
Winter 2012
THE 2011 PHYLLIS DELANEY LIFE AFTER STROKE AWARDS
The awards committee - Christy Campbell (former Board member), Jean Rollins (Burnaby South
Branch Director) and Karel Ley (Delta Branch Director selected the winners. The awards were
presented by SRABC President Dan Kennedy at our AGM in November 2011. As per last year the
Volunteer of the Year was a 3-way tie.
Volunteer of the Year – Bruce Hackett (Victoria)
Volunteer of the Year – Brenda Montgomery (North Shore)
Volunteer of the Year – Joyce Matthews (Oceanside)
Outstanding Achievement – Jack Plain (White Rock)
Caregiver –Penny Swales (Vanderhoof)
OCEANSIDE
We held our Christmas
Party and turkey lunch
on December 2, with an
exciting in house raffle
and auction. George
Despins entertained on
Piano, while his wife
Gwen led the carol sing
a long.
Our branch sends best
wishes to all the
branches for a healthy,
happy new year in
2012.
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Kathleen accepts Joyce’s Award
Bruce Hackett
Luella Novak and Penny Swales
Right: George Despins entertaining on piano. Left:SRABC member,
Nancy Whelan with the camel and a shepherd.
Submitted By Kathleen Falvai
Eric McIntosh and Jack Plain
www.strokerecoverybc.ca
www.strokerecoverybc.ca
Christine Alexander and Brenda Montgomery
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Winter 2012
Winter 2012
THE SRABC PROVINCIAL OFFICE
WELCOME TO OUR NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Stroke Recovery Association of BC Provincial Office is in Vancouver. There are 3 staff members who
work there: Tim Readman - the full-time Executive Director, Ali Mahdiyar - Director of Finance, and
Genevieve Thompson - Office Administrator whom both work 4 days a week. We also employ people on
short-term contracts to complete specific tasks.
SRABC BOARD OF DIRECTORS
At the Stroke Recovery Association of BC Annual General Meeting in November of 2011 we announced
the results of our board elections. The new board is now in place.
The board and its committees meet at the Provincial Office. We are an administrative office so we don't
provide services to stroke survivors or the general public. If anyone does drop by looking for assistance
we do what we can to help, but that is not our real purpose or function.
The 10 members of the new board are: Dan Kennedy - President, Allan Douglas Thackray - Legal Counsel,
Marc Montrichard - Treasurer, Dr. Gail Bellward, Dr. Kate Keetch, Ann Wreford , Mary-Joan Giffin , Greg
McKinstry, Atul Gadhia and Penny Swales. At the next meeting in February the secretary and VicePresident will be appointed.
WHAT DOES THE PROVINCIAL OFFICE DO?
WHAT DOES THE BOARD DO?
Our board of directors is being trained in running a non-profit Association/registered charity, and in fund
raising. It has 2 basic functions.
Support
Raising money
Advocacy
Providing special skills such as in law or public relations
Acting as ambassadors to the community
Governance
The key areas of governance are:
Protection of the public interest
Keeping SRABC on mission and on message
Writing policies
Keeping the bylaws up to date
Evaluation of the performance of the Executive Director
Reviewing and authorizing plans and commitments
Ensuring compliance with legal and contract requirements
Evaluating SRABC's work
⁂ Administration
There are lots of rules and regulations about how we have to do things to keep SRABC going as an
incorporated Provincial Association, and a registered Canadian charity. Our job is to make sure we run
things properly, file reports, pay our bills and keep everything up to date. We also organize board
meetings and Annual General Meetings. We work closely with the board on figuring out what the budget,
goals and priorities of SRABC are, and what work needs to get done to achieve them.
We have to: access documents for the management and operation of a nonprofit association, contact
vendors who provide services to the association, review, file, follow and update contracts, and contact
major funders.
Vital information needs to be kept up to date in the following key areas of operations for review at all
times: finances & payroll, banking, insurance, legal, human resources, facilities, service contracts, and
fundraising.
⁂ Provide information and referral services
⁂ Create Funding
⁂ Help with branch operations
⁂ Develop guidelines and standards for branch service delivery
⁂ Provide a network for the exchange of information and ideas across the Association
⁂ Open new branches
⁂ Promote SRABC
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