Insider Information - Campbell River and District Association for

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES:
 October 12 Thanksgiving
 October 13—15 Camp Homewood
Hoover gang
From left: Patricia Hibberd, Larry Daoust, Keith
Meyer, Steven Bull
 October 16 Ready, Willing and More than
Able—Community Living Month
 October 23 Autism Spectrum Disorders
 November 24 & 25 Back Care
Insider Information:
 November 27 TBA—For long-time employees
Executive Director
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Recreation & Leisure
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Lannan Road Group Home
 November 28 Conversations with a Rattlesnake
 December 9 CRADACL Winter Party
Director of Programs—Adult
Services
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Passages
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Employment Services
HYPE
Jesmar Group Home
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Ironwood Place
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Early Intervention Programs
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CAS
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
(FASD) Event
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Executive Coordinator
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Palmer Place
Community Living College
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What’s happening at CRADACL?
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Flu Information
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Skyline crew at Kelsey Bay
From left: Adam Arnold, Rob O’Shea, Ken Sloan, William Page,
Eileen Cooksley
Executive Director
Written by: Greg Hill
Greetings good people!
I cannot believe it is Fall! That was a very short summer in my mind. However, the weather was beautiful. September in
many ways is like the start of the year here at the Association. The children are back at Dogwood Place, the staff are back
from vacation, etc. it seems like things are back to their normal stride.
It is also an exciting time, as we have a new program called HYPE, which stands for Helping Young Adults Prepare for Employment. To me this is very worthy of excitement. It is like a new generation beginning or another chapter being opened
similar to when Our Place began 50 years ago. Hats off to all that made this possible; it truly was a team effort.
The Association was up for a couple of nominations at the Campbell River Chamber of Commerce Business Awards of Distinction that was on September 19,
2015.
1. Excellence in Workforce Development (over 50 employees)
2. Social Enterprise award
Both awards got my vote and I believe we are deserving of. Our ability and track
record to both awards is well documented but not well known to the general public. Hopefully the awards might well lend useful to public awareness of our many
strengths. Congratulations to Skyline Productions for winning the Social Enterprise Award!
Greg Hill and Ben Dafoe
Another exciting event is October being Community Living Month. I have planned an
evening of celebration for October 16th. The theme of the evening will be “Ready, Willing and More than Able”. The event
will take place at the Rivercity Players Theatre at 7:00pm. The show will last about one hour and will showcase the ability
of our folks. It will include music, spoken word and a few surprises. More details to follow! This evening will prove how
ability will break down barriers like this following lady has…
Madeline Stuart
Madeline, also known as Maddy, is an 18 year old girl from Brisbane, Australia with down syndrome. One year ago, Maddy was overweight, and she decided to get healthy and active through
cheerleading and dance. Through this, she discovered her passion for being in front of a camera and
after a few of her pictures went viral, she became a huge hit all over social media. Since then, here
are a few of Maddy’s many accomplishments…
-7 modeling contracts
- one of a kind doll made after her
- just walked down the runway at New York Fashion Week
- Launched her own handbag line with a fashion company called EverMaya, who donates 5% of its
profits to fund educational opportunities for the indigenous children of Guatemala, where its products are made. The company also donates another 5% of sales from Maddy’s handbag line to the National Down Syndrome Society.
Maddy has over 420,000 fans on Facebook and 50,000 Instagram followers, and she’s only 18 years old!
So as you can see, the whole Community Living movement is “Ready, Willing and More than Able”.
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Recreation and Leisure
Written By: Barry Kerr
We had a very busy summer. Some of the favorites were Paradise Meadows, the new Campbell River Suspension
Bridge and music at the “Spirit Square”. Another fun place is watching the Salmon running up the Quinsam River and
the bonus is watching the black bears fishing too.
From left: Doug Stillin, Danny Dion, Deb Lowery, Walter Dion
Doug Stillin and Danny Dion
With “Fall” upon us, we are changing into more indoor activities. Swimming, sewing, crafts and music is always very
popular, so starting in late September we will begin a new Music Program on Monday afternoons.
I hope everyone enjoys the upcoming season!
Lannan Road Group Home
Written By: Erik Nieuwejaar
Lannan Road has had several staff changes over the last few months. We said goodbye, then hello again, then goodbye
again to Nickie Gidlof as she moved to, was bumped out of, and then moved to Nikola program. We said hello and then
goodbye to Barb Humble as she found a program that best fit her personal circumstances. Thanks to both for their contributions to the clients lives while they were here. Leila Lopez ( Pinky) joined us in August, Meghan Weatherall has returned to Lannan Road; welcome to both! At the time of writing we are still waiting to find out who will fill our vacant
position.
Due to ongoing shortage of relief staff, there has been many overtime shifts and shifts of staff, both relief and permanent,
working partial shifts alone. Thanks to everyone for their patience and helping minimize disruption to the clients lives
and activities.
In August and September Lannan had inspections by both the Licensing officer and the Fire Chief; no issues were noted
at either inspection.
Clients have begun their scheduled Autumn activities after a summer filled with many, many picnics.
Lush Valley Food Action Society continues to produce food on a section of our back yard. The summer harvest is in and
winter crops have been started.
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From the desk of the Director of Programs—Adult Services
Written by: Michelle Albrecht
CRADACL was the successful proponent for a new day program providing service to 13 young adults. H.Y.P.E. (Helping
Young Adults Prepare for Employment) opened its doors on September 1 st under the supervision of Maureen Hunter,
Employment Services Supervisor. H.Y.P.E. is located at 1180 Ironwood Street and provides pre-employment, employment, life skills and community inclusion programs for youth who have recently transitioned into adult services. We look
forward to seeing the exciting future that awaits these young people.
Summer programs are wrapping up and people are settling back into regular routines. As we grow and expand our programs staff recruitment/retention is an on-going issue and will be reflected in this years’ strategic plan.
Hudson House is another step closer to final closure. Repairs and general “sprucing up” is being completed in preparation to have the home put on the market.
Upcoming Training:
Autism Spectrum Disorders and Positive Behavior Supports
Through the lens of the Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Program, this workshop will enhance your ability to confidently
and competently apply concepts and intervention strategies in your support to individuals on the autism spectrum. Participants in this program will:
Develop a greater understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Understand why behaviors occur, how to prevent behaviors from occurring and how to appropriately intervene when behaviors do occur.
Explore appropriate adaptations and interventions that are unique to the strengths, needs and learning styles of individuals on the autism spectrum
Date: Friday, October 23, 2015
Time: 9am – 4pm
Place: Classroom at 301 Dogwood
Cost: $35 (covers cost of workbook)
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Passages
Written By: Diane Reuss
Employment Services
Written By: Frank Barbas
We have been enjoying our long, sunny summer. We went
to various places in the Campbell River area and the
Comox Valley. Some of us jumped on the chair lift at
Mount Washington to enjoy the view! We went to the museum in Cumberland, picnicked at Sea View Farm, went
to Coombs, enjoyed the water park and had other adventures.
Now we are preparing to make plans for a more scheduled
indoor program due to the season changing. We will relaunch the hot lunch program in October, some of us are
back to college and others are looking forward to Camp
Homewood. We’ve had a great summer and hope for a
great autumn!
HYPE—Helping Young Adults Prepare
for Employment
Written By: Ruby-Anne Kennelly
September was our first month open! It’s been wonderful
getting to know everybody in our new program and being
able to get out in the great weather we’ve been having. We
have been doing a variety of activities such as, bus training,
nature hikes, basketball, swimming, weight room, disc golf,
as well as a hot dog roast on the beach.
NIEFS (Work BC) won the Chamber of Commerce Diversity Leadership award at this year’s Chamber of
Commerce Business Awards of Distinction. CRADACL
also won a new category awarded to Social Enterprises!
Photo below of the CRADACL Skyline crew accepting
their award. Congratulations to the hard working crew
of Skyline productions!
Job Club is in its second week and everyone seems enthusiastic. Big thank you goes out to Supportive Employment
group for helping us move furniture, tvs, desks and chairs
that were donated to the HYPE Program. A huge thank you
to Seymour Pacific for their generous donation of furnishings, tvs, and office equipment; we are grateful for this donation! Last but not least, thank you to Trevor Pastuck and
his family for the donation of a Wii game system, along with
games and accessories for it.
In October we are attending a Fall fair at the Eagles Dental
Hygiene workshop and a job fair too.
From (2nd) left: Frank Barbas, Tye Cranton, Patrick Murphy,
Patrick Jules, Ben Dafoe, Maureen Hunter
From left: Reise Collins, Michelle Pesicka, Brandyn Welsh , Cindy
Bachand, Jayne White; Front: Dakota Murphy
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Jesmar Group Home
Written By: Vicki Davidson
I thought you may like to see another example of how amazing our CRADACL team is!
A few weeks ago at the community center, the elevators broke down while all our folks were on the second floor.
The staff immediately jumped into action! They all helped each other to safely carry 7 wheelchairs down two
flights of stairs.
What an example of “Doing whatever it takes to make things happen”
I appreciate them all….thank you!
From left: Leona Hopkins, Gail McIntosh, Scott Low, Tony
Paller, Don Price
From left: Leona Hopkins, Gail McIntosh, Tony Paller, Scott
Low, Phillip Gibbons, Don Price
From left: Gail McIntosh, Megan Somerville, Diane Noll, Don Price, Erika Loeb
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Ironwood Place
Written by: Rita Bresson
The residents at Ironwood Place have had a busy summer with family gatherings, weddings and trips. They also had a
successful yard sale with many treasures to sell which totals sale were $ 500.00 – a huge success from the hard work of
our residents and Activity Coordinator, Joel Chambers.
This week residents were to Coombs – “Goats on the Roof” for a day outing to the market. The weather was beautiful
for them to enjoy walking around the market then off to Cuckoos for lunch. On return to Ironwood Place, they were all
smiles and quite full from their delicious meal.
With the direction of VIHA, we are starting to bring in exercise equipment for the residents to enjoy that are safe and
able to be used from the sitting position – this will work on arm and leg strengthening to decrease the risk for falls.
Residents are looking forward to our Thanksgiving Dinner with their family and friends, which is a huge success each
year.
They are also selling tickets on a Christmas Quilt that can be purchased from Joel, Activity Coordinator.
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Early Intervention Programs
Written by: Suzanne MacDonald
The Early Intervention Programs (Infant Development, Speech and Language,
Occupational Therapy, and Physiotherapy) are busy with the hustle and bustle of
the fall season. We’re getting ready to run our groups – Infant Development Playgroup, Early Language Group, Infant Massage and Food School. We’re also starting to schedule our therapy clients for their fall services. There are some exciting
changes occurring in our therapy rooms as the grant money from the Children’s
Health Foundation of Vancouver Island is put to good use – the new climbing wall
and the expanding play kitchen areas are particularly fun! We’re also busy filling
our cupboards with lending equipment purchased through the CKNW Orphan’s
Fund grant and have recently received some more good news – a $500 grant from
the Altrusa Club, to be put towards our wish list for the waiting room! A big
Jessica Roy Earle
thank-you to Stacey Nielsen for her work on this proposal. We were glad to welcome Jessica Roy Earle back from her maternity leave this summer and Kathy
Rae from her leave this fall; both were dearly missed. We are still missing Meghan Cooper’s presence on our team and
hope that we are someday able to secure the funding to re-instate her position as the Occupational Therapy Assistant. A
bittersweet change in the Infant Development Program – we were sad to say good-bye to Dawn Macdonald as she makes
the exciting move to Victoria, but are all very happy to welcome Nachelle Hicks to the Infant Development Program!
Community Access Services (CAS)
Written by: Agnes King
Who are these people down on the farm?
The Community Access Services Program is about socialization
and interacting with peers while participating in leisure and recreational activities in the generic community. We are all about having fun and having a great time with our friends. For example: We
had hot dog roasts at the beach and participated in our CAS Olympics. We went to the Water Park, Seaview Farms, Mini Golf, and
Discovery Passage Aquarium and fished at the Pier. We spent time
at the Compost Centre weeding, transplanting, and planted tomatoes for our fall harvest. For our year end parties the Friday
Friends went to April Point for a great supper, Tuesday Friends
went swimming at the outdoor pool and had an old fashion picnic,
and the Wednesday Friends had a BBQ and wacked at a piñata.
We have some exciting plans for activities in the fall and winter.
We had to say goodbye to two youth who turned nineteen years of
age and welcomed two new teens into the program.
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Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Keyworker
Contact Jenny McLeod for more information...
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Executive Coordinator
Written by: Adrienne Monks
I’d like to welcome everyone back from summer vacations. The weather was extremely cooperative and I hope everyone
had an opportunity to enjoy their time off.
We survived the CARF Survey on June 24 to the 26 th. We had a successful survey and are accredited for another three
years. We had a few recommendations that were mostly policy related. Thanks to the great staff that we have here at the
Association.
This fall and winter I will be working with all of Children’s Services with the transition from the CARF Employment and
Community Services Manual to the Children and Youth Services Manual. I am confident it will be a smooth transition as
our Children’s Services programs already meet or exceed the standards in either manual. There may need to be minor
changes in how things are reported, but in general, it will be status quo.
Last week we began the process of “Input from Stakeholders” and have sent out surveys for the staff and participants/
residents.
The staff survey can be accessed online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CRADACL
Next week we will be working on getting the surveys for parents/caregivers out. We would like all surveys back by October
23. The next step will be to compile the information, and share it with staff. We will then produce an “Action Plan” in order to improve performance at all levels.
On Friday, September 25th we had an in-service day with Supervisors on Program Sustainability. This is a way to evaluate
individual programs and determine if they are sustainable in the long term. For the most part our organization as a whole
is quite sustainable, with the diverse programs and funding sources. There is always room for improvement, and management will be working with staff and supervisors to determine where the improvements need to be made, and make a plan
as to how to achieve those improvements.
On Saturday, September 26th , we had a busy, intense, Strategic Planning Day. We came up with four identified directions
that we will focus on in the next two to three years. They are 1) Broadening Funding ; 2) Meeting Community Needs; 3)
Staff Retention; 4) Communication. We will then have the goals and objective for each strategic direction, the activities in
how to attain those objectives, the time frame necessary and whose responsibility it is to ensure the objectives are met.
The full plan will be shared with all staff, and the overview of the plan will be on our website.
We’ve got a busy fall and winter ahead of us, and I’m looking forward to meeting with all programs and staff in order to
have their input into the plans that we will be developing.
If you have any questions, concerns, comments or ideas about the organization, please come and visit me, or email me at
[email protected].
Palmer Place
Written by: Ernie Klassen
The summer weather was beautiful, which resulted in a much more successful vegetable garden this year. It was very enjoyable to be able to eat our vegetables that we
grew!
Palmer Place had some new tenants that joined us, and we all appreciated many different outings over the last few months; one being a trip to Mount Washington! The
kids have been participating in community kids programs all over Campbell River, one
of them being the library summer program.
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Community Living College
Written by: Michelle Albrecht
Another term for the Community Support Worker – Supporting Adults with Developmental Disabilities started September
8th. This term we have a slightly smaller class of 8 students; although as equally enthusiastic as all previous classes!
Students are just wrapping up their first 4 weeks of classroom theory. October 5 th they will start 2 weeks of practicum,
during which they will be putting into practice the skills they have been working on in class.
In the classroom students learn various theories of human development, causes of developmental disabilities and the foundations of community living. Several learning modules center on normalization, integration, inclusion, social role valorization and what it means to be a support worker. Inevitably, the question arises; what is the difference between being a support worker or caregiver and caretaking? I thought I would share some insights into what the students are learning.
What Does It Mean To Be A Support Worker or Caregiver?
Support Staff/Caregivers:
Are persons who care for themselves and others
Honor and give freely to others
Empower others to makes choices
Are non-judgemental
Know how to set limits and boundaries
Celebrate their own and others successes
Speak in respectful ways, not condescending or controlling
Believe that people have the capacity to make decisions
Provide opportunities for people to be in control and make
choices
Allow people to experience the dignity of risk
Understand that personal growth is only possible through taking risks and taking responsibility for choices made
Understand that communication comes in many forms
Get dramatic results by focusing on the solutions and not the problems
Support workers are teachers, ambassadors, mentors – they draw the best out of the people they support
Caretakers:
Often feel exhausted and frustrated
Don’t practice self-care and as a result experience compassion fatigue or burn out quickly
Don’t trust others abilities to take care of themselves
Tend to be judgemental and try to “fix” others
Become overly fixed on the problems and start “fixing” immediately when a problem arises rather than assist or guide
the individual through problem solving
Cross boundaries
One of the measures of normalization, integration and inclusion is the existence of strong and supportive friendships and
relationships. Support staff sees themselves as facilitators of integration and inclusion; to set the stage to help the individual build relationships with others in the community. Good self-care is quintessential to good caregiving.
Community Living College has successfully operated long enough now that we can begin the process of increasing our credential with the Private Career Training Institution Agency of BC (PCTIA) from “registered” to “accredited”.
We are excited for this process as once accreditation standard is achieved we can begin to expand and grow the College.
Look for more exciting news to come.
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Community Living Month
Upcoming Training
October is Community Living Month, and the Association will be
having an event in honour of it.
October 23, 2015
“Ready, Willing and More than Able”
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Date: October 16, 2015 at 7:00pm
Through the lens of the Non-Violent Crisis
Intervention Program, this workshop will
enhance your ability to confidently and competently apply concepts and intervention
strategies in your support to individuals on
the autism spectrum.
Where: Rivercity Players Theatre, 1080 Hemlock Street
9:00am—4:00pm
book)
$35 (covers cost of work-
Classroom at 301 Dogwood Street
November 24 & 25, 2015
(two sessions available)
Back Care
Special Guests: Inclusion and Giovanni Bellosillo to play the violin
The evening will showcase and display the talents of who we are
and what we do.
Camp Homewood
Our Annual Camp Homewood trip is October 13, 14, and 15th!
We are all getting very excited!
Please take the 11:30am ferry on October 13th from Campbell River, as
the 10:30am ferry is Dangerous Cargo and we cannot board it.
Participants in this workshop will learn about
body mechanics as well as techniques and
strategies for safe lifting and movement.
Flu Shot
9:00am—12:00pm (noon), both days
Time: 9:30am—11:00am
Classroom at 301 Dogwood Street
Where: Administration,
Date: November 17, 2015
1153 Greenwood Street
General Staff Meeting
We encourage all
staff to attend!
This day is set aside as a professional development day for long-term employees. If there
are topics or issues you would like to see covered, please submit to Michelle by October
15th.
CRADACL Winter Party
Date: December 9, 2015
Doors open at: 5:00pm
Dinner at: 5:30pm
9:00am—4:00pm
Tickets are $5.00
Classroom at 301 Dogwood
Street
Where: Eagles Hall, 1999 14th Avenue
For registration, please
contact Michelle Albrecht at 250-2860391 or
[email protected]
Time: 3:30pm
Where: 1153 Greenwood
November 27, 2015
Name TBA
Date: January 7, 2016
As the Association keeps growing larger and
larger, we have booked both halls this year….the main hall will be
for sitting as usual, but the smaller hall will have the buffet in it.
Dinner, non-alcoholic beverages and entertainment will be provided. There will be cash bar in the hall. This is an Association party,
staff and clients may invite 1 guest.
Please RSVP to Jenn by November 23rd at 250-286-0391
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FLU SEASON IS UPON US….
Its that time again! Flu season is upon us, there will be a MEMO going out to all Supervisors regarding information about the shot. Stay
tuned! Contact Jenn for more information.
Date: November 17th, 2015 from 9:30am—11:00am
Location: 1153 Greenwood Street, Administration
In the meantime here are some helpful tips to avoid that dreadful flu!
1. Avoid close contact.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect
them from getting sick too.
2. Stay home when you are sick.
If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others
from catching your illness.
3. Cover your mouth and nose.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you
from getting sick.
4. Clean your hands.
Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. If soap and water are not available, use an
alcohol-based hand rub.
5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then
touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
6. Practice other good health habits.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work or school, especially when someone is ill.
Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious
food.
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Links...
CRADACL:
www.cradacl.bc.ca
Community Living BC:
www.communitylivingbc.ca
Inclusion BC:
www.inclusionbc.org
For more links to other organizations, please visit our CRADACL website,
under the links page.
If you have an article, picture or would like to say a few words for the next
newsletter, please contact Jenn in Administration 250-286-0391