Author Archive
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Disneyland Vacation
Like the many of you, I have been enjoying the Summer, and I’ve just come back from my vacation! I know the people at Holiday Options have already been having a great time at vacation this year!You might be thinking what does your vacation have to do with the DDA community? Well, I’m getting to that. I went to Disneyland last week, and it proved itself to indeed be the happiest place on earth. Not only were there thousands of smiling faces, there was also a culturally diverse crowd. What stood out most for me was how accessible they made most of their rides and buildings for people with disabilities. In addition to that, they had very inclusive hiring of employees as they employed many people with developmental disabilities, and also employed those who required wheelchair assistance. Now, this may not sound like a big feat, but for a theme park, a world famous one at that, it warms my heart to see just how they are trying to include everyone so that everyone may enjoy their time equally!
Their commitment to hiring people with developmental disabilities and people from all walks of life reminds me of the employers at Jobs West who are also very willing to support this endeavor.
I hope to see more and more employers hiring inclusively and equally so that everyone may reach their full potential.
For more information about Jobs West and Holiday Options, please visit www.develop.bc.ca!
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Summer Picnic at KIG
Last week, Kuldeep from the Kids in General Child Development Centre, which is located near the Vancouver General Hospital main building, invited me to attend their Annual Summer Picnic. Every year, I try to attend as many of these picnics as possible so I can experience the environment of each of our Child Development Centres, and as well, meet some parents and children who attend the centres. It’s a great way for me to see what age group belongs in which centre, the location, the friendliness of the staff, and of course, which families bring the best food
It’s interesting, cause every single picnic always has a great selection of food, and unique entertainment. At Kids in General, one of the staff played on her guitar and sang children’s songs to the kids. They were running about, but every time the chorus hit, they couldn’t help but sing along or dance to the rhythm.
As usual, the facepainting section was extremely popular, with a line up that never really quite seemed to get shorter.
Thanks to Kuldeep and the Staff at Kids in General for making it another wonderful Summer Picnic for me to enjoy!
If you’re interested in any of our Child Development Centres, please visit www.develop.bc.ca for more information!And if you don’t already know, the Vancouver Blogathon is happening August 21st. This year, Victor and I will once again be participating to raise funds for DDA! If you’re interested in showing your support or making a pledge please contact Victor at vtang@develop.bc.ca for more information. Keep checking back for our 24-hours of straight blogging in just a few weeks’ time. Stay tuned.
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Berwick Family Picnic 2010
As you all know, the random bursts of sunny summer weather means the start of barbecue season again!
Last Friday, I went to Berwick Child Development Centre located at UBC for their Annual Family Summer Picnic and Barbecue. Of course, being the human GPS I am, I did make the wrong turn and ended up on the wrong side of UBC. Luckily, the people around that area were very helpful and I was eventually able to make it to my destination. Just outside the Berwick, I could smell the sweet aroma of barbecued goods.
The place was packed with children, parents, and other family members. There were several tables of delicious food, in addition to the burgers and hotdogs prepared! The kids were so absorbed in their food that some stopped in their tracks from playing tag just to enjoy their meals.
There was face painting, bouncy castles, activity tables, and much more. The children and families seemed to have had an awesome time in what couldn’t be more perfect weather for a picnic! I hope that this weather keeps up so I can go to more fun-filled BBQs over the next little while. Something about barbecuing in the rain just isn’t quite the same.
I remember going to this event last year, but somehow, this year it seemed a lot more lively (maybe it was because I took the scenic route to the centre) and different. Being my first official barbecue of the season, this kicked off what I hope to be a great Summer for barbecues.
Anyway, I look forward to next year’s events, and seeing all the new children and families having a great time!
For more information on our Child Development Centres, please visit www.develop.bc.ca, or click here.
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Night at the Nat
Yesterday, we had our annual DDA at the Nat baseball event! Every year, we’ll sponsor a baseball game at the Nat Bailey Stadium. During the event, we give out some cool DDA swag, and one of the individuals in our DDA programs gets to throw the ceremonial first pitch!This year, Doug Wilkinson had the honour of throwing the ceremonial first pitch, and what a pitch it was! We had a lot of DDA volunteers helping out at the event. Many of the residents at our group homes came out to enjoy the game as well! There was a great turnout of staff in the audience, including our Executive Director, Alanna Hendren, who chatted up some of the DDA residents.
A lot of us at DDA were ready to cheer on the Vancouver Canadians who played the Spokane Indians yesterday. It was a dramatic and tight game, but the Canadians managed to squeak a victory at the last inning. What a game! Congrats to the Canadians on a great game. We wanted to capture every moment of the event, and we’re really grateful to JAR Design Inc. for volunteering their services to help us take some awesome photos of both the game, as well as our great volunteers and staff. (Note: The photos in this blog post are not the professional photos that JAR Design took)
I’ll admit, it’s my first time attending this, and it was really, really fun! I didn’t expect such excitement at a baseball game. Turns out, many people recognized the DDA name at the stadium, so when the volunteers and staff walked around with the “Got Stuff You Don’t Want” tees, they immediately knew who we were! The folks at DDA encouraged the baseball fans to donate some used clothing and housewares. The response was overwhelming.
To find out more about how to donate to the Developmental Disabilities Association, visit our website!
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Point Grey Graduation
On Wednesday, June 16th, I was invited to the Point Grey Secondary school Graduation to present the James Karliner Developmental Disabilities Association Award on behalf of DDA. And to quote from the program: “DDA has established this award to honour the service of Rhonda Karliner to the special needs community of Vancouver and Richmond. This award is presented to a student in the special education program who has demonstrated courage to overcome obstacles and has shown strength of character through his/her high school years. The award is named after Rhonda’s son, James Karliner who was a student at Point Grey Secondary’s Lifeskills program.”
It was a fancy event with the grads dressed in their regalia. It took place at the Orpheum, and it was quite a crowd! There were more than 150 students in the class of 2010! They opened the ceremony with a nice speech from the School Board trustee as well as the Principal, Mr. Randy Clark. The senior choir also performed lovely renditions of the classics “You Raise Me Up” & “Hallelujah”, signifying their emotions during this joyous occasion, and expression how they’ve overcome hardships and troubles to reach this point.
Being my first time presenting anything, I was quite nervous. Actually, I may have been more nervous than the student I was presenting the award to! Even though I only had to be on stage for all of five seconds, the whole atmosphere and setting made it feel like five hours. Luckily, I did not have to prepare a speech.
With that, I’d like to congratulate Taryn Batchelor, this year’s recipient of the Karliner Award! We wish her many successes in the future and we’re proud of her many achievements.
Congrulations to Point Grey’s Class of 2010!
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