June 25
By: Danny Chirlenco, Rebecca Fowlie, Aduraleke Ogunsakin, Danielle Paquette and Erick Yamaguchi, 2RL Team In September 2024, we developed a new team at EAFWR called 2RL (Respite, Recreation and Leisure) with five staff. Our team’s goal is to develop meaningful, low cost programs for people with disabilities that all are welcome to attend. When 2RL […]
Read morePosted by Extend-A-Family Waterloo Region, in Story
June 25
By: Mimi Mahmud, Equity Strategist As I consider my first year as Equity Strategist at Extend-A-Family Waterloo Region (EAFWR), I’m reflecting on what it means to embed equity into a sector that has historically excluded many of the people and communities it now seeks to serve. The developmental services (DS) sector — like many care-based […]
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June 25
By: Community Participation Supports and the WALES Group Team Within the WALES Group: While the commitment to community participation has always been a cornerstone of the WALES mission, it has flourished in the aftermath of COVID, with members and staff creatively working from libraries, community centres, and cafes all across the region, as an additional […]
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June 25
By: Jayme Pembleton, Employable Skills Development Program Coordinator I believe that everyone who has been involved with the Employable Skills Development Program (ESDP) has done some learning, growing, and evolving. The program itself is brand new and is therefore morphing with each new thing that we discover. As the program coordinator, I have the pleasure […]
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June 25
By: Kerry Cressman, Avishka Juta and Lisa Stanley, Community Engagement Team It’s been another exciting year for the Community Engagement Team! We’ve enjoyed engaging with people & families connected with EAFWR, direct support people, volunteers, sponsors, donors and the wider community. After two successful online auctions in 2021 and 2022, we were thrilled to bring […]
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June 25
Yancy is a lady filled with artistic talents and love of baking, horror movies, and adventure. This past year, Yancy has used her gifts and interests to connect to the community. Yancy has joined a craft group where she is noticed, known, and she is missed when she is absent. She started doing her drawings […]
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June 25
By: Katie Hagedorn, Program Manager, Residential Services The FamilyHome (FH) Program has been one of EAFWR’s anchors since the beginning. It holds a deep, important tradition, and has served as a constant for some, and a springboard to more independent living for others. It is this flexibility, and willingness to learn and grow, that has […]
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June 25
Michael loves video games, the KPL, buddies, and his girlfriend. Through SEEDS, this past year he and his buddy, Jason, went to Niagara Falls around his birthday and hit up the casinos and waterparks. They had a good guy’s weekend and are planning their next adventure. Michael recently reconnected with former co-workers of a prior […]
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June 25
Matt had been wanting another paid job and had explored doing shredding for different places, but none worked out. He then brainstormed with facilitators about places where he had existing connections and was well known. Stanley Park came to mind, as he had volunteered in the past at a games group pre-pandemic and was connected […]
Read morePosted by Extend-A-Family Waterloo Region, in Story
June 25
Andy has had a dream of modelling. He got headshots done and reached out to explore some opportunities with EAFWR. He has been in contact with a few different modelling places over the years. The place that Andy persisted in staying connected to before and after the pandemic was One For The Wall Photography. There […]
Read morePosted by Extend-A-Family Waterloo Region, in Story