May 14th, 2025
Celebrating Community Living Month at EAFWR
By: Allan Mills, Executive Director
Extend-A-Family Waterloo Region has been passionately serving the community since 1981, with Ontario’s Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services as our primary funder. We serve alongside other organizations who share our mandate of providing supports and services for people who have developmental or intellectual disabilities.
Ryan, Rob, Al and Mary pictured alongside MPP Mike Schreiner (second from the left) and MPP Aislinn Clancy (pictured third from the right)
One of the ways we connect with other organizations is through our membership with Community Living Ontario (CLO). CLO is a membership-based organization with 124 local agencies like EAFWR as members. Their focus is to work alongside us, and to advocate at a provincial level for the 250,000 Ontarians who have developmental or intellectual disabilities.
Starting in 2019, we were part of a small group of Canadian organizations in a 3-year cohort with LIFT Philanthropic Partners that included Inclusion Canada. Inclusion Canada is the national federation of provincial and territorial Community Living organizations. Through time spent with Inclusion Canada, we found that our values were well-aligned and we felt that joining CLO would give us better insights to some of the provincial & national developments that impact people who use our services. In 2023 we joined CLO as a member agency.
Al and Devon in 2023
We have participated with Inclusion Canada in efforts to see the Canada Disability Benefit implemented, and we have participated with Community Living Ontario in recent advocacy efforts such as #FiveToSurvive and currently, #WaitingToBelong
In April 2025, EAFWR hosted our first self-advocacy focused conference, entitled “Voices in Action: Empowering Inclusive Change Together”. This conference welcomed Direct Support People to attend and learn alongside people with living experience of disability. Out of 101 attendees, we had 27 self-advocates attend along with 74 staff of EAFWR, as well as other organizations.
Ryan, Rob, Al and Mary at Queen’s Park in 2024
May 27th is Community Living Day at Queens Park. For the third year in a row, EAFWR will attend Question Period and meet with MPP’s as well as participate in Community Living’s reception with Minister Michael Parsa.We believe we are better together. For us, that includes participating shoulder to shoulder with like-minded organizations, locally, provincially and nationally. Cheers to Inclusion!
