Easter Seals Nova Scotia in Halifax

The Easter Seals’s Take PART (Physically Accessible Recreation Today) Sledge Hockey Activity provides an opportunity for physical literacy development in children with a physical disability.  Sledge participants learn to use their bodies to push themselves on their sleds using their upper body strength, how to get back up after falling on their side in the sledge, how to manoeuvre around pylons and other skills related to sledge to achieve success.  This results in improved knowledge of their body, body movements and their ability to perform the basic and more advanced movements of physical activity skills.

Take PART contributes to the wellness in our community by strengthening and supporting Healthy Child Development by providing and encouraging participation in fun activities that build strength, dexterity and problem-solving abilities by developing positive self-esteem and self-reliance by ensuring successful completion of activities for the children participating in the adapted physical activity.  This exercise improves the child’s social, mental, emotional, and overall health and results in reduced risk of obesity.

Big thanks go out to Avril and all responsible for the Avril Lavingne foundation, your continued support of Easter Seals is fantastic. For more photos of the event visit Easter Seals Nova Scotia’s website by clicking here.

For Easter Seals Canada’s past annual reports:

Easter Seals 2009/2010 Annual Report

Easter Seals 2008/2009 Annual Report

Easter Seals Drop Zone, which takes place in 13 cities Canada-wide from August to early October, challenges participants to get out of their comfort zones in support of Easter Seals’ transformational programs and services. Participants raise a minimum $1500 to rappel off the side of a skyscraper. Many get into the spirit and don superhero costumes.

Drop Zone participants and sponsors in Saskatoon and Victoria smashed last year’s totals, each raising more than $100,000, up from the $64,000 range last year. Calgary once again has raised more than $200,000 with Vancouver close behind.

St. John’s had a very good first time event, raising $49,000. London is also participating for the first time. It sold out a month after opening up registration. Citizens were clamouring to rappel off the city’s exciting 26-story One London Place. They will soon get their chance.

Upcoming Drop Zone events include Montreal (Sept 21), Ottawa (Sept 26), London (Sept 29) and Toronto (Oct 6). For more visit www.thedropzone.ca.

Camp Woodeden has been a home away from home for children, youth and young adults with physical disabilities for the past 65 years. The fully accessible activity centre is comprised of two buildings and includes a full-size gym, indoor climbing wall, amphitheatre, sports equipment storage areas, multi-purpose rooms, and change room facilities. This new facility will enable Camp Woodeden to offer an even wider range of athletic and cultural activities to children and youth with physical abilities.

“Camp Woodeden holds a special place in the hearts of many families in Ontario,” said Joe Preston, Member of Parliament for Elgin—Middlesex—London, on behalf of the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. “This new multi-sport activity centre will welcome children and youth with disabilities, and encourage them to participate to the fullest extent of their abilities. The Government of Canada is proud to have supported such a worthy project that will benefit so many.”

“The Ontario government is proud to have contributed to this important project,” said Chris Bentley, Member of Provincial Parliament for London West. “By helping Camp Woodeden turn their dream for a new sports and activity complex into a reality, we have made this special camp an even more welcoming and engaging place for children and youth with disabilities to grow and play.”

“We are very fortunate to have a government that recognizes the benefit of recreation for kids with physical disabilities,” said Nelson Millman, Chair of the Board, Easter Seals Ontario. “This fully accessible, multi-sport centre will benefit Easter Seals campers as well as people of all ages and abilities from the community.”

The governments of Canada and Ontario have each committed over $1.3 million toward this project. Easter Seals Ontario is contributing the balance of the total eligible project cost of just over $3.9 million.

Federal funding for this project comes from the Government of Canada’s $4-billion Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, which is providing funding to over 4,100 infrastructure projects across the country. Over the last couple of months, Ontario had an increase of 38,000 jobs and the unemployment rate declined to 7.9 per cent.

For additional information about investments in infrastructure, visit www.creatingjobs.gc.ca.

For further information about Canada’s Economic Action Plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.

For more information on how Ontario is revitalizing its infrastructure, visit ontario.ca/infrastructure.

The therapeutic aspect of being able to move freely in water has restorative and overall health benefits for the campers with disabilities and special needs. It’s one of the few places where they can be free of the equipment they need on dry-land, such as power wheelchairs.

Those attending the pool opening party included special guests provincial conservative leadership candidate, Ted Morton, the MLA for the Foothills, JC Anderson and his daughter, Susan as well as several other donors and supporters for Easter Seals Camp Horizon.

In 1988 Conn was just 20-years old and life was good. He had a job and was spending time having fun with his friends. Conn planned to continue his education in medicine. Doctors ran in his family and he wanted to become a surgeon.

In a matter of seconds Conn’s life changed when he experienced a brain aneurysm. Conn went through two serious brain operations within a year to try to minimize the damage caused by the aneurysm. After months of hard rehabilitation work, Conn was able to go home to recover. He lost his field of vision in his left eye and has a permanent neurological impairment.

Conn needed to learn to live his life in a different way. To most people this would be a crushing experience but Conn refused to give up.

Conn participated in several work programs designed to provide individuals, who have a disability, the opportunity to gain work experience, promote good work habits and build self-confidence.

He was recommended to Easter Seals Nova Scotia as a good candidate for their therapeutic work program operating in the New Leaf Café where he ended up working for three years. At the end of the three years Conn was ready for new challenges and at the same time the Province was talking to New Leaf about developing a job placement opportunity in one of their mail rooms.

Conn interviewed for the position and got the job. This would be the first time Conn would be in an office environment in many years and for the staff members it would be the first time the position was filled by someone from this new program. How would this work out? Both sides were unsure of the outcome.

Today, one year later, Conn is a well known figure as he walks down the office rows delivering the mail.

“This job has given me hope,” says Conn.

Conn has met many people and made many friends at his position. His goals are to be self-sufficient and gainfully employed and his job has given him the confidence to look forward to his future. Conn’s message to others is to ‘never give up’ and to ‘keep the faith’.

The cost of restricted access to people with disabilities is the cost of an independent lifestyle. It was through Easter Seals Nova Scotia’s New Leaf workplace training program that Conn received the opportunity he needed to prove to himself and others that he is capable of performing his job.

SADA is a non-profit corporation representing the franchised new car and truck dealers of Saskatchewan located province-wide. The corporation has been a long and proud supporter of Easter Seals Saskatchewan in raising money to send kids to Camp Easter Seal.

The high level of personal care and special facilities required to safely operate Camp Easter Seal means that costs are substantial. While annual fundraising efforts support the operating budget, the camp depends on funding from other organizations, such as SADA, to purchase additional specialized equipment.

The new accessible bus, which will transport campers to off-site trips, is very much welcome. The bus currently in use has received extensive repairs over the years. Offsite trips have been subject to cancelations due to malfunctioned chair lifts, a disappointment to campers. Camp Easter Seals also has a wheelchair-accessible van used daily to take campers to medical appointments and also provide emergency transportation when campers must be seen at the local hospital.

Now with this generous donation from SADA, Camp Easter Seal will no longer have to cancel any trips. All 700 campers truly appreciate SADA for supporting and transporting Camp Easter Seal!

Camp Easter Seal is all about being independent, exploring new experiences, learning new skills, cherishing friendships, reaching for goals, celebrating success and, perhaps most importantly, living and enjoying life to its fullest. Camp Easter Seal has some of the best programs and facilities in all of North America.

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