September 2018 - In This Issue
  • HCIA AGM - September 27, 2018
  • HFFA - Dufferin County Farm Tour
  • F2S - Local Food Club
  • CHATT - DART
  • DC MOVES - September Forum & Poverty Summit
  • Career Education Council
Headwaters Communities in Action
2018 HCIA AGM - Harnessing the Extraordinary Power of Ordinary People
The 2018 HICA AGM was a celebration of community, partners and projects!

Our speakers for the event shared stories and strategies to illustrate what becomes possible when citizens, organizations and municipalities discover how to work effectively together to create innovative solutions to our community's toughest issues. Kimberly Van Ryn from  ALAS Dufferin (Active Lives After School) shared photos and statements from their clients who have developed new skills while helping our community through volunteering. Our own, Sylvia Cheuy delivered the keynote presentation about Asset-Based Community Development. ABCD uncovers the untapped potential of residents and connects it in ways that strengthens the community's capacity to care for one another.

The HCIA Leadership Council would like to thank all of our partners, supporters and cheerleaders. It's all about community!

The board members and staff of HCIA would like to extend huge thank you to Gord Gallaugher who has stepped down as Chair. Gord has provided endless support and effort towards making HCIA what it is today. His guidance and patience have been invaluable over the years. We are thrilled that he remains with the organization as past chair and helping with financials. We also wish to extend a warm round of applause to Diana Morris and Trish Keachie for stepping up into a co-chair position, with Ken Topping as vice-chair. Now there’s a trifecta to be welcomed. Thank you to everyone! Looking forward to a wonderful year!
HFFA - Headwaters Food and Farming Alliance
Find HFFA on the Dufferin Farm Tour at Besley’s Country Market , this Saturday September 29th from 8:30am to 4:30pm.
Come by for a hot drink - choice of Glen Huron Apple Cider or SuperCoffee Coffee. Proceeds support Farm to School programs.

The Dufferin Farm Tour is a great way to meet our local food producers, visit their farms and see first hand how your food is grown. Download your passport and bring the whole family!

Visit DufferinFarmTour.com for more information.
Farm to School
Local Food Club is back! 
Farm to School’s Local Food Club is now in 12 schools across Headwaters! We are kicking off in October with delivery of the first pack. We are looking forward to packing more orange bags than ever with fresh local foods every month from now until June! Orders are open now:  http://hffa.ca/farmtoschool/order-lfc/

Fundraising with Farm to School

HFFA and Farm to School are ramping up our fundraising efforts. With growth in this area, we are now looking for a passionate person with some fundraising experience to act as a Fundraising Chair. This volunteer would help us coordinate efforts among the different Fundraising Committees to support the sustainability of our programs, which have proven value to our communities. This is a great way to get involved, lend your expertise and help an established program with an excellent reputation continue to serve our schools and families.

October is Farm to School Month

Join us and thousands of schools, early care and education sites, farms, communities and organizations across the country as we celebrate local food education, school gardens and lunch trays filled with healthy, local ingredients. Everyone can celebrate! This October, we hope you will take time to get informed, get involved and take action to support farm to school in your community and across the nation.
 
Celebrate the harvest season with Farm to School Month at your school in the following ways: 

  • National Kale Day is October 3rd
  • Promote and Join HFFA’s Local Food Club
  • Try gardening or visit a local farm
  • Include information about local food and farming during morning announcements
  • Use the hashtags #farmtoschool or #DigInCanada on social media. 
  • Enter to win a $1,500 #DigInCanada seed grant for your school from Farm to Cafeteria Canada!

Check out this website for more resources and ways to celebrate:
CHATT- Citizens of Headwaters for Active Transportation Team
Dufferin Area Recreation Trail (DART)  
The Dufferin Area Recreation Trail (DART) vision is a connected system of routes appropriate for various self-propelled activities (e.g. cycling, hiking, walking , etc.). The premiere objective for Phase 1 of the project is the identification of cycling routes that connect the urban and natural areas of Dufferin County by navigating the rural landscape on a network of secondary roads .

In summary:
  • The proposed main Dufferin loop is approximately 150 km in length;
  • Each of the six urban centres are linked to the nearby rural community by a shorter route (30-60 km) that connects to the main Dufferin loop, and promotes recreational activity throughout the County’s eight municipalities;
  • The Dufferin loop also provides opportunities to connect to neighboring Counties.

The cycling routes serve to engage residents and visitors alike to actively experience the scenic beauty of Dufferin County and all its amenities.

Strategy: “Making TRACS”

The DART project is guided by a Tourism, Recreation and Active Communities Strategy (TRACS). This Strategy leverages active transportation as a driver for community health and economic development in Dufferin County and the broader Headwaters Region.
DC MOVES Better Together
( D ufferin C ounty – M anaging, O rganizing, V alidating, E ngagement S trategies)
The DC MOVES initiative continues to build momentum as a support for greater human services integration and collaboration. 

On September 18 & 19, we attended the Tamarack Cities Reducing Poverty Eastern Summit . The goal of the event was to facilitate learning and dialogue across sectors towards innovative solutions, harness the distinctive synergies of today's poverty reduction movement, and take our collective understanding of innovation in poverty reduction to the next level. Read more about the event .

The September 25th DC MOVES Forum was a great success! Stay tuned to DCMOVES.org for a summary of the event and posting of event collaterals.

Remember to share what you have coming up in the community by sending your input for the DC MOVES WOTMs news bulletin to coordinator@dcmoves.org . We publish the 1 st and 3 rd Friday of the month. 
Career Education Council
Your Future, Your Choice
Your Future, Your Choice is a unique annual event. Though it is hosted in Guelph, the event is promoted out to students and families across the Upper Grand District School Board (including Dufferin) and Wellington Catholic District School Board. This event is open to all interested students who can benefit from gaining insights and information about community programs, volunteer opportunities, employment within their communities and workforce trends.

Local employers, community organizations and post-secondary institutions are included in the mix of over 80 exhibitors. Interested individuals, companies or other organizations from within Guelph/Wellington, Dufferin or surrounding areas are more than welcome to participate.

Please register on Eventbrite or contact the Career Education Council at info.cec@ugdsb.on.ca   519-827-6468

Don't just survive, Thrive!

Thrive in the Workplace is a new initiative by the Career Education Council that focuses on providing tools to employees, employers, students, teachers, and the like about workplace mental health and wellness. Funded by the Ministry of Labour, the program offers interactive Workplace Wellness Workshops to local businesses and schools. To book a workshop, you can contact the Project Coordinator, Samantha Pascoal, for more details at 519-827-6468, or at careered.council@ugdsb.on.ca. 

Thrive in the Workplace also offers a free Android iOS app that teaches about 5 pillars of workplace mental health in 5 modules, and allows users to become Thrive Certified upon completion of quizzes at the end of each module. Look on the app store this November 28th - our launch day - and be sure to download!
Support the wellness and success of your employees by booking your Thrive wellness workshop today. Call the Career Education Council at 519-827-6468 or email careered.council@ugdsb.on.ca  
Be an Engaged Citizen
Are you interested in making life better together? Calling all future Board members! If you are passionate about your community then we would like to meet with you. Please connect with us to arrange a meeting!
We couldn’t do it without you!
Thank you to our many partners, stakeholders and volunteers who make up HCIA and its project groups. Our primary funders are the Ontario Trillium Foundation and United Way of Guelph Wellington Dufferin. We`re all Making life better together!
Listings about existing transportation options available in Headwaters, learn about eligibility requirements, hours of service and cost.
Over 20 trail descriptions, details and maps in the Headwaters region. Take a hike, enjoy a meal and browse our local shops!