BECOMMUNITY NEWSLETTER JUNE 17 2020 | SPRING 2020

A big thank you to all the essential service staff here at BeConnected for keeping our individuals happy and healthy during this unprecedented time. Windows at Forrester House showing support to all essential service workers in their community. Creativity is Blooming at BeConnected! Social distancing and isolation isn't keeping us down! Individuals and personnel have been keeping busy these last few months! Check out all that's been going on at BSS!

Tammy and Bernice spiced up their pandemic supplies.

SPRINGTIME AT BECONNECTED

Spring has arrived! Everyone has been keeping busy enjoying the nice weather, making crafts, and celebrating special occasions! Christy showing off one of her craft projects.

"The most beautiful Rhododendron on the Island" at Tamarack House

Jenny enjoying the sunshine

Alex hanging out with the ducks

Mel relaxing in the nice weather

Easter

Everyone was getting into the Easter spirit - dressing up, decorating their homes, and having backyard egg hunts!

Left to Right: Marley, Adam, and Jeremy celebrating Easter

May Fit in Fitness

Each May BeConnected promotes fitness by reimbursing the cost of the May Recreation Pass for individuals and personnel. As recreation centres were closed this year, we offered to reimburse the cost of a paid fitness app! Individuals and personnel were encouraged to fit fitness in to their lifestyle. Centre: Kyle exploring his neighbourhood.

Forrester gang getting active and enjoying the sites.

Birthday Celebrations

We've had several birthday celebrations the past couple months. Not even a pandemic can stop us from throwing a party - friends and family have been joining in the fun through video!

Claire rocking her birthday shades.

Phil blowing out his candles.

HIGHLIGHTS

Letter to the Prime Minister David was feeling frustrated and worried about COVID-19 and his day program being closed. Staff member Liliana supported David to write about it, hoping to help him process his anxiety and feelings. They decided to send it to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and received a response from the Prime Minister's office! Great work David for advocating for yourself and thank you Liliana for your out-of-the-box thinking and support. View the email from the Prime Minister's Office.

Get Growing Victoria Get Growing, Victoria was an initiative run by the City of Victoria to grow and distribute vegetable and herb seedlings to community organizations. Several homes participated and they can't wait to harvest their own vegetables! Thank you City of Victoria!

Coordinator Richard picking up and distributing BeConnected's plant order - thanks Richard!

Wishin' and Hopin' We received this amazing message and song from BeConnected staff members Nate and Danielle - thank you for sharing with us! “My wife and I are both support workers with BeConnected in Victoria, BC and our residents are understandably having a tough time coping with the recent disruptions to their routines. Specifically, they miss taking part in their day programs where they would regularly socialize with their workers/friends and enjoy activities such as swimming, playing music, and going to the library. The inspiration for this song came as I was helping a resident to bed one evening. He said “I wish my program would open, I hope they do soon” and when I replied “So you’re wishin’ and hopin’ that your program would be open” He laughed at the rhyme and repeated it back in his own melody because he’s such a musically minded guy! The lyrics of this song are tailor made for him but I hope that all of you will enjoy it. I assure you that my wife and I are better support workers than singers…Thanks for watching and keep wishin’ and hopin’” Watch the video here.

Spring Food Drive Our annual food drive was a great success. Thank you to all who participated in supporting the community during this trying time - our car was packed to the brim! The food donations were graciously accepted by the Mustard Seed Food Bank. Special mention to Carey House for bringing in the most donations and winning the 2020 Food Drive Superstar Cup!

SIEC First Virtual Workshop BeConnected, as part of the South Island Education Committee, were proud to co-host our first workshop presented through Zoom! More than 70 people spent the morning learning about employee wellness with Dr. Don Castaldi. The virtual format allowed the SIEC to offer this workshop for free with an unlimited number of attendees.

SABF UPDATE

SABF in person meetings have been on hold since March, however we had our first virtual meeting via Zoom this month!. Although many members have let us know they are sad and upset that we cannot meet in person, the members who were able to meet by Zoom were happy to do so!  We checked in with each other about our feelings; we learned some sign language (thank you to Andrea for teaching us the sign for "stay safe"); and we had a virtual show and tell.  We are hoping to be able to come together for our annual BBQ later this summer, but in the meantime look forward to meeting virtually again soon!

UPCOMING EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Indigenous Peoples Day Unfortunately the pandemic has prevented us from hosting our annual friends and family picnic in celebration of Indigenous People's Day. This year we are celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day with a colouring contest! The colouring pages were created by Tlingit Nations artist Dalton Richards.Enter as many pages as you can to increase your chances of winning a prize!

9th Annual Art Show We are pleased to announce our 9th Annual BeCommunity Art Show featuring the colourful works by artist from the BeConnected family. The Spiral Cafe is now open and our art show will proceed as usual, although the grand opening might look a little different! Artwork will be displayed for the entire month of August. Please submit your original pieces to BeConnected's Head Office by July 29th. Please include your name, the name of the piece, and the purchase price of each submission. 100% of the purchase price goes to the artist!

Tie-Dye Day Coming soon! Pearl Coordinator Jordan will be leading individuals through a fun tie-dye activity via Zoom this month! Stay tuned for colourful photos!

SECTOR UPDATE

CLBC Weekly COVID-19 Update for Individuals and Families Finding answers to your questions and getting up-to-date information is very important. Community Living BC wants to help you do that more easily. They have created the CLBC COVID-19 Weekly Update for individuals and families - a quick and easy way to stay in touch with new developments, connection points and online resources Current and past updates are available on the CLBC website.

BECONNECTED COVID-19 RESPONSE

BeConnected has been working hard to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of our individuals, families, and personnel. We have been busy making regular updates to our COVID-19 Pandemic Response Plan, implementing enhanced cleaning protocols, procuring a healthy supply of personal protective equipment, and educating individuals & personnel on how to stay safe. Our current plan and other information related to the pandemic is always available on our website on our COVID-19 update page. We thank all of our front line workers who have been exceptional in their continued support during this trying and unprecedented time.

BECONNECTED SUPPORT SERVICES

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Kristen Kay Director, Programs and Service Quality BeConnected Support Services Head Office 240-4243 Glanford Ave | Victoria, BC | V8X 2J5 Ph: 250.727.3891 | Fx: 250.721.2571 | office@beconnectedsupport.ca Duncan Office 202-321 Festubert St | Duncan, BC | V9L 3T1 Ph: 250.748.3858 | Fx: 250.748.3859