This spring has truly been like no other, with humanity being forced to contend with
COVID19 and the new realities that it has brought with it. With so many people facing illness and death - and every one of us struggling to maintain our physical, mental and spiritual balance in this new world of uncertainty - our little e-bulletin probably seems pretty insignificant.
But then again, aren't we finding that just about everything pre-COVID19 now seems pretty insignificant? This pandemic has forced us to face, straight on, what
really matters - the people we are at home with, the people we are missing because
they are at home, and those we are stressing about because they are quarantined in community homes or facilities.
It seems paradoxical. While we have been so swiftly reminded that what surrounds us most closely is what matters most - family, friends, community, nature - we have also come to realize the importance of the "little things" - a thoughtful gesture, a random act of kindness, a sunny day.
Of course not everyone is experiencing the pandemic the same way. But we at Community Living Trent Highlands have been learning some interesting lessons over the past couple of months, during which most in our CLTH community have relied on our virtual presence to stay in touch. Here's what we've learned so far:
- Our virtual visitors appreciate solid, reliable information about the pandemic and updates on its impact on their lives.
- Infinitely more popular, though, are stories of kindness, caring and triumph - with a little bit of fun thrown in (dinosaur parade in Calgary; pup splashing in puddles!) - especially local stories.
- And most popular - as always, but much more so - have been the photos we share of #communitylivinginaction - of the people we serve and the staff supporting them. Their spirit, persistence and creativity inspires and motivates at this challenging time.
- Our online visitors also love an underdog! Our request for help procuring masks and other personal protection equipment for our staff set records for our Facebook page - the post was seen by over 11,000 people in a matter of a couple of days, thanks to record clicks and shares. Read on to learn more.
So, regardless of how you are coping with COVID19 we hope that you enjoy our e-bulletin and find something that is of value to you. We send out best wishes out to you and yours, and remind you that we are all #inthistogether!
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Good-bye Winter, Hello Spring
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It is priority to keep you aware of what is happening at CLTH and how our services have been impacted by COVID19. Since the pandemic began we have post three letters to parents, families, neighbours and our community partners on our website and social media. Here they are.
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An Important message for CLTH Families & Stakeholders:...
Dear CLTH Families and Stakeholders - Community Living Trent Highlands has been paying close attention to the recent global outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19). Although the Public Health Agency of Canada has assessed the public health risk as low ...
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www.clth.ca
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An Important Letter to Parents & Family: From Teresa...
A letter to parents and family from Teresa Jordan, Executive Director April 9, 2020 Dear Parents and Family, Letter to Families - PDF version Thank you for your patience during these unprecedented times. As you can imagine, we have been doing our ...
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www.clth.ca
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A Message for Families, Neighbours & Community Partners: ...
May 1, 2020 To: Families, neighbours and community partners Re: Protective masks worn by CLTH staff in all homes Last Thursday, April 23rd, the provincial government issued an order to service providers operating group and congregate care homes...
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www.clth.ca
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Thank you to our employees for their dedication and ongoing commitment to the people we support. This has been an especially challenging time for us all, and we appreciate you are doing - on the front-lines and behind the scenes - during the COVID19 pandemic. We couldn't ask for a better team!
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Not Everything is Cancelled!
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We just had to share a sampling of the efforts made by our Community Homes to cheer up their neighbourhoods and thank essential workers for their hard work and dedication!
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The people served in our Community Homes haven't had any problems keeping busy and spreading cheer during the pandemic, as you can see in these photos!
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Birthdays in social isolation are still birthdays - worth celebrating!
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Speaking of birthdays......
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Our website will hit a special milestone in May, turning two years young. We hope that you've had a chance to visit us at
CLTH.ca and on social media.
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Important Ontario Information re: Covid19
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For access to more links see section directly below. (Door art by staff member Mandy K.)
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Compassion Series
The web page below includes free access to the digital book
Am I Safe - Exploring Fear & Anxiety with Children, along with colouring sheets for saying
thank you to front-line workers and
I miss you to family and friends. Also access more resiliency resources for children and teens.
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Am I Safe Resources | Compassion Series
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Making Sense of Anxiety , a video by Gordon Neufeld, Developmental Psychologist Videos and helpsheets about adolescents and anxiety by Lifeteams ONLINE RESOURCES Stressed Out: Five Research Based Methods to Help Teens Beat...
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compassionseries.com
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COVID-19 Time Capsule By LONG Creations | Hosted by embark
FREE DOWNLOAD Created by Natalie Long of LONG Creations "We are all living through history and something I have said I wanted to do from the beginning is make a keepsake of this moment for us to look back on.
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letsembark.ca
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Ian
A multiple award-winning video short about inclusion.
"Ian was born with cerebral palsy. Like everyone else, he wants to have friends. Like no one, he needs to work hard to get it. Discrimination, bullying, and indifference keep him away from his beloved playground. But Ian won’t give up easily and will achieve something amazing.."
Source
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Our COVID19 Resources: All in one place for easy access...
Here is a all-in-one-place list of the resources that we have collected on our social media to help inform, inspire and entertain you and your family through the COVID19 pandemic. All resources are accessible online and are free unless otherwise...
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www.clth.ca
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To our friends in the community: Thank you for answering ...
Thank you to our friends in the community for answering our call for the donations of masks, mask making materials and other personal protection equipment. Thanks to your generosity we were able to quickly meet our goal numbers of supplies.
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www.clth.ca
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It's National Volunteer Week - Let's cheer for our...
Our mission is to inspire respect and equality for people living with a developmental disability by promoting community knowledge, organizational excellence andindividual quality of life. We are a charitable, not-for-profit organization serving...
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www.clth.ca
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Two of our very own good news stories: "Dear Ms. Jordan" ...
Here are two good news COVID19 stories courtesy of a family member and a staff member, respectively. Dear Ms. Jordan This message was sent to us very recently by a family member. I am writing to you to offer my sincere and deepest appreciation...
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www.clth.ca
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Celebrating birthdays, social distance style of course | ...
Community Living Trent Highlands have risen to the challenge of celebrating birthday in the age of COVID19. Here are a couple of examples. Happy birthday to Mike, who recently celebrated his 31st birthday 'social distance' style as you can see...
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www.clth.ca
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March 2020 | Community Living Trent Highlands
Our latest e-bulletin (Issue 1, 2020) is now online. Read all that we've been up to so far in 2020 by clicking here or visiting the Brochures & Newsletter page our Publications section. We are recruiting for the position of Permanent Part-Time...
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www.clth.ca
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April is Autism Awareness Month: Are you in blue? |...
April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day as sanctioned by the United Nations. World Autism Awareness Day kicks off Autism Awareness Month - a time to promote the full participation of people with autism, ensure that they have the necessary support ...
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www.clth.ca
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Two Wolf Packs Run wild at the Special Olympics National ...
The end of February was a very exciting time for Special Olympics athletes and their supporters across Canada. From February 25th to 29th the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games 2020 were held in the wintry city of Thunder Bay, Ontario.
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www.clth.ca
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We've added a new section to our website: The DSW...
We have added a new page to the Get Involved section of our website - an introduction to the Developmental Services Worker (DSW) Apprenticeship Program. We welcome apprenticeships at Community Living Trent Highlands, and invite you to explore...
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www.clth.ca
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March 8th is International Women's Day | Community...
March 8th is International Women's Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality and addressing areas of inequality. Women...
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www.clth.ca
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Community Living Month postponed
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Treasures on 35 Event postponed
Treasures on 35
has had to postpone its barbeque in support of Community Living Trent Highlands this May. We hope to partner up again in the future. Thank you to the owners and staff of Treasures on 35 for your pass support and partnership.
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Here are Teresa's blog posts for March and April.
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Peterborough
223 Aylmer St N
Peterborough, ON K9J 3K3
Tel: (705) 743-2411
Fax: (705) 743-3722
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Kawartha Lakes
Suite 200, 205 McLaughlin Rd
Lindsay, ON K9V 0K7
Tel: (705) 328-0464
Fax: (705) 328-0495
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Haliburton
73 Victoria St. Box 90
Haliburton, ON K0M 1S0
Tel: (705) 457-2626
Fax: (705) 457-9287
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Community Living Trent Highlands
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