Community Living Month is celebrated across the province during May.
The month celebrates the accomplishments, gifts and talents that people who have an intellectual disability bring to their communities. Community Living also advocates for inclusion in all areas of life.
To launch the month-long celebration, Community Living encourages everyone in their business, school, and social network to support Community Living Chatham-Kent (CLCK ) by wearing blue and green on May 1. Send photos to info@clc-k.ca and show CLCK how you are celebrating. Use #inclusion while sharing on social media.
As part of the many events and activities that are planned for the month, CLCK is participating in an Ontario-wide initiative on May 8, called Shine a Light on Community Living. This year, CLCK asks that you take part in this initiative by changing your building’s exterior lights to blue and green in support of the Community Living movement.
CLCK will host the annual Flag Raising and community BBQ on May 2 at 11 a.m. For a donation, enjoy a freshly barbecued hotdog, chips, and a drink. The barbecue will run until 1 p.m.
The Community Living Flag will be raised at the Chatham-Kent Civic Centre, along with flags being raised at city centres in Ridgetown, Blenheim and Tilbury during the month of May. The ceremony at the Civic Centre will include a greeting from Mayor Randy Hope; Ron Coristine, CLCK Executive Director; a Leader within Program Graduate; as well as award presentations.
The Joyce M. Carr Champion Award is presented annually by CLCK to a business that has made a difference in the community by hiring a person who has a disability, and encouraging others to do the same. The award is named in honour of Joyce Carr, a former manager at CLCK, who believed in employment for every person.
The 2017 Joyce M. Carr Champion Award honours Howell’s Marine. The Howell Brothers, Bob and Chuck Howell, have been in the marine industry for over 40 years. Howell’s Marine is a champion leader in the community providing opportunities to people who have an intellectual disability.
The Rob McLandress Make a Dream Come True was made possible through a bequest to CLCK by the late Father James Williams. Father Williams was an ongoing supporter of the work of CLCK and his bequest was made in honour of the late Rob McLandress, whose family he was very close to. Two awards of $1,000 each are given annually to two people who have an intellectual disability in order to help them fulfill a dream.
