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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday May 2, 2007 - 13 Cultivating the blooms at Community Living By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Fifty years ago the parents of an intellectually disabled child were usually told the child was retarded, to put them in an institution and get on with their lives -- they'd have more children. Two Oakville families refused that road -- joining a trend that washed across Ontario and resulted in what today are Community Living organizations across Ontario (Community Living Ontario). According to Community Living Oakville's (CLO) community resource manager Jody Blaauw, the Kelley and Gunn families of Oakville banded together, kept their five-year-old children, David and Pamela, respectively, at home and hired a teacher to instruct the youths in their own basement. The school grew to seven children, found a home at St. Jude's Church and the groundwork for CLO had been laid. By September 1954, the Oakville and District Association for the Mentally Retarded was formed. Fundraising allowed it to buy a school by June 1955. The Kinsmen Club got involved in May 1957 allowing another school. The intellectually challenged were no longer a hidden population. The Oakville Adult Training Centre opened in 1965. June 1967 saw the introduction of sports and evening socials. In 1968, the United Way of Oakville assisted financially. Support was augmented when the Special Olympics were held and Oakville had two medal winners. The government then began to fund community-based programs for preschoolers and adults. The Oakville Association continued purchasing or leasing residences. Claycrafters began; a co-op apartment program was run and a second Workshop and Training Centre opened. By 1984, community apartments facilitated further community integration. Changes also occurred in public awareness so by 1992, the label retarded was rejected and CLO was born. Political reality struck however and in 1995, funding for two residences was cut. ASHLEY HUTCHESON / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER MAKING THE GARDEN GROW: Community Living Oakville (CLO) staffer Olivia Bradshaw and Community Resource Manager Jody Blaauw in the garden at CLO's Wyecroft Road headquarters, which is set to bloom to its potential this summer. Vocational assessments were phased out. CLO had to cut costs and moved to a smaller, cheaper facility at 1108 Speers Rd., which held the Life Skills, pre-vocational and Best Pack programs. Volunteers from the Ford plant pitched in fullest potential." Some individuals who are intellectually disabled live in group homes, some call assisted-living settings home. The residences are homes all across town, not institutions. Others gain pre-employment assistance and experience in various programs that range from pre-vocational training to actual hands-on experience with manufacturing companies run by CLO such as Speers Place Industries and Best Pack. CLO has launched a five-year, $1 million fundraising initiative to be prepared in the face of revenue fluctuations that could affect service -- and address the large waiting list. The fundraising campaign, now in its second year, has raised $390,000. This Friday, CLO will host a new fundraiser, A Chair Affair, at LeDome Banquet Hall. It will include dinner, music, a silent auction and the highlight of the evening ­ a live auction featuring original Muskoka chairs painted by local, artistic talent. Tickets cost $100 and are available by contacting Tina Christie at 905-844-0146, ext. 239 or at tina@oakcl.org or www.oakcl.org. A visit to Community Living's 301 Wyecroft Rd. headquarters opens the door to a sampling of all that is going on -- and why it's so important to keep it in place. There one meets Oakville residents who are intellectually challenged and almost as many dedicated staff. Olivia Bradshaw is just one of the staff. Now past retirement age, Bradshaw continues to work offering on-call assistance just about anywhere in the organization it is needed whether that's providing support in the wee hours at a group or assisted-living home or at the CLO office. That's exactly where Bradshaw, who lives in Burlington and is an avid gardener, is turning her attention, now that spring has sprung -- to the CLO garden. The oasis that boasts interlocking stone, picnic tables and trees is where many at CLO can find refuge, a nice place to eat lunch or to chat. It was donated shortly after the new millennium dawned by the Sutton family of Oakville and though it has been a long while in getting the garden blooming as envisioned by its benefactor, Bradshaw now aims to do just that with the help of Milton's Terra Greenhouses, which helped in the effort to beautify CLO's Church Street location. Bradshaw has worked with CLO for two decades. She has See A Chair page 18 FINE FURNITURE ON CONSIGNMENT BUYER or a SELLER? TRADING PLACES YOU! Trading Places h o m e de c o r is for "I've never met a group of people so quick to forgive. They have no biases, jealously, competition, anger, frustration. It's like they're immune to that." Jody Blaauw, CLO Community Resource Manager email@tradingplacescanada.com 427 Speers Rd. Oakville 905 815 1949 www.tradingplacescanada.com PEGGY'S DISTINCTIVE LADIES FASHIONS to spruce up the facilities. In March 2000, CLO purchased 301 Wyecroft Rd., a better work environment and its current home. In June 2001, Halton Region took on responsibility for preschoolers so CLO now serves only adults. The CLO mission statement says it all, "People who have a developmental disability live in a state of dignity and participate in all aspects of community living to their morning madness sale saturday, may 5th 8 am - 10 am 10 am - 12 PM 30% off 20% off entire stock entire stock Discounts Apply to Regular Priced Merchandise · NO Extensions on Time Limits assorted spring fashions up to 60% off ALL SALES FINAL We Know MORTGAGES LOANS · LINE OF CREDIT "We specialize in hard to place mortgages" 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Mortgages Residential and Commercial Debt Consolidation Power of Sale Refinancing No Up Front Fees Up to 100% Financing O.A.C. 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