Staff
The public is invited to join Community Living Fort Frances and District in celebrating its 50th anniversary this coming Wednesday (June 24) at La Place Rendez-Vous.
Tickets for the dinner, which begins at 5:30 p.m., are available at Good Impressions here until tomorrow (June 19).
They cost $10 each and there will be a cash bar.
“We’d really like people to come out and celebrate with us,” said Faith Moen, communications/public relations co-ordinator for Community Living Fort Frances and District.
She noted a history booklet was created highlighting the 50 years of the organization, which will be distributed at the event.
A video, made by local high school student Cameron Penney, also will be shown.
Moen said it all began in 1959 when a group of parents got together to discuss how they might create opportunities for their children.
Then in 1965, the group was incorporated as the Fort Frances and District Association for the Mentally Retarded.
The organization’s name changed to the Fort Frances and District Association for Community Living in 1990, then to its current name in 2005.
“It’s a really exciting week at Community Living,” Moen enthused.
“There are lots of this going on.”
In addition to the dinner, several events also are slated to outline the Customized Employment (CE) program, which offers a new approach in creating employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
An event is set for Tuesday (June 23) from 4:30-6 p.m. at the Fort Frances Public Library for local job-seekers.
Then on Wednesday, there is a breakfast event at the Emo Legion from 7:30-9 a.m., followed by a luncheon at the Copper River Inn here from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. for employers.
“The program will minimize procedures that compare individuals with disabilities to others in the workplace,” CE supervisor Theiah MacDonald explained.
“CE will conduct non-traditional employment processes that will match individuals with disabilities to connect with community employers,” she noted.
Space is limited so those interested in attending are asked to register by tomorrow (June 19) by contacting MacDonald at 274-5556 ext. 259.
Guest speakers for all of these events, including the 50th anniversary dinner, will be Joe Dale and Mark Wafer.
Dale, who has worked in the field of disability for more than 35 years, currently is the owner and CEO of Vision Consulting.
Wafer, meanwhile, is the owner of six Tim Hortons’ restaurants in Toronto and has hired 85 people with disabilities in the past 18 years.
“We’re very excited to have these speakers with us,” Moen said.
