Connections for Families Society
510, 1716 16th Avenue NW T2M 0L7 Calgary, AB, Canada

Our Connections team is taking a break for much needed rest! We'll be back in the new year - and we all hope it is a very NEW year! For families receiving AISH, the early deposit on December 23rd may be helpful. But it also means that January will be extra long and the money has to last longer! We wish our families, our peers, our supporters and funders, our volunteers -- the big, messy Connections family! -- a safe, warm and peaceful holiday season.

Reminder: Your 2019 tax return still has to be filed for you to keep receiving any benefits or credits. Some benefits will be stopped in September, if your tax return hasn't been filed. We're here to help our Connections families stay on top of these duties! Be sure to stay connected. Stay well!

The Re-entry Taskforce invites you to their virtual town hall regarding Re-launch with Albertans with Disabilities on Friday, July 10th from 10AM - 12PM. Share ...what is working for you and what you think will work better for an inclusive relaunch in Alberta! RSVP today at bit.ly/Re-launchAB. Deaf and Hear Alberta Home Care Assistance Calgary United Way of Calgary and Area Connections Counselling and Consulting Foundation Alberta Health Services The Children's Link Society - Supporting Special Needs and Disability Vibrant Communities Calgary - VCC

A huge thank you to TREC Dental for a donation to support our families. What wonderful community and family support!

Connections' family is staying connected. Our team is checking in with families by phone and video conference. We're gearing up for emergency deliveries of supplies and we're putting together on line resources for families to keep their kids busy and healthy. Stay safe and keep a distance from others, for all of our sakes.

Connections will work hard to support families as fully as we can. On Monday, March 16th, our team will be meeting to plan how we will cover support needs. Our services and supports will depend on the government rules and having our team available. Let's all take care of each other and get through this together!

Connections contributed to a policy brief so that the Alberta Government can ensure more people get their RDSP benefits. At Connections, we have Doug and Donna to do that and they are AMAZING! So, here's to better disability policy and here's to the wonderful Connections team that always puts our families first! (Here's the policy: https://tinyurl.com/teadpe5

We're doing fine at Connections and supporting more families than ever! But there is lots of talk of cuts out there, including at the upcoming City of Council meeting on Monday. If you have the time, visit Council on Monday and show your support for programs that help people be able to enjoy our city.

"Of everyone I've dealt with lately, you guys are the best." This was just said at Connections' office by a man we've been helping to sort out some supports he needs that he's never been able to access. This is a man who does not meet Connections' mandate, nor is our time with him funded by anyone. But he has been turned away by a number of other agencies and services and he was stuck, with no where else to turn. As we see cutbacks and challenging times, we'll need all of us, as individuals and our agencies, to be willing to step up and help, or find help. We have to stick to our values and remember the kind of community we want to be. Thank you to the amazing people at Connections who are always putting others first and are creative and resourceful each and every day.

We're excited and proud to let you know that one of Connections' volunteer Directors on our Board has been named "Top 40 under 40" through Avenue Magazine. Maya Kambeitz heads up Norfolk Housing. It's a huge benefit to Connections to have someone from the affordable housing sector on our Board. We are grateful to have Maya's advice and help us advocate for Connections' families for quality, affordable housing. Maya offers a wealth of knowledge and Norfolk Housing is an agency with a philosophy that is just like Connections'. Congratulations Maya! https://t.co/HnhbBepks4?amp=1

We had a lovely picnic with our Connections family coming together yesterday! Thanks to our Connections' team and Board for helping to make it happen.

A wonderful event with all of our team, our Board, a few families, and many guests on Monday. It was a good test of our added group space and kicks off a busy summer of extra activities! Looking forward to seeing lots of all our Connections families.

Here's something fun and worthwhile! Come to a Connections-hosted and FREE movie screening on Tuesday, June 4th at 6:30 pm at the Glenbow theatre in honour of EMPATHY WEEK. "Gabrielle" is a Canadian film about a cognitively challenged woman in Montreal. When she falls in love, her family and her support workers are alarmed. Can she experience what anyone else wants to experience -- a first love and a romantic relationship? This is a beautifully made film -- entertaining, funny and touching. One reviewer said, "Gabrielle is a deeply affecting tale of difference, dignity and the healing power of song." Please join us! We ask that you RSVP as space is limited. [email protected]

Please vote today - between 9 am and 8 pm. Your vote matters! Here's where to find your polling station. https://www.elections.ab.ca/current-electio/polling-places/

We fight hard for the rights of people with challenges to parent. Another right is to vote. Be sure to register: https://www.elections.ab.ca/voters/voterlink/ Try Vote Compass to learn how your views match the different parties. https://votecompass.cbc.ca/alberta/ We're organizing a group outing to walk from our office to the Advance Polls on Tuesday. Stay tuned for more details!

A special, special thank you to Friends Church, Silver Springs Elementary and Alberta Tubular Products - plus so many individual donors and supporters - who make Christmas joyful for Connections' families. We salute you for your generosity and helping ensure that families share in the delights of Christmas. Thank you.

This Tuesday, November 27, between 9:30 am and 12 noon, everyone with PDD supports, and their family and caregivers, are encouraged to drop in at the Ramada Plaza on 26th St NE to provide input for the PDD REVIEW. This Review was long asked for by the community. Community disability workers are welcome to drop in between 2 pm and 4:30 pm on Tuesday, Nov. 27th. If those times don't work, feel free to drop in on Wed. Nov. 28th, at the same Ramada Plaza on 26th St NE, between ...2 pm and 4 pm or between 6 pm and 8 pm. We all need to provide input on what works and what should change so that we ensure the system of supports continues to improve and meet changing needs.

For parents to get a kickstart on saving by participating in Connections' "CASH" Club is a huge help to building skills on budgeting and saving. Even if the parents already have many of these skills, as so many of our parents do, it gives them a refresher and helps them pass these skills on to their kids. Thanks to First Calgary Financial for the support! What a difference-maker!!!!

Casino volunteering! Woohooo!!! Think of it as your post-Stampede outing. Monday, July 30 or Tuesday, July 31, we are in need of a couple more volunteers. Day shift is 11-ish to 7:30 pm and night shift is 7-ish to 3:30 am. It's a lot to ask, I know. But it also is a huge help to Connections and results in Connections helping people with disabilities who have no other support. THANK YOU!!!! Email: [email protected]

CRA does not call and ask you to make a payment using a credit card or gift card!