Hand Over Hand

Every year @stelladot supports Autism Awareness by creating an exclusive accessory boutique in the month of April. Sales proceeds are donated to autism centres in the United States and in Canada. We have partnered with Brand Ambassador @marielamccombstyle who will graciously donate a portion of her personal commissions to Hand Over Hand. Thank you @marielamccombstyle! You can help this campaign by: ... 1. shopping the accessory boutique using this linkca.stelladot.com/sites/winykzi 2. Spreading the word and sharing the link with your friends & family 3. Hosting a virtual event (please contact @marielamccombstyle directly) 4. Placing bulk orders if you are abusiness owner (those who place bulk orders will get a special mention to their businesses for their support) #Donation #Autism #AutismAwareness #Fundraising #Neurodiverse #Accessories #StellaDotStyle #StellaandDot Image description: A collage of 8 Stella and Dot rainbow accessories. The centre image reads Autism Awareness Boutique with a Stella and Dot logo against a rainbow background.

Last month’s social group event was a huge hit with our members and volunteers! We hosted a virtual Bingo Night full of laughter and fun! Please send us a DM if you are interested in joining our social group for people with disabilities aged 15-30 in the York region! We’d love to have you! Image description: A Zoom screenshot of 16 volunteers and members smiling while holding up their favourite bingo card from Bingo Night... #Inclusive #Accessible #Virtual #Fun #BingoNight #Nonprofit #NonprofitsofInstagram #Neurodiverse #Disability #DisabilityPride

We’re definitely missing the Snoezelen room that we tried out in 2020! This was such a fun and engaging activity for us all to try out! I hope we can do this again soon!! Description: Two members play in a gently lit room with another member sitting to the right watching. #ThrowbackThursday #TBT #NonprofitsofInstagram #Disability #DisabilityPride #Inclusion #Accessibility #SafeSpace... #Snoezelen #MultiSensory See more

Our members love our Accessible Taekwondo program in partnership with @moohantkd! We love working with @moohantkd! If you would like to partner with us, please DM us! We would love to hear from you! Image description: A Zoom screenshot of thirteen volunteers and members posing in a protective stance while smiling.... #VirtualEvents #Accessible #Inclusive #Taekwondo #MartialArts #NonprofitsOfInstagram #Nonprofit #Disability #DisabilityAwareness #DisabilityPride #DisabilityJustice

Lianna is Hand Over Hand’s Volunteer of the Month! Lianna is smiling in the very middle of this picture! Lianna joined us as a volunteer about one year ago and dove right in! She connected with so many of our members and made a very strong impact! Just recently, she's joined as our new recruitment manager and has really stepped up and helped with our Taekwondo program with @moohantkd and helped set us up for success! We asked Lianna about her experience as a volunteer and t...his is what she said: I joined Hand Over Hand as part of the Social Group Program. I've had so many amazing and memorable experiences with HOH, especially at our last bowling event where everyone was so welcoming and friendly. I knew I wanted to get more involved and continue to share that positivity with every member and volunteer. This year, I'm really excited to be supporting volunteer recruitment and also learning new skills in our virtual Taekwondo classes! Thank you for your wonderful volunteer work, Lianna!! We love having you around! Image Desvription: A group of volunteers and members smile and pose for a picture together while at @markhambowl #Volunteer #volunteerappreciation #Nonprofit #ThankYou #NonprofitsofInstagram #DisabilityInclusion #DisabilityPride

As marginalized folks, what is our medicine? What keeps us grounded? What keeps us hopeful? What keeps us from burning out? How can we resist white supremacy's ...attempts to exhaust us? Join us for a series of drop-in workshop's where we will be collectively creating a digital zine that will explore these questions. Using digital tools and varying forms of expression (such as memes, selfies, recipes, audio recordings, drawings, poetry, journaling, etc), we hope to create art and foster conversation that inspires community care and healing. Our intention is to create a welcoming online space to produce a time capsule and resource that is for us, by us and in opposition of racial capitalism's attempts to alienate us from our experiences in the face of rampant anti-blackness and ableism. We know that there are many barriers to being able to identify as disabled. Our definition of disability includes undiagnosed/self diagnosed folks. Mental health and physical health. Invisible and visible.

To celebrate the end of the year, Hand Over Hand's amazing volunteer, Tiff, hosted a night of Holiday Crafts and Chef Anthony Go delivered a baking presentation! Although this holiday season looks a little different, it is so wonderful to be able to hang out together virtually! What a fun way to end 2020! If you are interested in joining in on the fun as a member, volunteer or partner, you can always reach out via DM! See you next year!!... #Nonprofit #Safe #Accessible #TogetherButApart #DisabilityPride #HappyHolidays

#Throwback to when we visited @mlselaunchpad! How are you staying active during the COVID-19 pandemic? ... Alt text [A group of five smiling people stand in front of a purple, pink, blue, green and white mural. Two are holding rainbow basketballs.] #NonProfit #Accessible #SafeSpace #Disability #Inclusive #DisabilitySport #InclusiveSport #Fun

We are please to introduce Jasmine as our Volunteer of the Month! Jasmine has been the Workshop Manager for Hand Over Hand since 2017 and a volunteer since 2014. In this photo, she is standing to the very left of the photo making a silly face! Jasmine considers her work with Hand Over Hand one of the most important things she does with her time. Her favourite Hand Over Hand events are the ones that involve food.... Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication. We appreciate your expertise in organizing super fun and accessible activities! Hand Over Hand is so lucky to have you on our team! Alt text: [A group of several members of the Hand Over Hand Community smiling and posing for a photo. Jasmine stands to the left of the photo making a silly face with her strong sticking out]

Happy #ThrowbackThursday! This photo is from Hand Over Hand’s 2014 Music Festival! Remember to self care in whatever way feels best to you. Whether it be meditation, stretching, enjoying time outside, singing, dancing, talking with friends or family or doing a craft. Take time for yourself! Alt Text: [Seven people are taught yoga outdoors. Each has a different colour yoga mat and stands in lunge position with their arms up. The instructor stands on a paved path in orange a...ctivewear clothing.] #Accessible #AdaptiveYoga #AccessibleSelfcare #SelfCareMatters #SelfCare #SafeSpace #Disability #DisabilityPride #DisabilityJustice #Nonprofit

Yesterday we had a VIRTUAL COSTUME PARTY DANCE with Autism Ontario York Region @autismteenagepartnership and @viablecareers - you can see all of our members and volunteers waving here! What a fun way to end our Friday night! Thanks to all of the volunteers and partners who came to help out! Comment below about your favourite costume! More videos and photos to come . .... . #virtual #dance #weekend #votd #volunteer #nonprofit #physicaldistancing #partners #sgn See more

We are so proud to introduce Anthony as our Member of the Month! Anthony has been an incredible member of Hand Over Hand for over 5 years and recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Anthony has taught virtual cooking classes to our HOH community! Anthony's enthusiasm and welcoming spirit creates a warm environment. We value his willingness to participate and host community events. We are so happy you're sharing your passion of cooking with us! ... We reached out to Anthony about his experience as a member and he said: "I have been a Hand Over Hand member since Middle school. I am in college now. I like Hand Over Hand because I can be myself and enjoy wonderful time with volunteers and my friends in events and activities I join. I enjoy the many creative activities and events arranged by the team. Since COVID-19 lock down, Hand Over Hand has been very creative in coming up with virtual events and activities. It is good to be able to see volunteers and my friends during COVID-19 social distancing period. I miss them. I cannot wait until we all can see each other in person." Congratulations Anthony! We are so lucky to have you as a member! Image description: [Anthony is wearing a white chef’s hat and coat. He is waving to the camera and is sitting in front of a table with a laptop, paper and mouse in front of him.] #Nonprofit #York #GTA #Markham #Disability #DisabilityPride #Safe #Accessible #Community #DisabilityCommunity

#Throwback to 2018 when Hand Over Hand partnered with @LetsJamPrograms to bring our members the Percussive and Creative Movement Program! We had a blast working with @LetsJamPrograms. We had so much fun that we are bringing this program back virtually via Zoom! This program will run virtually starting Thursday November 19th from 7:00pm to 8:00pm. It is a four week program ending December 10th, 2020 and the registration fee is $60. To register please go to https://buff.ly/35yi...YqC or DM us for more information! See you there! #VirtualProgram #SocialProgram #CrippingTheArts #Accessible #Inclusive #MusicProgram #Disability #Markham #York #GTA

Throwback to last year when our members and volunteers decorated some tasty gingerbread houses Old Firehall Confectionery! It’s always a treat to partner with local business and host fun, inclusive events! This year we are fortunate to run our social groups online. DM us for information on how to join in the fun!! ... #ThrowbackThursday

Happy Holidays to our Hand Over Hand community! Thank you to our members, volunteers, community partners and our allies for your continued support during this past year. We truly appreciate you and we hope your holidays are both merry and bright! #Nonprofit #Holidays #2021 #DisabilityPride #Thankful #Accessible #Markham #York

There are still a few spots open for the Percussive and Creative Movement program!! Instruments are not required for this program! You can use everyday household items as instruments! Follow this link to sign up! ... https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/percussive-and-creative-movemen See more

Congratulations to Tiff, Hand Over Hand’s Volunteer of the Month! Tiff began volunteering with us in 2015 - the same year this photo was taken! Her costume in this photo is a girl you can count on in a sticky situation. That's who she is: A girl you can count on! Tiff says I can't believe it's been over half a decade of volunteering for this great organization. Hand Over Hand continues to teach me so much, lets me be myself, and I'm honoured to be a part of it. I'v...e felt so welcome from the beginning that attending the events naturally feels like I'm going to do an activity with friends and time just flies. We are so grateful to have Tiff as a dedicated volunteer! Thank you Tiff for being a someone we can always count on! If you would like to volunteer with Hand Over Hand, please DM us! Image Description: Tiff is facing the camera smiling. She is wearing a dark blue sweater covered in yellow sticky notes with numbers written on them. In the background to the left is a white wall with caution tape Halloween decor and an automatic hand sanitizer dispenser. To the right is a large window. #nonprofit #volunteer #grateful #volunteerappreciation

A big thank you to Old Firehall Confectionery for mentioning us during their BT Canada interview! We love working with local businesses and our partnership with Old Firehall Confectionery is always sweet! Thank you for always providing a safe and accessible space for our members with disabilities! Happy Holidays! ... Watch it here (We're featured at the 3:30 mark) https://www.bttoronto.ca//nicole-is-live-on-main-street-u/

On November 2nd, 2020 from 6:30pm to 7:30pm Hand Over Hand held our annual Accessible Art Show virtually! Thank you to all of the members who attended and presented their beautiful artwork! Thank you to our partner @cityofmarkham and our host and workshops manager, @jazzyminderleslie! We are still running programs and events virtually. If you would like to join our events as a participant or as a partner, please DM us for more info!... #NonprofitsOfInstagram #DisabilityPride #DisabilityArts #ArtistsOfInstagram #ArtsAccess #DisabilityJustice #DisabilityActivist #Painters #VisualArt #Allies #NonProfits #CrippingTheArts

Happy International Day of People with Disabilities! This year, the United Nation’s theme is Building Back Better: towards a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 world. This photoset is a #throwback to a pre-COVID-19 circus event we hosted in 2017. We are now thankful to operate our events and programs virtually. At HOH, we hope to contribute to these post COVID-19 goals by continuing to create safe, accessible spaces for people with disabilities/d...isabled people where they can feel supported and included through peer networks. To learn more about the International Day of People with Disabilities visit www.un.org//international-day-of-persons-wit/idpd2020.html #ThrowbackThursday #IDPWD2020 #NonProfit #COVID-19

This last year has gone by so fast! This photo is from the last day of our #virtual #Accessible Taekwondo class in collaboration @Moohantkd We are quickly wrapping up our 2020 programs! Thank you for your support during this unprecedented year! Keep an eye out on social media in the new year to learn about ways you can get involved with Hand Over Hand! ... We are so excited to plan more #exciting, #accessible programs and events for our members in 2021!! #Nonprofit #Markham #DisabilityPride #Disabled #Volunteer #Community #Fun #Friends

Join @handoverhand and @letsjamprograms for an accessible and interactive social music program! Let's Jam Percussive & Creative Movement program is an adapted therapeutic program for people with disabilities to develop creative, social, and self-expressive skills through music. This program will be fun, hands-on, participatory, interactive, and unique.... This event will run virtually via Zoom on Thursdays for four weeks starting Thursday November 19th, 2020 and ending Thursday December 10, 2020. This program will run from 7:00pm- 8:00pm and cost $60 for all four weeks! Zoom will be used to host these classes. A link will be provided within 24 hours of the start of the first class. To register, please visit https://percussive-and-creative-movement.eventbrite.ca See you there! #Markham #York #GTA #DisabilityPride #Music #Therapeutic #Accessible #Interactive #Creative #Social #TogetherButApart #Virtual #VirtualEvent

Hand Over Hand’s Member of the Month is James! James is a long time member and the very first winner of our David Conforti Award back in 2018! This award celebrates a member who, like James, is caring, optimistic and determined. When James attends one of our events, he lights up the room and gives 100% to whatever activity he is participating in! We reached out to James wondering what he thought of this photo and he said I thought the @paintlounge event was really fun and ...I enjoyed painting that picture of Pickle Rick. I’ve had some really memorable events with HOH over the years. We are so grateful to get to know our members by hosting fun, inclusive events. Hand Over Hand is currently operating virtually, stay tuned to our social media or DM us to learn about upcoming online events and programs! #Markham #DisabilityPride #Accessibility #NonProfit #DavidConfortiAward #Virtual #Safe #Fun #Painting #PickleRick #RickAndMorty

We are so happy to be teaming up with our longtime friends Let's Jam Percussive & Creative Movement Program again this year! This program is so much fun both in person and virtually! Hand Over Hand loves to partner with local businesses, send us a DM if you would like to work with us! Image Description: A camera slowly moves to show a group of smiling people sitting in a circle talking and using different percussive instruments ... #MarkhamForAll #Nonprofits #GTA #Unionville #York #DisabilityPride #Accessibility #Music #DisabilityArts

We at Hand Over Hand really believe in Pathways to Belonging’s impactful research project with the Occupational Therapy Department at the University of Toronto. This project is about belonging within the disability community. They are looking for volunteers or employees who work with people with developmental/intellectual disabilities. This research is very close to our hearts as an HOH member, David Conforti, was a Project Consultant on the first part of the research proj...ect. This project will include an honorarium for participating, and all you would have to do is share your story and opinions on belonging, virtually! To get involved, call 416-978-1257 or email [email protected]

We had an incredible time at last week’s virtual Percussive and Creative Movement program session with @letsjamprograms Hand Over Hand is operating virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. We know that this is an incredibly isolating time for many of us. If you are interested in volunteering with us, we would love to have you! Please send us a DM to learn more! #Virtual #Volunteering #VolunteerOpportunity #Nonprofit #Recreation #Creative #DisabilityPride #DisabilityJustive #Markham #York #Unionville #GTA