They reached their goal to help 222 adults who have a disability find full- or part-time work months ago, but the Employment Resource Centre for Persons with Disabilities (ERCPD) team is determined to do more.

 

They have set out to help 60 more people before a new employment services model rolls out in British Columbia this spring.

 

Vocational Program Manager Nicola Oliver wasn’t surprised by the team’s focus when they set a new goal. She credits their commitment, range of skills and collaboration for the ERCPD’s success.

 

“They bring their hearts to work, and their experience is quite varied,” she says. “They come to work and they realize what the

Singing for Dreams hits all the right notes for Taylor Thackwray. The BC Centre for Ability karaoke fundraiser allows her to do something she loves in support of her mother Joanna’s work with people who have a disability.

 

And so, the 10-year-old is already signed up for the fifth annual event, to be held April 26 at the Trev Deeley Motorcycle Store and Exhibition in Vancouver.

 

Joanna, who is an Occupational Therapist at the Centre, introduced her eldest daughter to Singing for Dreams last year as participants were being sought.

 

“She thought it was the greatest thing ever” and e-mails quickly went out seeking pledges, Joanna says. “Taylor absolutely loved

Fun With Friends Strathcona has found fans amongst the Vancouver Supported Child Development (SCD) Program at the BC Centre for Ability.

 

Consultants with the program have been enthusiastic about growing Fun With Friends “because we think it’s been great, it’s been so effective at Strathcona,” Vancouver SCD Co-ordinator Terri Calvert says.

 

Led by an SCD consultant and a social worker with the Stepping Stones program at the BC Centre for Ability, Fun With Friends is operated out of as space provided free of charge at the Strathcona Community Centre. Young children with the Strathcona Out of School Care program at the centre learn to understand theirs and others’ emotions and express their feeli