WHAT'S UP

 January 2024

Welcome back! We hope everyone had a wonderful, relaxing holiday season full of laughter and joy.  We are back at it and excited for another year of fun and creative programming and support.

The newsletter has been posted but here's some important dates to remember:

- Monday, February 19th Access is closed for Family Day.

- Tuesday, February 27th PRC Spring Program Guide is available.

- Friday, March 8th PRC Spring Program Registration opens at 10:00am

As usual with this time of year, if you're feeling under the weather, please stay home and rest! We want to make sure everyone stays as healthy as possible so we can all enjoy programs! Also make sure to dress for the weather and activities for the day based on your calendar.

New year means it's time to plan for an I.P.P. meeting! This is great opportunity to get your support team together to review successes, identify goals and update plans for the year. These meetings are not mandatory but it's a good tool to keep everything up to date and your team on the same page. If you would like to book a meeting or have any questions about the process, please reach out to Angie or Sonja.

 December 2023

Reminder to everyone to please make sure all of your items that you bring to Access are labeled so that everyone leaves with their items. We are also coming into more wintery weather and it will be getting wet and snowy out. It is a good idea to bring a pair of labeled shoes or slippers to wear while at the office.

Thursday, December 14 is our Annual Open House from 11:30 to 2:00pm right here at the office. We will be set to open our doors and welcome all of our families, home share providers, and community partners. Stop by and enjoy some lunch (both meat and vegetarian options available), veggies and holiday baking! All while catching up with us and seeing what we've been up to around here. We can't wait to see everyone!

We've completed our annual program surveys. We are so appreciative of everyone that took the time to fill out our survey and give us their thoughtful feedback. We've done the draw for the gift cards and have delivered the to the participants! The names were announced on the newsletter.

We will be closed for the holidays as of 1:00pm on Friday, December 22 to give us time to clean and sanitize the office and be ready when we come back in the New Year. We will be re-open at 9:00am on Tuesday, January 2, 2024 ready to greet everyone with New Year smiles!

 September 2023

Newsletter is posted and ready for viewing! We had such a fun summer full of so many amazing activities. A HUGE shoutout to our staff for being so creative and creating so many wonderful programs for our Service Recipients! What a great summer!

Our Access Adventurers are being busy bees planning a Disneyland/Universal Studios trip in October 2024. If you're interested in participating, please contact Sonja or Jordan (250-763-2217) for more information and to get your deposit in ASAP.

As we come into fall, a gentle reminder that if you're showing any signs of illness (fever, cough, runny nose, vomiting, upset stomach, diarrhea, etc.) to please stay home to get better and not spread germs. If you arrive ill or become ill during your supports and services, we will call your family or Home Share Provider to come pick you up so you can rest at home.

 July 2023

July 14, 2023 we hosted our Annual Houseboat Cruise with Kelowna Cruises. Everyone had such a great time on our Disney themed cruise this year! There were many laughs, some of the best dance moves you've ever seen and smiles as big as Okanagan Lake! We want to say a special thank you to Mike and his crew for being so accommodating and so amazing for our group. You guys are all rockstars! If you're looking for a super fun venue to host an event, we highly recommend Kelowna Cruises. www.kelownacruises.com

At the end of June we also had a visit from the Reptile Queen. She brought some very interesting reptiles by for our crew to hold and learn about. Fun was had by all!

There have been many fun park & beach days enjoyed by many. We want to take a moment to remind that with the weather being so hot, to please make sure to dress in light clothing, wear sunscreen and a hat and drink plenty of water. Staff have been so great at making sure there are a variety of activities for our crew to participate in all over town that gets everyone out and moving. So shout out to our wonderful staff!

 May 2023

Wow! We've had a busy start to Spring around here. In April, we had a group of our Access Adventurers made up of 18 individuals and 5 staff attend a Vancouver Canucks game! Fun was had by all and the Canucks even pulled out a late season win against the Chicago Blackhawks. The travel club will be planning more events in the future. If you have any ideas, then reach out to Sonja or Jordan and share!

We have some events that require pre-registration coming up in June and July. For more information and dates, check out the newsletter.

As the weather warms, please don't forget to wear weather appropriate clothing and pack sunscreen, a hat and a water bottle.

 March 2023

We are coming in to Spring and we are so excited to be welcoming some warmer weather and more outdoor activities!

Reminder, please make sure that weather appropriate clothing is packed as each day can be a mixed bag in the Spring! Also, please remember to label everything that comes to Access - all clothing, containers, bags, water bottles, etc. This helps us make sure that everyone has everything that is theirs. Some photos of our lost and found have been posted to our Facebook page. Take a look and if any of the items belong to you or you know who they belong to, please contact either Angie or Sonja. Anything unclaimed by the end of the day on March 10 will be washed and donated.

You may be aware by now that our CAP/Youth in Transition programs will be ending effective June 30, 2023. There is a pilot project being put on by the Provincial Government for a new youth program called the Family Connection Center (FCC) Hub. We are encouraging any families who are currently receiving supports and services for their child with a diverse ability to reach out to your Social Worker at MCFD/CYSN as soon as possible to ensure a smooth transition. Our Community Access Program (CAP) has been part of Access for over 28 years and this has always been a popular program within the community. We are sad that it is coming to an end, as we have built great relationships with many families and individuals over the years. We are proud of all the creative, exciting, and skill-based programs we have been able to deliver for youth. It has been an honor to experience the youth grow, gain new (and lifelong) friendships, learn new skills and successfully engage in unique activities. We will cherish all the good times and have many memories to look back upon.

 January 2023

Happy New Year! We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday filled with happiness, love, and relaxation.

We are so glad to be back and are ready for an incredible year. We have some plans in the works for some fun activities and can't wait to share them with you as we get closer to the dates. So stay tuned! We'll update here and our Facebook page.

Programs are starting back up again at PRC and the OC schedule changes coming up at the beginning of February. Everyone is working on getting into the new routine and schedules may be changing slightly, depending on chosen activities. If you have any questions, please reach out!

The Access Adventurers are back at it this coming April! We can't wait to hear about the great time they had and see all the photos from their adventure.