FYI - Info Update for our families!

ONTARIO SUPPORTS REGISTERED DISABILITY SAVINGS PLANS
McGuinty Government Helps Families Save For Children With Disabilities
NEWS
November 30, 2008
Ontario is making it possible for social assistance recipients to take advantage of Registered Disability Savings Plans (RDSPs).
Like the Registered Education Savings Plan, RDSPs allow family members and loved ones to save money tax free until withdrawal. The program helps people plan for the future needs of children and adults with disabilities.
Changes to Ontario’s social assistance rules will make sure that both RDSP assets and withdrawals are fully exempt. This means:
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RDSP contributions do not impact eligibility for social assistance
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People on social assistance can take money out of an RDSP without affecting their social assistance payments.
To further help social assistance recipients with disabilities save for their future, Ontario is also increasing the amount they can receive as a gift or payment from a trust from $5,000 to $6,000 a year.
QUOTES
“This is about making it easier for families to save for their children with disabilities,” said Minister of Community and Social Services Madeleine Meilleur. “We are making sure that people can put money in an RDSP without it affecting their eligibility for disability support.”
"The message from the Ontario government is clear. It trusts families to help their relative with a disability and has opened the door for them to secure the future for their loved one. In twenty years, we’ll look back on this as a watershed moment for people with disabilities." said President and Co-Founder of Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network Al Etmanski.
"What will happen when I'm no longer here is a sentiment shared by many families caring for a relative with a disability. The future for their loved ones was almost certain poverty. But with today's welcomed announcement, the Ontario government has cleared the way for families and communities to invest in a new vision for Ontario citizens with disabilities,” said Ontario RDSP Working Group Chair Jeff Dobbin.
QUICK FACTS
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Any individual that is eligible for the Disability Tax Credit may establish an RDSP
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British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland have also announced that they will fully exempt both RDSP assets and withdrawals.
LEARN MORE
Find out more about the federal Registered Disability Savings Plans.
To establish a RDSP, you must qualify for a Canada’s Disability Tax Credit.
See how employment supports help people on the Ontario Disability Support Program.
Learn more about the province’s Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities.
Kevin Cooke, Minister’s Office, 416-325-5219
Chris Tidey, Communications and Marketing
416-325-5760
ontario.ca/community-news
Disponible en français

Wine Tasting & Epicurean Evening for Two up for Bid! Support the United Way!

"Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing." - Ernest Hemingway

Here's your chance to spend an evening at a Private Wine Tasting where you and your guest will get to try some of the finest old world red wines that Italy produces and at the same time you'll be supporting the United Way of Peel. It doesn't get any better than that!

This private wine tasting will focus on the wines of the Piedmont region in Northern Italy (the killer B's....Barolo, Barbaresco and Brunello!) as well as the local cuisine of that region. Wine doesn't get much better than this. Four of the wines served in this tasting have been personally carried from Italy by the evening's Hosts.

A food tasting will be included, featuring Wild Mushroom Risotto with Tartufo Cream,as well as foods local to the Emilia Romagna region. Charcuterie and Artisenal Cheeses will also also be a large part of the evening's epicurean experience. Quebec & Prince Edward County along with specialty Proscuitto from Pingue Prosciutto will enhance these incredible wines. One of the evening's guests is a Cheese Monger currently working at one of Toronto's finest Cheese boutiques.


The tasting will start out light with the sparkle of Prosecco, followed by the Killer B's and then on to the most luscious of the Veneto wines, the gorgeous rubies in a glass known as Amarone. Capping off this trip down la strada de vino (the road of wine) will be a Super Tuscan & a Chianti. Nothing says loving like the wines of Tuscany.

"Leave the gun, take the cannoli." - The Godfather Traditional Italian sweets shall not be overlooked as well! Hold your breath because this tasting will finish up with some kick it up a notch Italian Grappa. La Dolce Vita!

The value of this wonderful evening is approximately $250.00. This will get you a ticket for two. There will be a total of 8 people present at the tasting, including a Chef! Tasting will be held in a Caledon location (Bolton) and will take place some time during the month of October or the early part of November on a Saturday evening. Date to be arranged.

The opening bid starts at $50.00 and the bids will close on Wednesday, September 30th. To place a bid or for more details please email: coopspeak@gmail.com

Stay tuned to this blogpost for current bidding updates.

Meet the man behind those fabulous Diva costumes!

Meet Juul Haalmeyer who in our opinion is just the most fabulous costumer this side of the Great Lakes! Juul so carefully and lovingly dressed, primped and accessorized our gorgeous divas. He made each and everyone of them feel like the diva they are. For those of you who don't know he Juul is he is a benchmark and an icon in the costuming and theatre industry. He's the who's who and knows the who's who. He's dressed Anne Murray, Dolly Parton, Alice Cooper, Jethro Tull, Katarina Witt (best legs in ice skating!)....the list goes on and on. He is also the Juul Haalmeyer as in the Juul Haalmeyer Dancers in the iconic SCTV series, where he designed the costumes for all those amazing SCTV characters.

Check out his facebook page.... Juul Haalmeyer Dancers (in Iceland) or just Juul Haalmeyer (his own personal page). Sign up! We love Juul and his part of making "simply divas" simply spectacular is so appreciated.

Signing off,
the Executive Diva,
Christine

The magic behind the magic.....

If you go to the "simply divas" webpage www.simplydivas.ca and you click on the button that plays the promo reel you cannot help but to be charmed and impressed by the event that is "simply divas". As many times as I have watched it (and that's not because I'm in it!!!) I am always in awe of the talent, the magic and the commitment that the 75 people who work so hard on divas gives of themselves to make it happen. So many people work so hard, for days, weeks, months....rehearsing....chasing donations....making incredible food....creating advertising materials....waiting tables....doing big hair....donating costumes....selling tickets.....

and then it all comes down to a few hours....and a handful of lovely young women who sing their hearts out. It is, without question, very magical.

So, with all of that being said, I just would like to take these few moments and give some major props to all those who really help create the magic. Without you, none of it happens. You give selflessly to an organization who could never, in a million years, ever be able to do this without you. You help us to create a special forum where for a few minutes we get to forget about how tough living with mental illness can really be, not only for the person who is ill, but also for their family who live and support their family member. That makes all of this even more special and even more appreciated.

To those reading, I'd like to take this opportunity to say, pick up the phone and order your tickets. What we've got lined up for this year's event is just simply not to be missed. There is magic in the air....and we call it...."simply divas".

the Executive Diva,
Christine

Where do the days fly?

Time flies. Ya blink and it's right by you! By now I'm sure that many of you have seen the new and vastly improved version of the FAME newsletter. The wow factor is monster! We are absolutely thrilled to bits with the production of this quarterly news piece from the agency. The feedback has been very positive.

Days are busy here at FAME. With divas on the horizon all the beehive is a buzzing on Dundas Street. Tickets have been selling well in advance and we are buoyed at the thought of putting on an event that could possibly sell 500 tickets. Imagine that. This is our fourth year and for us its very special since this year benchmarks FAME's 20th anniversary year. We are like the little engine that could....just chugging along. For us though, it is all about the families.

We've almost finished the renovations at Dundas St. You wouldn't even recognize the place! If you are in the neighborhood, stop by, we'll make you a cup of tea and have a chit chat. We love visitors in the office. Currently we are searching for family members who are interested in giving us a sound bite for our FAME clip that we are working on with Andrew Brown. Andrew is the very talented volunteer who helped us put together the simply divas clip that you can see at www.simplydivas.ca It is such a cool, cool clip and we are very proud of it. The new piece we are working on is more focussed on FAME and its role for families. If you are comfortable and would like to share on camera what FAME has meant for your family then by all means, give us a call and we'll get the cameras rolling. We love to hear from our families.

Hopefully spring in the offing. I'm dreaming of tulips, daffodils and hyacinth....which gets me to thinking about Easter....and of course that gets me to thinking about chocolate. :) Hey, what can I say, around this place, chocolate is the manna of our lives.

Here's wishing all our friends and family members happy soon to be spring days!

The E.D.

The Mental Health Commission of Canada....back from the roundtable discussions....here's your update!

Last week approximately 30 people (by invite only) gathered with Howard Chodos, Director of the National Strategy, in downtown Toronto to have a round table discussion about the draft document recently released by the MHCC. As you'll see from my earlier posts you'll know I was one of those 30 invitees. I thought I'd just quickly touch base and give you a quick update on what that discussion was like and where I think this draft doc. will be heading.

It's funny to come to the realization that not everyone in the mental health community are on the same page. You'd think, that a group that wants, begs, has been clamouring for reformation, would have much common ground. What you think you'd see, isn't always what presents itself. Of course, most people there come with their own agenda and as we know we all want what we all want. What consumers want may differ from what families want which may differ from what the clinical community wants. It's a bit of a carousel. Then there is the wordsmith's exercise. The use of words such as "recovery" and terminology such as "circle of care" etc.

At the end of the day we can all agree on one thing, change needs to be made. Change must be made. The upside of the document is that families are recognised in Goal 4. Finally. It is my opinion that this goal will remain intact and in place in the document (remember, this is a draft and this roadshow was in part to help them edit, refine, remodel this doc, so things can disappear).

I did continue to press though for such things as access to the Compassionate Care Act as well as speaking up about access to appropriate treatments and medications. In addition to that I also managed to get in a comment about the inequities of the per capita funding in the GTA. Everyone wants their "stuff" to be included, reflected and validated during a process such as this one. All in all, I'm sure they got our message.

So now what? Ok, here's the thing. I think every single family member, including their family member who is affected by the illness of mental health, needs to get in to the action mode and start by writing, faxing or emailing both their federal and provincial representatives. At the end of the day, the biggest changes that will be effected will only come through ongoing public pressure. So write them, tell them, demand from them, pressure them....make them realize that changes need to be made. It'll really come down to us and how much work and time we are willing to put forth to make our legislators realize the need for change and a broadening of the system that is supposed to address mental health needs and issues all across Canada.

It starts with you.

Respectfully,
the ED

Pssssssssst.....did you hear.....

So much going on at FAME these days! So much to share, so little time to type! Ok, so here goes.....well.....first off let's give a big shout out once again to Lembi Buchanan and her organization, the Nickel-A-Drink Foundation. If you scroll down through my earlier posts you'll see that we doff our cap to Lembi and her support to FAME but making FAME the recipient of the funds they raised at the Andre Picard dinner!!!! Lembi tells me in an email that they have another $2,000 to donate to FAME in support of our amazing fameKids program!!!! How fantastic is that! This rocks! Thank you so much to the NAD for their support. Make sure to check them out (scroll down as I've pasted in the links to their website!).

Ok, next (as she takes another deep breath) soooooooo.... I'm out at the United Way of Peel Celebration Dinner last week and I bump in to Sandra Solonik from the Region of Peel. Late last fall FAME submitted a community funding support request to the region but to date we hadn't heard anything. So, being the opportunist that I am so well known for being (hey a girl has to make the best of every situation right?) I decided to inquire after the status of the community submissions. Sandra says "oh, haven't I called or emailed you? FAME's been approved for community funding...". That community funding is worth $20,000 in support of FAME's family programming! So how amazing is that!!! Boy oh boy....are we on a roll here or what?

Busy, busy, busy.....and next week I'm off to the Mental Health Commission of Canada round table discussions to put in our two cents on their draft strategic document. We are one of only 30 who have been invited to this round table. It's buoying to know that the MHCC values the input of families. I will keep all of you very close to my heart next week.

Please note the date for our AGM this year, which will benchmark our 20th anniversary is Monday, September 21st and will be held out at the World Vision Bldg. in Mississauga. It'll be a very special evening to acknowledge friends, families, both present and past.

By the way, the Dundas St. office is under construction/renovation/expansion. We've added another space across the hall. We are painting, plastering, putting down some new flooring and adding what will be a really nice family intake room because for us, it's all about the families.

Finally....buy divas tickets will ya! It's a new event this spring with a new date....a bigger, better, hipper and more fun (I know that's hard to believe would even be possible) but it will be. A lot of people put their heart, soul and voices into this event. We have more than 50 volunteers who work to make this event happen and they do this all in support of FAME. Show them your support and buy a ticket!!!!

Stay tuned for more news and bits and bytes....!

much respect,
Christine

Meet the divas!

Introducing "simply divas" 2009! What an amazing crew of songbirds we've got lined up for you this year. The divas are hard at work already rehearsing their numbers and the songsheet is 18 deep which means there will be lots of amazing songs to blow the doors off of the hall. Speaking of the hall....it's announcement time! This year "simply divas" 2009 will have a new home, a new venue and a new date! As much as we loved the Great Hall it was time to move it on up to the east side, the east side of Queen St. that is. We are still on Queen Street just on the other end at the oh so fantabulously, incredible, historical and oh so hip Berkeley Church Event Venue. (located right on the corner of Berkeley & Queen, just east of Sherbourne St.).

This amazing venue, is similar in style to the Great Hall but allows us to create an event that will be even more magical (hard to believe that is even possible but trust me....we'll rise to this occasion!) that missing it would an absolute faux pas on your part.

Next part of this announcement includes a new event date. "simply divas" 2009 will take place on Sunday, May 31st 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. Tickets are $35 in advance, $40 at the door!

For more information or to order tickets call us here at FAME at (416) 207-5032.

Yours in divine diva'ishness!

the E.D. (that would stand for Executive Diva! :)

National Commission on Mental Health Wants to hear from us!

Just over a year ago I had the very good fortune to have a personal invitation to address the National Commission on Mental Health as they began the first part of their community consultations. The commission, chaired by the Honorable Michael Kirby, has a ten year mandate to undertake a national reformation on mental health care. It is one of the most significant undertakings in addressing the systemic problems that Canada faces on a day to day basis in meeting the needs of those challenged by mental health issues. It is a well known fact that 1 in 5 Canadians are affected and that means there is hardly a person in this country whose life has not been touched in some way or another by mental health. Mental health knows no boundaries, no gender, no culture, no age, no geography. Just about anyone who works in the mental health care system knows who Michael Kirby is and we have been buoyed at his leadership because we are hopeful for positive changes.



I have just received my second invitation to participate in further discussions with the NCMH to review the document that was gleaned out of the first round of community consultations. I was absolutely thrilled to be invited back to participate. FAME is only family based organization invited to be a part of this review. Over the whole GTA, there have been only 30 invites sent out and we got one of them! I think, as the Executive Director, what makes me even more hopeful is that pretty much one year after the commission began this undertaking, they are following through and producing documents with directions and recommendations. The current document they about to unveil will list 8 major directives for this country's steps towards reform. The input they want from us now is basically to ask us if these are what they heard as the 8 top priorities.



The document will arrive here in the FAME offices some time over the next few weeks, giving me a chance to read, mull, think and bring forth our position on this important document. I am hopeful, that since we have been asked once again to be a part of this process, that the commission has recognized that families have a major role in the participation of recovery and management for a family member affected by mental health issues.



I will continue to press for what I spoke to the commission about in my prior presentation. Things like consideration for the Compassionate Leave Act, pressure to the province to broaden the approved medication lists, pressure for funding support for family based support programming and a reminder that even children can become caregivers and that they too have needs that need to be met.



Stay tuned, I will blog again shortly after receipt of the document. In the meantime it feels darned good to know that a national commission has got FAME on their radar. Finally, participating in this February roundtable will give us a chance to wave the banner that celebrates FAME's 20 years of serving families all across the GTA.



Respectfully,

the ED

"simply divas" is simply magic!

Wow. 2009 already! On behalf of the staff and the board of directors here at the Family Association for Mental Health Everywhere I'd like to extend best wishes for a happy and more importantedly a healthy new year filled with hope and wellness.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to begin to encourage our friends, family members and associates to come on out and join us for this year's "simply divas". The divas have been cast and are already busy rehearsing. It's a stellar line up this year with lots of fun and surprises that will leave you feeling diva'fied in a way you never knew you could be! There will be everything from swag bags to the return of the divatini's! The diva chefs are busy cooking and testing new recipes to bring you a whole new lineup of hors d'ouevres inspired by the diva songstresses! It'll be another amazing afternoon in April on Queen Street and you won't want to miss a minute of it.

The diva line up this year include: the incredible, sultry Nina Simone; the kick ass rock'n'roll of Joan Jett; the cool country attitude of Loretta Lynn; some punk'n'fun with young up and coming diva, Pink; Canada's own kd Lang; the timeless icon of Madonna; the 80's rhythm nation Queen, Janet Jackson and the blue eyed soul of the late great Dusty Springfield. The first half of the show is hosted by the diva personna of the incredible Dame Shirley Bassey and trust me lambs, this broad don't pop her cork for just anybody!!!! Danica Brown is back as our Musical Director and will finally get her time to shine as the second half host. It'll be an afternoon to remember.

Make sure to mark down the date and I'll be looking for you!

Yours in song,
the Executive Diva
Christine