A while back I was contacted by Victor Tang, the Communications & Marketing Manager at the Developmental Disabilities Association about some of their initiatives and services. In his email he asked if he would be able to send me some information however, having recently returned from our Iowa trip at the time (and our visit to Camp Courageous) I thought a personal visit to the DDA to learn more would be ideal — and the least I could do.

History
“In 1952, twelve parents of children with developmental disabilities came together to work towards integrating their children into public schools. By the 1990’s, that parent group, called the Vancouver-Richmond Association for Mentally Handicapped People, had become Canada’s largest charitable society of its kind west of Toronto. In 1998, recognizing changes in society, the wishes of its members, and its expanded role in the community, the Association changed its name; it is now the Developmental Disabilities Association…” [more history…]

Background & Services
The three most common examples of developmental disabilities are: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Cerebral Palsy and Down’s Syndrome. “Developmental disabilities are generally used to describe life-long impairments that are attributable to mental and/or physical disabilities.” The DDA provides programs and facilities for infants, children, adults, seniors as well as family support.

I was given a tour of an adult residential facility in Richmond today where I learned about group home living, care, and activities. We also stopped by the Riverside Child Development Centre where the out-of-school kids were learning about gardening and planting some peas. I, of course, had to pause and play with the waffle blocks for a while as they were just too fun to resist. I also came to the realization that I need a “nap room” in my house, but I digress.

“Your perception is our biggest disability,” noted Danielle White, a Director at the DDA. This quote was the main theme in a run of public service announcements last year and is an ongoing theme. Clients of the DDA lead full lives, some have jobs through the Starworks or Jobs West programs, and many are active in other non-profit activities (such as volunteering at the Food Bank or SPCA) in Richmond and Vancouver. They’re not only provided with services from the DDA but clients in turn have a chance to give back to their communities.

Sustainability

Recycle your goods through the DDA…

The DDA is partly supported by the BC government and the rest comes from fundraising and donations. They have bottle donation bins around Richmond and Vancouver where you can drop off your recyclables, as well as clothing donation bins (check out the interactive map to find the one closest to you). Also if you’d like to do a fundraiser for your own group, club, or sports team the DDA will partner with you for their “Cash for Clothes” program — collect 150 bags of clothing, bedding, towels, and other linens and they’ll buy it off you for $2/bag, win/win.

There are so many worthy causes in our region and it’s unfortunate that the services provided by the DDA for all ages sometimes go unnoticed. I’m hoping that this can bring a bit of awareness for this local organization that gives so much back to its community and helps others live exemplary lives of their own. You can learn more by checking out their website or feel free to follow their updates on Twitter as well.

It was two years ago that a guy came up to me at Northern Voice and told me he enjoyed my live blog from the previous summer. We chatted about that event, about the conference, and he said he was going to head out and buy a MacBook, which he did (and he hasn’t looked back). Over the next few weeks we chatted on iChat and when Duane Storey invited us out to his birthday party we showed up with bells on. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩

A few years ago John and I participated in numerous fundraising runs around town, from the Run for Light (a personal fave) to the Science Fair Fun Run and the Run for the Cure. We know Vancouver is a city for runners so it’s no wonder that many more fun runs and fundraisers are popping up this season.

Photo credit: Kris Krug on Flickr / Static Photography

Here’s a quick rundown of events currently on my radar and feel free to add any others you might know of or would like to promote. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩

On Feburary 12, 2009 Twestival took place in over 200 cities around the world and was organized, arranged, and attended all thanks to people and companies on Twitter. With a ton of help, I put together Vancouver’s event and thanks to the 200+ people who showed up at the Opus Hotel that evening, our city was really able to make an impact.

Globally, Twestival raised over a quarter of a million dollars (US) for charity:water and on April 11th, 2009 they will be drilling their first well (in Ethiopia), which was made possible thanks to the Twestival effort.

They will be drilling for four days and will post daily videos about the work and to introduce the Twitter world to the community it is helping. You can even email the drilling group in Ethiopia via [email protected] and they’ll address those correspondences on the third day. 100% of worldwide Twestival funds went to providing clean, safe drinking water – thanks again to everyone that supported Twestival and YVRTwestival.

Update: Clean water springs forth from the first Twestival well- read the news here.

This month’s Vancouver Blogger Meetup is taking place Wednesday April 8th at 6:00pm. I’d like to try and attend since there are so many new bloggers in town that I’m keen to learn about and my Link Love page needs revamping.

These meetups are casual and discussions flow regarding anything from content writing, comments, themes, and social media for beginners to experts. April’s event will be extra-special since Raul (the organizer) has also planned the inaugural VanTechKaraoke. “I have wanted to help organize something fun and team up with Maura. So, after the last Launch Party Vancouver, Maura and I got talking about doing something fluid, something fun that people could just attend and let loose and not have something super-structured. The idea of doing Vancouver Tech Karaoke (#vantechkaraoke) arose…”

You can RSVP online for the Vancouver Blogger Meetup and although a venue is not currently chosen, I believe Raul was planning on having it somewhere in the vicinity of the karaoke. You don’t have to be a blogger or in tech to attend – all are always welcome.