Community Living fundraising brunch was a sold out event

Over 155 people attended Community Living Huntsville’s recent brunch in the spirit of building and supporting an inclusive community.

The sold-out crowd was treated to a lovely Grandview brunch, a 25-foot silent auction table with over 130 items on it, a raffle and a handful of heartwarming speeches. Organizers estimate that about $14,500 was raised.

What started as a one-off event to recognize the 50^th anniversary of Community Living Huntsville (CLH) was so well received that it is now an annual event, four years strong, and an important fundraiser for the organization.

According to CLH Board Chair, Anne Collins, the money raised from the brunch goes towards the organization’s goal to raise $150,000 to establish a sustainable program that would provide much needed supports and services to those in the community living with the label of developmental disability but who are falling through the cracks because they do not meet the eligibility criteria set out by the Province.

We would like to be able to serve all the people in our community who live with a developmental disability. We want them to have a good life, to enjoy the same rights and freedoms, and to be able to have the same expectations as other community members do. That is, to have a job, to have friendships, a decent place to live, and to feel a sense of belonging that comes with being included and valued.Anne Collins, CLH Board Chair

CLH had a very successful fundraising year. An Investing in Inclusion breakfast held in May raised over $70,000 in donations and pledges. The organization will also receive over $10,000 as one of the recipients of the proceeds from this year’s Mayor’s golf tournament. As well, they are in line to receive the proceeds from the 2017 Huntsville’s Got Talent event and the 2017 Band on the Run event.

Promoting inclusion is something at which CLH works very hard. Feeling included is vitally important to the happiness one experiences in life. It can also be one of those things many people take for granted. Three local high school students know a thing or two about this. Chantel Musselman, Abby Witterick and Annika Johnston represented Huntsville at last year’s Reaction for Inclusion conference organized by Community Living Ontario. At the conference the attendees were challenged to come up with ideas on how to bring awareness to inclusion to their community. The Huntsville trio’s idea, #randomactsofinclusion, was the conference winner.

The women came up with the idea of promoting inclusion through social media. They felt the platform would enable them to reach a much larger audience to get the message out in their school and in their community. The idea is quite simple and it’s easy to participate. All you have to do is snap a photo or video of a time when you are feeling included, upload it to a social media platform of your choice (Facebook, Twitter or Instagram) and then nominate three others to do the same within a 24-hour window. And don’t forget to tag #randomactsofinclusion in whatever you do.

Annika Johnston, Abby Witterick and Chantel Musselman came up with the idea of #randomactsofinclusion as a way of bringing awareness to the importance of inclusion in a community.

Community support in the form of sponsorship enabled CLH to reach its fundraising goal for the brunch. Brunch Sponsor: Brothers of the Blade Motorcycle Club; Brunch and Dessert sponsors: Gifts for Friends, Centurion Fire Control and RBC Huntsville; Table Sponsors: Lance Contracting, Johnston Developments Inc., Huntsville Window and Door, The Firman Family, The Co-operators – Jason Cottell, Paul and Gail Guimond, Metroland Media, Alberto Salon and Spa, Dan Willett Financial/Peak Investments, Near North Business Machines, Coldwell Banker – Thompson Real Estate Brokerage, Stephenson District Lions Club, Hunters Bay Radio, Michael Forbes, Community Services Benefits Trust, Judy Clapp.

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