The Vibe has been very busy during the past few months. Here are some of the highlights:
CREATING
Christine from Two Hands Clay in London came to 99 Ottawa to facilitate a clay workshop for two groups. A lot of work went into creating these cute little hedgehogs.
LEARNING
A small group at the Vibe met once a week to improve math and money skills. Learners discussed adding, subtracting, multiplication, division, puzzle games, recognizing bills and coins and learning how to count change. Special guests Dr. Carmen Bruni and Mike from the Math and Computing Centre for Learning at the University of Waterloo presented how math affects the world at large. Other focus areas included measurement, budgeting, cost per item versus cost of sale and how maps are much smaller that the cities that they represent. Everyone walked away with having learned something new and were excited to share with friends, family and staff.
SOCIALIZING
The bowling group enjoyed a pizza and pop gathering at the end our bowling thanks to a $200.00 donation made by The Blind Bowlers Group donated $200.00. Pictured in red is Julie Bitschy and her father Don.
GIVING BACK
Volunteers helped pick up leaves and dead butterflies as well as feed the fish and turtles at the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory. Pictured in blue is Brittany who was so excited to help out!
CELEBRATING
The Vibe celebrated Friendship Week June 13-17. Festivities included a special menu at Café’s Café, candy gram deliveries and a variety of fun activities. Pictured is Charlie’s project.
Side by Side Art Show
The Studio and Vibe artists have participated again this year in the Side by Side Art Showsponsored by the Planned Lifetime Networks.
Planned Lifetime Networks is a nonprofit charity established by and for families living in Waterloo Region who have a family member with a disability (the focus person). PLN helps families to plan a safe, secure and quality future for their family member living with a disability. PLN assists in the development of a network of committed friends in relationship with the person with a disability and each other.
PLN provides a wood panel of no charge with the theme this year “ART and SOUL” to inspire your work. Your work can be in any media or mixed media. The Side by Side Art Show Committee will decide on the selling prices of all art work that will be sold after the Art Show. The goal is to price work in order to generate funds for PLN but also to ensure that the work can be purchased and enjoyed by ordinary people.
Both The Studio and The Vibe have participated in this event for a few years. Each group designed and entered two creative boards this year. Everyone is very proud of their finished art piece and invite all to come and see their work at the Art Show.
The show runs from May 1st until the end of the month at THE MUSEUM, 10 King Street West, Kitchener. Anyone can come to the show! Bring your friends and family for a celebration of this creative community!
Cupcakes to the Rescue!
What’s better than eating a yummy cupcake? Knowing that the money spent on that cupcake helped to take care of animals in need. February 29, 2016 was National Cupcake Day and we were proud to do our part to raise money for the Kitchener Waterloo Humane Society. A total of $151.00 was raised, and presented to the Humane Society on behalf of the cupcake makers from Foxhunt, Batavia, Frederick Street and The Vibe. The enthusiasm in organizing and participating in this event was inspiring.
Special hello from The Kitchener Rangers! – Best Seat in the House
They say that sports bonds people together. November 3rd that emotional connection to our community was on full display at the Studio as Special Olympic Athletes and sports fans alike joined in fellowship with The Rangers own Mike Davies, Frank Hora and Jacob Cascagnette. The place was full of cheering and clapping as people got acquainted. Photographs and autographs a keepsake for all. The morning ended on a high note with a group photo and patriotism as Steven played O Canada on the keyboard and all joined in singing our national anthem at the top of their lungs.
That morning I think everyone felt they had the best seat in the house!!!
We are a team of courage and heart every member holds a critical part.
30 Ways to Shine – 13 Essential Skills
A very popular program offered at the Vibe is “30 Ways to Shine – 13 Essential Skills.” The course was derived from the work of Denise Bissonnette and is facilitated by Cindy Bester and Trena Barnes. The purpose of the course is to give people the tools to see themselves as other people may see them and to have more self-determination in developing skills that will improve their relationships with others. Each week features one of the “essential skills” which the group discusses in detail.
On June 19, the topic was “Exceeding Expectations – Going the Extra Mile.” Tips and tricks shared were always find something to do, do those little extras while at work – they are noticed and appreciated by those around you, look for ways to save time/money, pay attention to what you are doing while you are doing it, difficult tasks can be made more fun if you make a game out of it and look for solutions to an ongoing problem. Throughout this discussion people were recognized for the specific ways they go above and beyond what is expected/requested of them on an individual basis. While discussing the last tip the group was reminded of the success they have had with this in the form of the development of the Strategy Squad – a committee who share ideas of what they would like to see happen at the building. Once everyone had a chance to share their experience, be recognized and recognize other people who have “gone the extra mile” for them, the group moved on to brainstorming ideas for small ways to “go the extra mile” in the future. Some of the ideas that were shared are; put papers in a duo-tang (this was happening without any expectation for praise/acknowledgement), help to carry pop in for the café, doing the dishes (without being asked), taking the time to listen to someone, share music, offer to put things away/clean up etc…
There is a great deal of discussion during these classes, often utilizing real life examples and experiences. Each person participates as much as they are comfortable doing. The group sets guidelines on the first day to ensure that this remains a supportive learning environment for everyone – there is always laughter, but never at anyone else’s expense. The knowledge gained during the 30 Ways to Shine – 13 Essential Skills classes will surely enhance the sharing of ideas and overall success of all who have participated.
A “Behind the Scenes” Success
Every Monday afternoon Brittany helps Jenny create magic in the kitchen at 99 Ottawa St. Brittany’s favourite thing to do is bake cakes. She is always in charge of making the Rice Krispies squares and does a lot of the chopping for the salads and soups that are served at Grant’ Café. “I don’t do onions!” Brittany stated very matter-of-factly, “Jeff does that. They make me cry.” This speaks to the great teamwork that takes place in the kitchen as well. Helpers look out for each other, help choose the recipes and are aware of each other’s strengths.
