Community Living Essex County officially kicked off the One Million Possibilities Stationery Row Event on Tuesday, May 9th at Beachwalk Family Fitness in Essex. The event, part of a provincial campaign through Community Living Ontario hopes to raise $1 million dollars – $100,000 through Community Living Ontario and $900,000 by member agencies including Community Living Essex County. The local Essex County event is part of a larger event that will see Colin Sanders a parent, whose son has physical and intellectual disabilities, row across the Atlantic Ocean in December 2017 from the Canary Islands to Antigua in a solo journey of 4,000 km to raise awareness and funds and awareness for Community Living.
Community Living Essex County has partnered with Beachwalk Family Fitness in Essex who will serve as the host sponsor, along with corporate supporters, Libro Credit Union-Essex, the University of Windsor- Human Kinetics Department, Festival Tent and Party Rentals and official media sponsors AM800 CKLW.
The first time rowing event will be held on Saturday, June 10th from 9am to 12noon at Beachwalk Family Fitness in Essex and will encourage communities across Essex County to collect pledges, participate solo or along with friends, family and coworkers and row for a great cause. Prizes including Fitbits, gift certificates and fitness memberships will be awarded for the highest pledges collected.
“We look forward to welcoming the community as we row together to inspire possibilities states, Tony DeSantis, Manager of Community Relations with Community Living Essex County. “We will have plenty of rowing machines available and are encouraging fun, friendly competitions as we contribute to the larger campaign across the province in reaching a million row strokes and in raising funds to support people with an intellectual disability and their families here in Essex County”.
As the largest service provider in the West Region, Community Living Essex County provides services to over 650 people that include accommodation support, community participation, employment, Enhanced Specialized Services, short break services, and other family funded requests. “When the One Million Possibilities Rowing event was announced by Community Living Ontario we were thrilled at the prospect of participating. As an organization that prides itself in promoting and fostering local partnerships we are eager to explore the possibilities,” states Nancy Wallace-Gero, Executive Director. “One of our many goals as a service provider is not only to strengthen existing partners but to develop new partnerships to create strategies for innovative and inclusive support”, added Wallace-Gero.
