Share Your Story: Community Living Guelph Wellington

We get by, with a little help from our Community

Imagine this.

You’re headed to a concert tonight. You’ve been looking forward to it for weeks. The vibe, the dreamy singer, the people – it’s going to be a great time!

But you’ve had a long day, and your legs are a little tired. You managed to snag third-row tickets, so if you needed to sit, it shouldn’t be much of an issue.

The music starts, and like clockwork, everyone is standing around you. Your view of the stage is now of butts and backs. You could stand up if you weren’t so tired. But you can’t.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a little help to enjoy the show better?

At Community Living Guelph Wellington, that little bit of help is exactly what we offer.

For us, this story happened to someone we support. Except, they weren’t tired. They were a wheelchair user. Don’t worry, she enjoyed the concert to it’s fullest, thanks to the quick and inclusive thinking of Bryan Adam’s concert crew and our staff.

In varied ways, this story happens to us, every single day.

Being a part of the Community

Community Living Guelph Wellington supports more than 500 adults with developmental disabilities who live in Guelph and Wellington County.

We believe in community first. We help people with developmental disabilities connect to the community for Work and Volunteering, Places to Live, and Recreation.

For us, Guelph and Wellington County are stronger, richer and more productive when ALL citizens participate fully. All people have gifts, talents, and skills to contribute. We help to build relationships because together, we’re better.

The people we support live in your neighbourhoods, work at your local shops and attend the same classes that you do. They might need a little help from time to time, but who doesn’t?

That’s where we come in.

Like you and I, the people we support might experience barriers finding housing, employment, learning a job, and more. Our role at Community Living Guelph Wellington is to walk alongside the person we are supporting, and provide support in the choices they make.

Engaging our Community

We work with our neighbours to extend opportunities for the people we support. After all, our community is our best resource for making good things happen.

Through partnerships with organizations, we can nurture accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities. This might look like our Habitat for Humanity Wellington Dufferin Guelph partnership, where the City of Guelph, the County of Wellington, Community Living Guelph Wellington and Habitat for Humanity came together to nurture an intentional community, or village, that supported people from all walks of life. Or this might look like our partnership with 2nd Chance Employment, to discover better job opportunities, reach more local businesses, and ensure that the people we support are marketing their job-readiness skills in the best way possible. Or it might look like the 60+ businesses who are hiring people with disabilities that we support, to keep their businesses running smoothly.

You can help build Community too!

As a charitable not-for-profit, we have a variety of volunteer opportunities! You could join our Board of Directors or board committees. You could become a volunteer gardener at a group home in your neighbourhood. You could lend your knowledge, and teach the people we support some of your skills. Or if you’re a student – you could join in on opportunities like Campus Friends and Best Buddies. The possibilities are endless!

Could you do more? With the support of donations, sponsors, and participating in our fundraising events, financial gifts open many doors for the people we support. Whether it’s eliminating food insecurity through our Grocery Assistance Program (operated solely on donations), providing more transportation to the things that matter most, or making their space feel more like theirs, financial gifts make a real and immediate difference. And if you make a general donation to Community Living Guelph Wellington, you’ll receive a charitable tax receipt to use against your taxable income!

Want to help right now? Consider joining us at our 2019 Spring Fashion Gala – showcasing this Spring’s fashion trends from local clothiers, with models from Community Living Guelph Wellington.

Article written by: Annie Knight, Community Living Guelph Wellington