The Community Champions Annual Conference – #csschamps2016
Meals on Wheels volunteers enjoy The Community Champions Annual Conference – #csschamps2016
Older adults and adults with disabilities can remain healthy and independent in the comfort of their own homes. The 20 plus member agencies of the Ottawa Community Support Coalition (OCSC) are dedicated to providing key community support services that will help them in keeping their independence
The much needed client services provided by the community support services sector would not be possible without the excellent work of volunteers and employees. The Community Champions Annual Conference is designed to recognize very deserving volunteers and dedicated front line Adult Day Program staff. This year the conference focused on self-improvement.
The day started with greeting from the Hon Yasir Naqvi, MPP (Ottawa Centre) who currently serves as Attorney General and Government House Leader. He expressed his gratitude for all the hard work that is done to help support seniors in the community.
Group sessions included Denis Lévesque (Solutions OptiGestion) a professional who helps companies and leaders ignite growth, improve profitability and achieve results. Participants then had the pleasure of an energetic Course in Happiness session with Kathie Donovan.
Workshops followed covering topics in:
Resilience & Mindfulness
An Innovative Approach to Supporting Senior’s Mental Health
Healthy, Wealthy and Wise & How your Body Responds to Stress
A Powerful Way to Understand People using the DISC Personality Concept
The day ended with some Chair Yoga where we learned how Chair Yoga adapts traditional yoga poses so that they can be done with a chair for support, making yoga more accessible for all people.
I really enjoyed the conference today, as well as meeting other Meals on Wheels volunteers. It was heartwarming to receive so many thank yous and it felt great to be among so many other volunteers. The keynote speakers were very dynamic. I learned a lot from the workshops I took. During “Resilience & Mindfulness”, Guylaine Gratton gave us some practical ways to be more mindful and to build up resilience. “A Powerful Way to Understand People using the DISC Personality Concept” by Denis Lévesque was about clues as to best have a conversation or engage with people. It was fun and informative. Overall, what I learned today can be used in my day-to-day life, as well as while volunteering for MOW. Also, the chair yoga was most relaxing!! Thanks to Meals on Wheels for giving me the chance to attend! Cheers -Suzanne
Thanks for the opportunity to attend the conference. There were a lot of inspiring workshops that will help me in my interactions with Meals on Wheels clients, and in taking care of my own well-being. I was especially impressed with the talk given by keynote speaker Kathie Donovan, former co-host of Regional Contact. -Betty Anne
I wanted to say thanks to OCSC and MOW for letting me attend. Even the yoga was a surprising exercise in breath, posture and more. The “podium” speakers, and workshops that I attended – each brought inspiration or knowledge about how we can help. – Stephen
Thanks very much for inviting us to attend the conference. I very much enjoyed the day. I especially liked Kathie Donovan as a speaker–I found her very engaging and I will definitely look into doing one of her workshops. The workshops I chose were very good, however, because they were only one hour in length, they just touched the surface of their topics and I feel that either a half day or full day workshop would be beneficial to get more out of topic of discussion. Regardless, I found them informative and I thoroughly enjoyed my day!
PS–oh yes, the yoga was very relaxing and a great way to end the conference!! – Beth
The conference was fantastic. Thanks for inviting us. Kathie Donovan was amazing. I also enjoyed listening to Yasir Naqvi. The workshops were great. – Jo Anne