Happy Holiday Greetings!
 

Seems like yesterday we paused from our daily chores to give thanks and now, suddenly, snow blankets the ground as we start preparing for another festive time of year! In the spirit of giving thanks, the  staff at Reach wishes to express its sincere thank you to all the volunteers who are the backbone of the organization. Whether as student interns, law students, office administrators, auction item recruiters, its our volunteers who make it possible for Reach to accomplish its mission. Over 300 clients have been assisted so far this year to access legal and mediation services, and 200 members of our community gained information about various disabilities and support services by attending our workshops and conference.  In the early hours on a Sunday in April,  90 volunteers worked at City Hall to work at the Run for Reach by supporting, cheering and feeding the 420 runners and walkers during and after their brisk and icy pounding of the pavement! In November, because of our volunteers and volunteer Auction Committee, 300 guests celebrated at the Annual Celebrity Auction and took home amazing art, travel packages, gift baskets, and restaurant certificates. Approximately 50 volunteer lawyers raised a glass in honour of their contribution of expert legal advice to Reach clients, while The Honourable Madame Justice Rosalie S. Abella of the Supreme Court of Canada praised their dedication and commitment to providing much-needed, accessible legal services to many who otherwise could fall between the cracks in our system. On that very day, Mayor Jim Watson proclaimed June 8th Reach Canada Day!

Reach continues to be involved with community projects and committees such as the Ontario Courts Accessibility Committee, a Toronto based committee which reviews and proposes best practices in regards to accessible and fully inclusive Courthouses in Ontario. We are also a member of Ottawa’s Connecting on Disability and Abuse (CODA), a crime prevention community-based initiative. Reach was invited to present at “One Young World Summit”, an international conference held in Canada for the first time and attended by thousands of young inspiring community leaders from around the world. On October 1, three panellists gave a very informative and personal presentation on the issues of “Inclusion, Access, and Disabilities in the Workplace”.  The Toronto-based National Initiative on Eating Disorders (NIED) and Reach  partnered  together on October 5 to present a seminar on Eating Disorders as a Mental Health matter.

Reach has much for which to be thankful. In particular, Reach’s Education Chairperson, Lucille Marleau, has  worked tirelessly over the past four years on our workshops, seminars and conferences.  As well, our Board of Directors and Honorary Chairpersons have contributed countless hours and made many gestures of encouragement to keep our ‘little-engine-that-could’ rolling down the tracks towards a more inclusive and accessible community. For this, we are tremendously grateful!

You all know who you are! To you all, the very best for a joyous holiday and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Joanne Silkauskas

Reach’s 36th Annual Celebrity Auction was a great success with the theme of Eat, Stay, Play. It was wonderful to see so many lively people out to support a good cause. Reach is a self-funded organization which relies on the support of the community at local events in order to continue providing services for people of all disabilities. There was overwhelming support demonstrated by the over 300 items donated by businesses from Ottawa and Outaouais, along with the hard working volunteers behind the scenes or at hand at the Auction. Guests had the chance to take part in both the live and silent auction. It was a night filled with mystery gifts, creative and inspiring artwork, jewelry and gift baskets.
The energetic auctioneers presented 20 live auction items that included something for everyone. There was great diversity between these items that included visual art, autographed Senators jerseys, Senators tickets, a behind-the- scenes Raptors package, travel packages, an Anne-Marie Chagnon jewelry set, and a  buttercream lamb shearling coat. The list goes on! The night was a memorable one for everyone who attended with the opportunity to take home one of the fabulous auction items and to donate to a worthy cause.
Thank-you again for the ongoing support of Reach! The auction was a great success with a large turnout, all  contributing towards the provision accessible legal services.

On January 5th, 2017 Reach will have a new home at 554 King Edward Ave at the University of Ottawa. Please note that our office will be closed on that day to accommodate the move. We will re-open on January 6th with a new phone number. See our website for updated contact information.

To make the move easier, we are selling off our collection of art. Visit our website to see a gallery of pieces available or contact our office at 613-236-6636 to inquire.

Remaining auction items, such as sterling silver jewelry, memberships and gifts are also available to purchase on our website. Click here to view the full list.