Power in Process - CTRA Conference 2011

Lisa Woods (CMHAVB Recreation Coordinator, BC Housing Program) has been co-chairing the (Canadian Therapeutic Recreation Association) CTRA 2011 conference planning committee for the past year and a half.

This year’s conference (15th Annual) is being hosted by the (British Columbia Therapeutic Recreation Association) BCTRA in Whistler! May 25th to 27th, 2011. For more information about the conference program and registration http://www.bctra.org/ctra_conference_2011


We are also pleased to point out that Kristina Dixon (InCREDable program Coordinator) will be presenting “Road to Resiliency: Recreation-Based Programming as an Intervention for Children and Youth Who Have a Parent with a Mental Illness” at the conference.

Congratulations to both of you for the time and effort you have put into making this a go-to event!

MDA Education Evening - Jan 20 2011 Managing Panic Disorder

If you are able to make it out to this tonight, it will certainly be worth your while. We always enjoy the presentations put on by the MDA.

THURS, JAN 20, 7:00 PM

MANAGING PANIC DISORDER

ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM SUCH OVERWHELMING

ANXIETIES OR FEARS THAT THEY INTERFERE WITH YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE?


Speaker: ARTO TIENAHO

Executive Director, Anxiety BC



Arto Tienaho will present the new DVD resource,

Effectively Managing Panic Disorder: A Self-Help Guide,

which teaches you to understand and master panic attacks

using evidence-based cognitive behavioural strategies.



Sunrise Hall, 1950 Windermere St @ 4th Ave Vancouver
For more information view the attached poster, or contact:

Mood Disorders Association of BC - MDA

604-873-0103 www.mdabc.net info@mdabc.net



An MDA Education Evening Event


202-2250 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC V5N 5P9 Tel. 604-873-0103 Fax 604-873-3095

info@mdabc.net www.mdabc.net

New federal legislation allows ‘carry forward’ and ‘roll over’ provisions for RDSP’s

Great news for those of you who are considering opening, or already have, an RDSP! This note just in from the folks at PLAN who are organizing RDSP information sessions across the country. (CMHA VB is a local partner.)


On March 4, 2010, the Government of Canada, through its Budget 2010, announced two enhancements to the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP), grant and bond. We are pleased to advise that the legislation to enact these changes received Royal Assent on December 15, 2010. The ‘carry forward’ and ‘roll over’ provisions will provide Canadians with disabilities and their families with more flexibility when saving for the future.

Please find below some questions and answers that we hope will assist you in helping your members and clients to understand and benefit from these new provisions.



What is the carry forward?

As people with disabilities and their families may not be able to contribute regularly to their RDSPs, the carry forward allows beneficiaries to claim unused grant and bond entitlements for a 10-year period (starting from 2008, the year RDSPs became available). In order to claim unused grant and bond entitlements, the beneficiary must be eligible to receive the grant and bond (at the time of the claim, the beneficiary must be aged 49 or under).

Grant and bond entitlements are based on the beneficiary's family income. The grant amount also depends on how much is contributed to the RDSP. For unused grant entitlements, the matching grant rate will be the same as what would have applied in the year the entitlement was earned.

When does the carry forward come into effect?

The carry forward comes into effect on January 1, 2011.

As it will take time to develop the electronic system to process these transactions, the functionality to administer the carry forward will not be available immediately. Therefore, 2011 carry forward entitlements are expected to be paid into RDSPs in early 2012.

Is there a special application form for the carry forward?

Whether an individual already has an RDSP, or opens an RDSP in January 2011 or thereafter, a special application form will not be required for the carry forward. Grant and bond entitlements will be calculated automatically.

What is the roll over?

The proceeds (or a portion thereof) from a deceased individual’s Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP), Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF), and Registered Pension Plan (RPP) can be rolled over, tax free, into the RDSP of a financially dependent child or grandchild with a disability.

The amount of money rolled over into an RDSP will form part of the $200,000 lifetime contribution limit. For example, if there is already $50,000 in private contributions in an RDSP, the amount rolled over from an RRSP, RRIF and RPP cannot exceed $150,000.

A matching grant will not be paid on RRSP, RRIF and RPP contributions.



When does the roll over come into effect?

The roll over comes into effect July 2011. This measure will be effective for individuals who pass away after 2007.

BACKGROUNDER

The RDSP is a long-term savings plan that helps people with disabilities, and their families, save for the future. To be eligible, a person must be:

• under the age of 60;

• a Canadian resident with a social insurance number; and

• eligible for the Disability Tax Credit (Disability Amount)

There is no annual contribution limit to the RDSP, but there is a lifetime contribution limit of $200,000.

To help people save, the Government of Canada will pay a matching grant of up to $3,500 a year, depending on the amount contributed and the beneficiary’s family income. There is a lifetime limit of $70,000 in grant payments.

The Government of Canada will also pay a bond of up to $1,000 a year into RDSPs of low- and modest-income Canadians. There is a lifetime limit of $20,000 in bond payments. No contribution is necessary to receive the bond.

Grants and bonds will be paid until the year the beneficiary turns 49.

For more information about the RDSP, grant and bond, please visit www.disabilitysavings.gc.ca or call

1 800 O-Canada (1 800-622-6232). TTY users may call 1-800-926-9105. A detailed brochure – available in alternate formats such as large print, Braille, audio cassette, CD, DAISY, and computer diskette – is also available by calling these numbers.

Should you wish to make an inquiry by e-mail, please send your message to

rdsp-reei@hrsdc-rhdsc.gc.ca.

'Tis the season to mulit-task and we would love to wrap your gifts

 The more the merrier!

Please spread the word.

Thank you

Would you have smiled ? Making a difference one person at a time

This came to us via the Monday Morning Motivator (12/13/10). Adam Drago always has good info, but this one particularly resonated for us - enjoy!

Would You Have Smiled?

Christmas is one of our favorite times of the year, a time to spend with family and close friends and reflect on the abundant blessings God has given us. Conversely, we also know that this time can be overly stressful for people, trying to find the right gifts, the busyness of malls, traffic and extra work responsabilities often leave us feeling burned out, depressed and lonely.

We hope today's message from Zig Ziglar makes you think about the power of a smile.

The story is told of a man who went to the top story of the Empire State Building in New York for the purpose of jumping off. When he got to the top he discovered that it was fenced in. Committing suicide there was impossible. As he was riding down the elevator, it occurred to him that by doing it that way he might injure or kill other people in the process. He re-thought and decided to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge.

Since it was a long walk, he had time to do more thinking. He decided that, if on the way even one person smiled at him, he would consider life worth living and not take his own life. The question is, had you been one of the people he met that day, would you have smiled at him and saved his life?

I recognize that the question is rhetorical. However, the fact is that there are approximately three billion people on the face of this earth who go to bed hungry for food – but there are over four billion people who go to bed every night hungry for a smile, a word of encouragement, a friendly greeting.

Wouldn’t it be tragic if one of those people was your mate, your child, your parents, a brother or sister, a neighbor?

Maybe someone you work with who is a nice man or woman, but life has dealt them some cruel blows lately. A simple word of encouragement, an indication that you know of their difficulties and are concerned, can make a big difference in that person’s life. The interesting thing is that in the process of encouraging others, whether it’s with a smile, a friendly greeting, or a humorous, encouraging thought, we ourselves benefit.

So, give that smile to the person who doesn’t have one. It could make a difference. Give it a try and I’ll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

A Volunteer's Perspective on Volunteering

Volunteer: to offer of one's own accord to do something*
By Siobhan E. McCormick

A number of years ago, I was approached by a neighbour and asked if I would be on the Neighbourhood Small Grants Program Committee. As a member of the committee I would have to donate of my time in order to review grant proposals and decide which projects would qualify for a $500 grant from the Vancouver Foundation's Neighbourhood Small Grants Program. I agreed and with that embarked on a journey brought me unexpected rewards.

Up to that point I had not done much volunteer work. I had been on the board of a theatre company when I first arrived in Vancouver but that was short-lived and was made up of mostly friends. So I really didn't know what to expect of this committee in terms of its make up and its functions.

The committee was made up of residents associated with 3 community centres in the downtown eastside: the Carnegie, Strathcona, and RayCam Community Centres. These three community centres service a varied public of diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds and the committee attempts to mimic this in its membership.

It was in the members of the committee that I found my first reward. When I started on the committee I was acquainted with only 2 other members. Three years later due to what we have shared on this committee, they are now good friends. I am also now friends with other committee members who I may never have had the opportunity to meet let alone get to know. What a bonus to make friends with others from outside your own circle and form this bond while fulfilling a commitment!

While making friends was one serendipitous benefit of my time spent volunteering, another was surely the inspiration I gleaned from reviewing the grant proposals. It has been really uplifting to read about the ideas that people in these 3 communities have put forward for enhancing the lives of those living in them. Over the past three years we have reviewed and supported proposals for such diverse activities as block parties, healing ceremonies, cooking classes for the elderly, canning workshops, supplying instruments for a homeless band, buying uniforms for a homeless soccer team, and a soccer ball give-away for underprivileged children.

Given the communities served by this particular committee, it was perhaps not surprising that many asked for funds to create events around food. However it was not just providing a meal that was the focus of these proposals. Food became a means of gathering people together in order to strengthen community by making participants feel a part of something bigger than themselves. The events allowed participants a respite from their struggles and the opportunity to connect with others in situations similar to their own.

The care and concern for others that I have seen expressed in the grant applications has given me a renewed conviction in the good of humanity. Also I have been thrilled with the imagination evident in the ideas presented for grants whether these proposals were funded or not.

Lastly and perhaps most importantly the biggest gain I have found through volunteering is the desire to do more of it. To this end I am continuing my work on the Neighbourhood Small Grants Program Committee and now lead a pace-group in my running clinic. In addition, I have joined several new organizations such as the CMHA Vancouver/Burnaby Branch where I will be volunteering over the next year.

* on line Oxford English Dictionary

Ten Tips for Holiday Peace of Mind