DANI Days DANI HOPES EVERYONE ENJOYED OUR PURIM PARTY! Announcements Families in our Day Program should be aware of the following program closures during Passover: - On Monday, April 10, program will close at 12:30. Lunch will not be provided. DANI will also be closed on April 11, 12, 17 and 18 for Passover, and Friday, April 14 for Good Friday - Our Day Program will be open on Thursday, April 13, however access to the DANI Centre will be limited. Participants will have a full-day outing, and must bring their own lunches, drinks and snacks. DANI is excited to host a special book signing event, in honour of Autism Awareness Month. On Thursday, April 27 at 7 pm, please join us in welcoming Donna Koffman, author of Kooper s Tale. This book is a story about Donna s grandson Reese, who has autism, and his service dog. Donna will be at DANI to sell signed copies with portion of all proceeds going to DANI. Thank you all for your continuing support of the newsletter! Contents Announcements.. 1 Thank You For Your Support...1 Kicking for Kids Soccerthon.. 2 Bop to the Music. 2 Pop-Up Lunch...2 Shalom Hanoch Concert. 3 The Lion King......3 Thank You, Sobeys!.... 3 DANI Celebrates Purim.....3 Sunday Program by Noah.. 4 My Purim by Josh 4 Purim by Rita.4 Purim by Guitti...... 5 Purim by Alex......5 One Kenton by Ryan.5 The Art Show by Talya...6 DANI by Rafi... 6 London by Terri...7 Work Placement Updates.7 What We re Working On...7 People by Deborah.....8 Thank You for Your Support! Thank you to everyone who came out last night to support our 4 th annual Art Night. We hope everyone enjoyed the amazing evening of art and food from around the world. Please look out for more detailed coverage of the event in the next DANI Days newsletter. If anyone has any photos to share, or anything else they would like to contribute about the event, please send it in to newsletter@dani-toronto.com To find out about our Purim celebrations, see page 3 DANI 501 Clark Avenue West Thornhill, ON, L4J 4E5 WWW.DANI-TORONTO.COM For our first article about the Art Night, see page 5. Look out for more in the next newsletter! Phone: 905-889-3264 Email: info@dani-toronto.com
Bop to the Music DANI is very excited to announce that our Bop to the Music dance party is back by popular demand! Our next evening of music, dancing and karaoke with Eric from The DJ Kings will be on Tuesday, April 4 from 7:30 to 9 pm. This special night for teens and young adults includes light snacks. Siblings, peers and the community are all welcome, so please invite everyone to come and join us! Please note that there will be an entry fee of $10, and individuals must come with their own support if needed. RSVP is required. Please call 905-889-3264 ext. 226 if interested. Kicking for Kids Soccerthon DANI is very excited to be participating in this year s 7 th annual Kicking for Kids Soccerthon, which will be on Sunday, May 7 at Trio Sportsplex. Team DANI consists of staff and friends who came together to form a team in support of DANI and Beit Issie Shapiro. The Soccerthon is a marathon round robin indoor soccer tournament to support kids with disabilities at Beit Issie Shapiro in Israel, and impacting people with disabilities globally. Funds raised by DANI will be shared between the two organizations. For more information about the Soccerthon, please visit the DANI Toronto website, or to donate, please visit: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/danideveloping-and-nurturing-independence/soccerthon/ Thank you for your support! Our Pop-Up Lunch Partners Our Pop-Up Lunch crew has such a busy schedule, and we are already starting to look ahead to next year! In mid-march, we visited Hillel York for the last time this year, where we had the chance to thank them for all of their support while delivering delicious lunches and treats. We are already looking forward to visiting Hillel again next year! Our Pop-Up Lunch crew on their last day at Hillel York Our Pop-Up Lunch program provides COR dairy lunch options prepared by the DANI kitchen, and served at your location by a crew of our young adults. To find out more about our program, please visit our website at: http://dani-toronto.com/corporate-catering/the-popup-lunch/
Shalom Hanoch Concert On Thursday, March 16, some of us had the opportunity to go to the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts to see an amazing performance by the legendary Shalom Hanoch, an Israeli rock singer. All those who attended had a great time at the show, and loved the chance to hear some incredible Hebrew music. We were thrilled to have the chance to go! At the theatre and ready for the show! Save the Date: The Lion King Everyone is very excited for this year s annual onstage production. This year, we will be performing The Lion King on Monday, May 29 at 7 pm at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts. Rehearsals have been underway all year, where we ve had the opportunity to practice our lines and learn our many dances. The show is very quickly approaching, and we are looking forward to starting to practice in costume! Tal and Ash practice give a sneak peek at our lion costumes We are very excited to show everyone all the hard work we have put into the play all year. Stay tuned for more information about purchasing tickets. We hope to see you all there! Thank You, Sobeys! We would like to give a special thank you to Sobeys (Clark and Hilda location) and to all of our supports who generously donated to the DANI Toonie Days. Each year, Sobeys cashiers help remind shoppers about our DANI Toonie Days which raise money to support our programs. We would like to thank the cashiers for their help, and everyone who donated to us. With your help, we raised more than ever before! Thank you Sobeys for taking part in DANI Toonie Days, helping to raise funds to support our programs DANI Celebrates Purim! This year, with Purim falling on the weekend, our annual Purim party took place at the Sunday Program. All of our Sunday groups took part in a fun-filled party featuring all our favourite Purim activities. A few of our favourite Purim photos -- check out the DANI Facebook page for more Everyone was invited to come to program in costume, and we had a great time checking out each other s unique costume choices. Our day started out with a megillah reading, where we made lots of noise every time Haman s name was read! We also had a great time making mishloach manot to share with our friends, baking our own delicious hamantashen, and having a dance party!
Sunday Program By Noah This Sunday, we had a Purim party in the Sunday Program. It was lots of fun. I liked the costumes the best. I saw a cowboy costume. Ash was wearing it. He looked cool! Ryan dressed like a hockey player. We were dancing to Purim songs. It was lots of fun. I am happy I saw Carina. She was dressed like the Mad Hatter. I remembered her. Guitti dressed like a clown. She looked very funny. I dressed like Ernie. I looked very funny. I liked my costume but I was very hot in it. I like being myself. I liked being Ernie for a while, but most of all I like being myself. Before the party, we heard the Megillah reading. It was very interesting. The best part was making noise when the man said Haman s name. Later that day, we made hamantashen and made mishloach manot. I made one for Efrat. In the box, we had popcorn, chips, the hamantashen that we made, and some candy. I enjoyed it very much! Noah (as Ernie) and his friends at the Purim party My Purim By Josh I celebrated Purim with lots of friends. The first Purim party was with my friends at DANI at the Sunday program. I went to another party with Talya. I went to two Purim parties in one day! The first party was at DANI and the second one was at the BAYT shul. For my costume, I had a funny hat and glasses. At DANI, we heard the megillah, made hamantashen, exchanged gift baskets, and had a dance party. At the BAYT, we had pizza and pasta and then there was a dance party with live music and singing. There was also an eating contest. I didn t do it, but Talya ate the spaghetti. They covered her eyes, and she had her hands behind her back. Left: Talya in the spaghetti eating contest at the Bayt Right: Josh and Tamar at the party I really liked the parties because I was happy and I love dancing and pizza. It was also fun to see everyone in their costumes. Purim By Rita I will talk about Purim. I did something special. I wore a costume at bowling. Purim started on Saturday, March 11 and it was on Sunday March 12. Purim is a Jewish holiday and a fun holiday. We like to wear costumes on Purim. We eat hamantashen. What I love about Purim is to act silly. My costume was spring colours, with flowers and a hat. It was a lot of fun. We saw a play on Purim, and we gave out gift bags. I like dressing up for Purim. Let s say Happy Purim! to family, friends, and to the DANI staff.
Purim By Guitti At DANI we had a Purim party. Everyone was dressed up. I dressed up as a clown. I wore my onesie, make-up and a funny hat. We made hamantashen. I made hamantashen with jelly and chocolate chips. Hamantashen symbolizes Haman s hat. We gave mishloach manot to our friends and they gave to me. At DANI, we ate lunch, and a rabbi came to read the Megillah. It is good to hear the Megillah every year because it is a mitzvah and it reminds us of the story. My favourite part of the story is when Haman hung by the tree because he hurt the Jewish people. In the evening, I went to shul with my family and we ate a meal. I saw my cousins Chavi, Chanochi, Nechama and Mayer. It was so nice to see my family. The kids were dressed up. I hope everyone had a nice Purim. Josh and Guitti at the DANI Purim party Purim By Alex This year, I was a clown. I wore a hat on my head. It was yellow. I wore a blue shirt and a big bow. I held a horn. I went to a Purim party on Sunday, March 12. It was at the Sunday Program. Carina, Tal, Roy, Barry, Carli, Jodi and Jenny were there. Carina wore a Willy Wonka hat. Tal had red hair. There was marching. We played Go Fish. We ate prune hamantashen. A hamantashen is a cookie like Haman s hat. Haman was a bad man. The story of Purim has King Achashverosh, Queen Esther, Mordechai, and Haman. I like the story of Purim. Alex shows off his clown costume at DANI I went to shul on March 12. Or Friedman at Beth Avraham at Yonge and Clark read the Megillah. We shook the shakers when they said Haman s name. My favourite part about Purim is getting dressed up. I like being me. Karaoke at One Kenton By Ryan I go to One Kenton with Carolyn, Terri and Josh. I spend the most time with Carolyn. We helped the seniors sing, and then we cheered for them and spoke to them. I saw people jamming and talking. I liked to see how we all got along and helped each other. I think the best part was helping the seniors. Next time, I would like to socialize more. I went on Tuesday from 1 until 2:30 pm. I went because it is really important for me to help the seniors. I liked it because it is important for me to get to know the seniors. Ryan, Carolyn, Terri and Carina at One Kenton
The Art Show by Talya Everybody is working on the Art Night. Anna is leading the Art Night. We made different art projects about all kinds of places around the world. We are making paintings, recipes, and decorations to present. Making the painting was my favourite thing to do for the art night. The only part I didn t like was getting my hands dirty with paint. We worked on the Art Night at DANI. We are going to turn DANI into an art gallery for this event. March 28 was the date! We have been working on the Art Night for a few months. Talya working on a project for the Art Night We do the show because it is fun and we want everyone to see what we can do. This year, we will also show everyone where we all came from. Our theme is Around the World. My mom is from Czechoslovakia. We looked for a recipe from there, but we couldn t find one. It is cool to see how each place is special and we want to celebrate that. DANI By Rafi I sat with Josh on the chairs. I told Josh about playing with my dog and his toys. Me and Tao walked together as a team. I like doing cooking with Ben and Rachel. We are working as a class. I like when we make chocolate chip cookies, and cut cookies with the shapes. I like to eat salad, potatoes, and hummus for lunch. On Mondays, I go to Variety Village. I play basketball with Ben. I think about scoring baskets with the Raptors. Another group goes swimming. We are doing a play. It is The Lion King. I am a hyena. I say hee hee hee with Rachel. I was laughing in drama. On Tuesdays, I go to Tomchei. I put potatoes in the boxes because I m working! Sometimes me and Ash are silly. I like it. On Wednesday, I like to dance with Anna, Danny, Daniel, Monica and Yaakov. We practice every dance. We go next door to dance. In the afternoon, I go to the library. We watch the big TV. We watch movies. I like the Spongebob movie. Rafi hard at work in the kitchen On Thursday, I do music and cooking. I like when Ellen plays music. I play the drum and shaker. I dance with Ben. On Fridays, I make challahs for Shabbat. We go bowling on Fridays. I like coming to DANI.
London By Terri On Monday night, my mom, dad and I went to London to meet my sister Lexi. We left the house at 9:30. We got to the airport. We got on our airplane at 12:00. We stayed in my aunt s apartment. We watched the Arsenal game. We had front row seats. On Wednesday, I went to see a show called Dream Girls. We went to the London pub to watch soccer. On Thursday, we went to see a show called School of Rock. They had lots of people singing and dancing. Tonight, we are going to the Jazz club. Terri at a restaurant in London On Friday, we woke up at 10 in the morning. We went to meet a friend for lunch. We went to a restaurant. After lunch, we went shopping. We bought a water bottle and pyjamas. On Sunday we left London to go home. My trip was a great holiday. Work Placement Updates: Stalco Earlier this year, one of our groups got the opportunity for a new work placement at Stalco, an organization that helps US companies sell and distribute their products throughout Canada. Our group goes to Stalco each week to help package and label products, and have really enjoyed the work so far. Recently, our group was honoured for their work in a small ceremony presenting each of them with a gift card to thank them for all their hard work. We would like to say a big thank you to Stalco for the gift cards, and especially for giving us the opportunity to work there. We are already looking forward to our next shift! Thank you, Stalco! What We re Working On One group starts out each week with a Weekly Schedule activity, where they discuss the plans for the week. It is a great reminder for everyone of any upcoming changes, and to know what to expect during the day. Leading up the Art Night, we took extra time out of our week to put the finishing touches on our art pieces. It was a great opportunity for those of us who are not in the Art class to have the chance to contribute to the show. Left: Leiba writing the weekly schedule for the group Right: Emmanuel and Andrew finish up an art project Our Parsha class has resumed now that we have returned to our spring Friday schedule! Last week, we had a great time playing a Passover-themed game of Family Feud to test our knowledge of the holiday.
People By Deborah People come into your life for a reason, and they leave for a reason. This is something that I was first told seven years ago. I have been self-reflecting for the past few weeks. Maybe it's because with Passover just around the corner, I am aware the High Holidays will be upon us, sooner, rather than later. Or maybe it's because I know we will be in summer soon (which is hard to imagine, as I write this newsletter article in a coffee shop, while we are under a winter weather advisory) and with summer comes change. Seven years ago, I had a disability course counsellor, while I was a student at a local college. He was my counsellor for one and half years. He then left the college to pursue his dreams. Prior to him leaving, he connected me to the college's psychiatrist. I saw the psychiatrist until she connected me to another disability course counsellor, to help me complete my studies. As I self-reflect, I realise had my first course counsellor never left the college to peruse his dreams, I would never have met the college's psychiatrist. It is this psychiatrist who within two to three weeks, diagnosed me as having BPD. It is also this psychiatrist who connected me to CAMH, to have the official BPD testing done. Turns out, she was right. For the last course counsellor, she helped me successfully complete my studies. Fast forward to the present. It is Stephanie, who was my job developer at the Thornhill Hub, prior to her joining the DANI team, who helped me obtain employment at DANI. Had I never met Stephanie, I would never have been working at DANI. Not only is it at DANI that I have met Kasper, the only dog in the whole world, whom I am now not afraid of, but I am finally part of a group and team, who see me as an individual, with skills and talents. And there are individuals at DANI, whom I can confide in, and who are in my special bubble. So thank you, to those individuals, who have come in my life for a reason, and left for a reason, for even though it is very painful for me to have these special and unique individuals come and go, as I self-reflect, I realise it is these individuals who have helped shaped my life, and led me to my second home, to DANI.