Message from the Executive Director - Griffin Centre

1 Grif n Softball Champions Message from the Executive Director &. The only difference between baseball and softball is that when you get hit by Board of Directors: a softball it leaves a bigger mark. ~Anonymous Grif n Centre 's 2nd Annual Boat Grif n Centre 's Softball Team capped off another season by taking home the championship trophy, Cruise - A Boatload of Fun the sixth one in eight years! This year was full of ups and downs, with the team captain benched with a bum shoulder for some of the season and veteran members out of commission due to August 23rd, the day of Grif n Centre 's various reasons.

2 Thank goodness for the remaining team members, who showed up ready to play, 2nd Annual Boat Cruise, began with the determined to win. There were some dark times, but they still managed to pull together to sweep skies opening up and drenching Toronto's This newsletter has been made possible through the generous contribution of Compass Promotions, Northwest Atlantic (Canada) Inc. Brokerage and Norquest Contracting Group.. the championship with a crushing 25-13 win. A team is nothing without its fans, so thanks to a loyal streets, but by the time guests boarded, the fan base who cheered from the stands.

3 Streets were dry and the air steamy, setting the stage for a perfect night on the water. We are pleased to announce the Boat Cruise was a tremendous success! 245. guests boarded the Trillium Paddle Steam- ship and enjoyed a spectacular evening of casino games, dancing, a sumptuous feast, amazing prizes and a stunning view of the magni cent Toronto Skyline, a night enjoyed by all. With the support of sponsors, donors, guests and volunteers Grif n Centre raised an impressive $10, towards enhancing programs and services to better meet the needs of our clients. Prizes were generously provided by Molson Canada, Deerhurst Resort, JoeFRESH, Clinic INEED Spa, The Keg, Toronto Blue Jays and many more.

4 No one left empty handed as each guest received a gift bag as they Grif n Centre congratulates all of the players for their relentless passion for the game! disembarked. The 2007 Season's Team: Special thanks to our cruise sponsors Dave Callendar, Derek Whidden, Jose Aviles, Simon Sodhi, Jonathan Berges, Jennifer Hassard Bozena Norquest Contracting Group Ltd., Arcamm Sikora, Nickole Walsh, Trevor Lumb, Jeremy Saunders, Bessie Saunders, Daniel Ponce, Danny Lee, Fire Protection Ltd., Arcamm Electric Adrian Spence, Gautam Mukherjee, Fabiola Palma, Scott Skinner, Angel Palma, Adam Green, Barry Ltd and to our casino sponsor Compass Maxim, Jason Tait, Peter Kott, Jo-Ann Hancock,Tony Stewart, Katie Curry, Sarah Buksner, Jacques Le Promotions who arrived in style with their Blanc, Mik Altosar, Steve McLean, Carolyn Heinl, Aaron Grande, Mike May, Corry Cachia, Mike Kim, matching sailor hats, a coveted piece that Linda Tam , Emily Waugh, Bryan Levy.

5 (Our apologies for any misspellings or omissions.) was worn by many. Thank you to all our sponsors, donors and volunteers for their overwhelming support and to all our guests who helped make this a memorable night and more importantly who helped make a difference in the lives of the many youth, adults and families we serve. See you all next year! Laurie Dart, Executive Director Mandy Bonisteel, Chair, Board of Directors *. Grif n Centre promotes positive change for vulnerable youth and adults with mental health challenges and/or developmental disabilities and their families. We are dedicated to delivering innovative services and developing creative partnerships that enhance lives and communities.

6 ReachOUT New Partnership with Kerry's Place The ReachOUT program is a creative, inclusive & accessible program Autism Services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, two-spirit, intersex, Recognizing a gap in services for youth with ASD and queer and questioning (LGBTT2 IQQ) youth in north Toronto. complex and challenging behaviours, Grif n Centre , in partnership with Kerry's Place Autism Service, offers a ReachOUT provides a range of comprehensive, accessible services which new service to enhance the community's capacity to meet include drop-in groups (Compass, YAP!, and Not Pink!)

7 , individual and fam- crisis and transitional needs of these youth by providing in ily counselling, training and consultation with youth and service providers, home consultation, time limited case management. crisis response, arts and skills exchange. This summer has been a time of change and expansion. ReachOUT has created more services to address the The partnership is a service for youth 12 to 18 years of age within challenges experienced by LGBT youth. the Autism Spectrum Disorder (including Asperger's Syndrome). The youth display challenging behaviours living at home or in the community, and their placement may be at risk of breakdown or may have broken down.

8 The youth may be also at risk with the justice system. The service provides: In-home consultation and support to youth and families whose needs are beyond the capacity of specialized educa- tional settings and who, without appropriate intervention, will likely seek/require alternate residential placement/. treatment;. In-home ABA-based intervention and functional assessment provided by an ASD Consultant and Social Worker in conjunc- In July, the Compass group incorporated refreshing ideas about health and tion with a Behaviour Therapist and a Clinical Psychologist;. wellness into the Summer Program.

9 Intended for LGBT youth with devel- opmental disabilities, we successfully piloted a holistic health curriculum, Provision of both time-limited supports ( , case manage- including yoga, breathing exercises, and nutritious eating. Guest speakers ment, safe beds, day program, specialized assessment) and from various community agencies facilitated workshops on anti-homopho- longer-term supports (life planning) may be available. bia, sexual health, anti-transphobia, and healthy relationships. For more information about these services, please call With additional funding from Laidlaw Foundation, YAP!

10 Becomes Tart!, a , ext. 162. youth-led skills and knowledge exchange for LGBT artists. The vision of Tart! involves two complementary opportunities that will expand on the artistic options available to LGBT youth. Youth will have the opportunity to A New Approach to Intake become trained in arts facilitation and leadership skills by partnering with emerging youth artists to lead and co-facilitate our weekly art drop-in's and Griffin Centre finds another way to better meet learn more about a speci c art form. client needs Funding received by the Ministry of the Attorney General has yielded a pilot Years ago, referral calls were project enhancing service access and increasing our community's ability to addressed by an Intake Worker, respond to hate by providing individual and group support services to LGBT determined by a rotating schedule.