Executive Director Nicole Fuhsel

Email: linxexec@linxconnect.ca, Emergency cell 587~989~5691

Residential Manager Ronni DeLeavey

Email: linxres@linxconnect.ca Emergency cell 780~935~2772

Day Program Manager Heather Jones

Email: linxday@linxconnect.ca

Office Manager Laurie Savill

Email: linxadmin@linxconnect.ca

Dates to remember: Feb 20 – Office Closed Feb 20 – Timesheet/invoices due Mar 13 – Purdy’s Due Mar 31 – Purdy’s Pick-up Board Members Ed Boender – Chairperson Kim Dozois – Treasurer Susan Boyle– Secretary Maria Semrau – Director Annis Mattiussi – Director Cori Barnes – Director Teara Serena – Client Rep LINX Bottle Pick-Up Give us a call, and we will pick up your bottles and give you a charitable tax receipt for your donation!

The LINK

February 2017

#101, 4906 – 49

th Avenue Leduc, Alberta T9E 6W6 780~980~9423

www.linx.ngo www.facebook.com/LeducLINXConnectCentre Twitter - @LINXconnect

You can now safely donate to LINX online at www.linx.ngo

Hello, All! By now, we hope you've heard about (and hopefully purchased your tickets for) the annual Hearts and Heroes fundraiser! We're looking forward to a wonderful evening in support of this amazing organization. I want to thank each and every one of you for your support - this past year hasn't been an easy one for many people and yet, we know that our local community is one of the best! We truly look forward to seeing you on February 11th at our annual fundraiser gala! Regards, your chairperson, Ed Boender

Hearts and Heroes is here in less than 2 weeks! February 11th is fast approaching!

Please be sure to purchase your tickets as soon as possible for this great Event that helps to provide activities for our Clients. Remember - tickets cannot be purchased at the door- only at the LINX office or Eventbrite, or from our website at www.linx.ngo/donate. Call 780-980-9423 for further details.

New staff! We are very excited to have some amazing new staff at LINX.

Welcome to the team to all of you! Paula Maclean is a leadership coach, human resources consultant and educator for the non-profit sector. She has some interesting stats that she shares with us:

23 days the average time it takes to hire someone.

43 hours the average amount of management time consumed while hiring one new person.

32 hours the average time it takes to bring each new hire up-to-speed in her/his new job.

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone! I’m amazed at how time is flying by. Welcome to February! I would like to welcome Ashley Webb to the Job Coaching team. I look forward to working with you. Some exciting news for spring, starting April we will begin the horse therapy at the Equine center. This will be our 3rd time with this program, running for approximately 9 weeks, feeling blessed to have the City Grant for this amazing program. “Empathy has no script. There is no right way

or wrong way to do it. It’s simply listening, holding space, without holding judgement, emotionally connecting, communicating. That is the incredibly healing message.”

- Courage

I wish you all a wonderful Family Day on February 20. LINX will be closed on this day. February Lunch Snacks are:

February 3 - Pot Taco Pasta February 10 - Macaroni Salad February 17 - Italian hamburger Helper February 24 - Sausage Bowties

~Heather

We all get into this field of work because we want to help people. Did you know that you can be too helpful? Helping someone too much can actually hurt them. What opportunity are you taking away from the person you are helping “too much.” Most of the individuals that we serve at LINX want to be as independent as they possibly can. They cannot achieve this if we are always doing it for them. Our job is to find a way for the person to be able to do it on their own. “Oh I will just fold these shirts for him” “I feel silly standing by the door for 5 minutes I will just do up her coat for her.” “I’m just being nice!” When I hear these kinds of statements I will go on my “Learned Helplessness” tirade. I hope in the next month you will think about what you are doing before you do it. I would also challenge you to ask what a person if they need help and what exactly do they need help with. The residential program would also like to welcome Amber, Karin, and Jordyn! ~ Ronni

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LINX has been invited to some very exciting projects. The Alberta Council of Disability Services (ACDS) has invited us

to be one of only a few agencies in the province to pilot a “Safety in the Workplace for Disability Workers” app. We have passed it to our staff, and they then give their feedback to ACDS. Once finalized, this app will be available to all agencies in Alberta. I have been invited to sit on Quality Assurance Learning and Advisory Council. I had my first meeting last week and it was very enlightening. I can see how the collaboration of this group will help LINX. I have also been invited by an agency in the Yukon to be a part of an Inter-Agency Network on Disabilities to develop a Support Worker Core Competency Program. This group will connect with other agencies across the country regarding their content, practices and recommendations. I have an information session happening this Friday that will give me further details.

Our give back groups have spent the last couple of months assisting the Blackgold Health Foundation sell tickets for their Wings and Wheels fundraiser for their CT machine. Now they have refocused on Hearts and Heroes to hand out posters, accept donations, and so on. This will be followed up by our second annual LINX goes Pink campaign. Last year we started this supporting the City of Leduc’s campaign. We found that this process was so meaningful to our guys, that we purchased the t-shirts to reuse, and have committed to support the annual anti-bullying events the best we can.

Our photography class has completed their first calendar. We are getting great feedback from those who have received them. We are hoping this too can be an annual adventure that can be handed out to the community. We have some left, so please let us know if you would like one of these gorgeous creations!

Finally, and as always, I would like to thank everyone for all of their support, and wish you a happy, healthy and safe Family Day’s month! ~ Nicole

Look behind the behaviour. The MANDT system teaches us

that behaviour is communication. Look for what the person

is telling you. If someone needs to

use behaviour to “get attention”

and we are being paid to be with

that person- that is a problem.

www.clipartfest.com

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Lizzie Velasquez, is a woman who was born with a condition that causes

her body to never reach any more than 64 lbs. due to her condition she has felt

she was a monster since she was 4 years old due to the bullying she received.

Lizzie Velasquez has every right to feel like a victim and to hide away from the

world and she doesn’t owe the world anything. That is not the stand she has

taken. She is leading others, by public speaking and leading in a fight to end

bullying and create a law that makes bullying an act of violence. She is also

choosing to ‘Take The High Road’‘ by leading in meeting hurtful comments

online with “I’m taking the high road “ instead of making nasty comments

back.

LINX, is taking part in Pink Shirt Day on Wednesday February 22ND and for the

week leading up to that day. We will have some special events and visits that

week to help us to focus on the changes we can make to end bullying. We will

focus on Taking The High Road too and look at ways to be the solution instead

of focusing on the problem. Please help us in making LINX a bullying free zone.

Parents! Clients! Employers! Staff! Neighbours! If you would like to be a part of or refer someone for “Through our Eyes”, please contact Nicole at 780-980-9423 ext 222 or linxexec@linxconnect.ca.

Taking the High Road Written by: Carly M, Chris T, Cory A, David B, Don L, Sharon B, Suzanne C, Taylor M

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February is Heart month for more than one reason, yes there is all the hype with Valentine’s day and of course and more important our Hearts And Heroes Gala but there is also the Canadian Heart And Stroke Foundation’s campaign for healthy hearts. We collected a few tips to help us all look after our tickers.

Flatten your stomach- eat less and burn more calories

Butt out the cigarettes.

Do something with your hands to decrease stress

Be creative with your workouts: dancing, peppy housework, play

Do interval training

Fish does your heart good.

Eat food rich in soluble fiber, beans, oats, barley, apples, pears, and avocados.

Watch your salt intake

Drink small amounts of red wine.

Look for the humor in things, laughing is good for your heart.

Know the numbers that are right for you, blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglycerides

Read nutrition labels to cut fat

Get enough chocolate: Dark chocolate contains heart-healthy flavonoids.

Drink tea

Eat breakfast

Go nuts: they have heart-healthy fats, protein, and fiber. But they are high in calories.

Have a pet or spend time with a pet they do your heart good.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation reminds you to act FAST!

Heart Month Written by: The Newsletter Class

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Jack Osbourne , Multiple Sclerosis – An English media personality, best known as the

son of musician Ozzy Osbourne and music manager Sharon Osbourne. At only 26 Jack was diagnosed with MS. While Osbourne is younger than the average patient who is newly diagnosed with MS, it is not by much. The average age at which a patient is diagnosed with MS is 37. Experts say multiple sclerosis is unpredictable, but the prognosis tends to be good for patients who are diagnosed when they are young and otherwise healthy. ~ https://www.disabled-world.com

There are so many people who make our world a better place. So, we have decided they needed individual recognition. Please help us celebrate our Citizen of the Month, Residential Staff of the month, Staff of the Month, and Employer of the month. If you see someone in any of these categories that you would like to see recognized, please let us know!

Chris Tancowny! Chris has been with LINX for many

years, creating some great friendships and helping his peers along the way. Thank you for your cooperation and positivity. As you continue to go through some of life’s challenges you do so with new approaches and tools. Continue to keep up the hard work both at your work and here at LINX, as we are so proud of you!!!

Christa Kyle! In your short time at LINX, your coworkers

have said: Christa is ALWAYS cheerful, kind and funny (Lindsay); I find Christa to be always so very helpful and is always so upbeat (Donna). Your positive energy and laughter can be heard each and every day throughout the halls at LINX to every client and staff. You manage to set each one of us up daily with a dose of “laughter is your best medicine”. Thank you for the care you give to each one of your clients, as they really respect you and as their Job Coach. Keep up the great work, I am so proud of you!!!

McDonalds Leduc! We want to say thank

you for your dedication to our client Danny who works alongside of you. The genuine care, patience that you have invested in our client, is heartwarming. We also appreciate your patience with our new Job Coach, Lindsay in working alongside with her and the open communication she has felt from you. Thank you so much!!!

Mekelle Hassen! This lady has been on our

team for a long time. She is our gluten free respite master. She has recently stepped out of her respite shoes to help out with a transitional outreach situation. She always has a smile on her face when you see her and the clients have great things to say about her!!!

Basintek Black Gold Real

Properties Boston Pizza Canadian Tire City of Leduc Co-op Food Co-op

Lumberyard Coffee News

Dollarama Executive

Alexandra Hotel Extendicare Flaman Gateway Family

Church Kosmos Leduc Rep

Leduc Library

McDonalds Leduc

McDonalds Nisku

McDonalds Sparrow

Nisku Inn No Frills

Notre Dame Petro Canada Nisku Planeview Place Ricky’s All Day Grill Safeway Salem Manor Salvation Army Second Glance Silver Shears

Sobeys Beaumont Sport Chek St. Paul’s Anglican

Church Staples Subway Leduc

Common Tim Hortons Wal-Mart Zulu

Basintek Black Gold Real

Properties Boston Pizza Canadian Tire City of Leduc Co-op Food Store Co-op Lumberyard Coffee News

Dollarama Executive

Alexandra Hotel Extendicare Flaman Gateway Family

Church Kosmos Leduc Rep Leduc Library

McDonalds Leduc

McDonalds Nisku

McDonalds Sparrow

Nisku Inn No Frills Notre Dame

Petro Canada Nisku Planeview Place Playing For Keeps

Toys and More Ricky’s All Day Grill Safeway Salem Manor Salvation Army Second Glance Silver Shears

Sobeys Beaumont Sport Chek St. Paul’s Anglican

Church Staples Subway Leduc

Common Tim Hortons Wal-Mart Zulu

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