Many people have asked me to describe the Specialized Adult Services Program. Every time I speak about the program, I end up talking a lot about EVENTS UNLIMITED and the events that we produce. One might ask why our musical productions are such an important part of a program that was designed to teach Life Skills to adults who live with physical and/or developmental disabilities. To answer that question, I need to take you back a few years when I used to work in Vancouver.
In the field of Community Living the biggest task is to design and develop meaningful training options for he people we serve. There is a tendency to look at most of these training options with the ultimate goal of helping a person to become more independent and sometimes to help the individual to become able to hold down a paying job. Over the past 15 years, I have been privileged to develop more than 20 different Day programs or Vocational Programs that address these needs. During this time, I also started to produce an annual variety show which was called 'Star Studded Revue". These shows were produced in a variety of first-rate community venues such as the Tom Lee Music Studio Theatre, Vancouver East Cultural Centre and the Chan Centre of the Performing Arts. In one of these performances, a parent was standing off stage watching her daughter Ada-Marie performing in one of our first variety shows. She said to me 'I sure wish that Ada-Marie could do this for a living'. She was right! Ada-Marie had both the talent and incentive to become a gifted performer in what eventually became a fully funded Day Program. This was the first time that Ada-Marie had found success after having attended several other Day Programs.
So in answer to that original question, I say that people learn virtually all the aspects of Life Skills in the context of the Performing Arts. They learn to be disciplined, build social skills, self confidence, personal skills and also acquire many more formal or academic skills as the result of all of the above. Who could ask for anything more? Ada-Marie Wanotch has been my inspiration for the past 15 years! Unfortunately, Ada-Marie has passed away but her memory lives with me and many people who were blessed to see her perform. Here is to the true meaning of Community Integration and Community Living!
Michael Kalmuk
Program Manager
Specialized Adult Services Program
Peace Arch Community Services
In the field of Community Living the biggest task is to design and develop meaningful training options for he people we serve. There is a tendency to look at most of these training options with the ultimate goal of helping a person to become more independent and sometimes to help the individual to become able to hold down a paying job. Over the past 15 years, I have been privileged to develop more than 20 different Day programs or Vocational Programs that address these needs. During this time, I also started to produce an annual variety show which was called 'Star Studded Revue". These shows were produced in a variety of first-rate community venues such as the Tom Lee Music Studio Theatre, Vancouver East Cultural Centre and the Chan Centre of the Performing Arts. In one of these performances, a parent was standing off stage watching her daughter Ada-Marie performing in one of our first variety shows. She said to me 'I sure wish that Ada-Marie could do this for a living'. She was right! Ada-Marie had both the talent and incentive to become a gifted performer in what eventually became a fully funded Day Program. This was the first time that Ada-Marie had found success after having attended several other Day Programs.
So in answer to that original question, I say that people learn virtually all the aspects of Life Skills in the context of the Performing Arts. They learn to be disciplined, build social skills, self confidence, personal skills and also acquire many more formal or academic skills as the result of all of the above. Who could ask for anything more? Ada-Marie Wanotch has been my inspiration for the past 15 years! Unfortunately, Ada-Marie has passed away but her memory lives with me and many people who were blessed to see her perform. Here is to the true meaning of Community Integration and Community Living!
Michael Kalmuk
Program Manager
Specialized Adult Services Program
Peace Arch Community Services