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VIDEO: PM salutes Abilities Centre efforts
Updated October 13, 2006 - By Izabela Jaroszynski (DurhamRegion.com)
DURHAM -- It was a night that celebrated inclusiveness and the strength of community as the Abilities Centre held its inaugural gala on Thursday evening in Ajax.
With Prime Minister Stephen Harper in attendance and an array of talent performing on stage, the Dream Gala was a hit with the more than 600 people gathered at the Deer Creek Golf and Banquet Facility to support the soon-to-be-built centre.
After more than five years of planning and fundraising, construction will soon begin on the $16-million Abilities Centre -- a 72,000 square foot addition to the existing Iroquois Park Complex in Whitby that will be a barrier-free recreation, athletic and performing arts facility.
"Tonight is a night to celebrate some great local heroEs and a great institution that will soon open," Mr. Harper said in his speech. "The Abilities Centre is a great example of a community based, not-for-profit, charitable organization that has strong support at the grassroots level. And we all know that the centre itself will bring great value to the community. It will be a hub for those who give of themselves and for those in need."
Michelle Wilder is one of those most looking forward to the centre's opening. As a volunteer, the 21-year-old with special needs greeted guests at the door and got caught up in the excitement of the night. But when asked what she was excited about the most, Ms. Wilder said it was the facility itself.
"It will be a great opportunity to go out, do things, meet some people and get involved in the community," she said.
Michelle's mother, Leann Wilder, says that currently young people with disabilities have no place to go to socialize.
"There's not a lot of centres in the area that really provide that type of support and that opportunity for them to network and meet other friends, so it's really exciting," she said.
That's just the kind of excitement that Christine Elliott, Whitby-Ajax MPP and member of the board of directors for the Abilities Centre, hopes will catch on and spread to other areas of the country where facilities like the Abilities Centre are also needed.
"The Abilities Centre is going to mean so much to so many people, not just here in Durham Region but we hope it will also become a national and international centre of excellence in modelling inclusionary practices," she said. "We have a unique opportunity here to become a world leader in doing that and also to become a wonderful place -- a home -- for so many people with special needs."
Profits from the gala and the accompanying silent auction will go to support the centre, which is being funded by all levels of government, as well as by community and private donations. To date, $8 million has been pledged, representing approximately 50 per cent of the total cost of the building. Fundraising for the remaining cost continues.
Tanya Fellows, a 25-year-old volunteer, says that everyone in the community will benefit from the centre because it will allow people with disabilities and those without to enjoy the same facility.
"Inclusiveness is so important," she said. "It has always been an issue and to see this facility actually happen is very exciting. It will be good for the whole community."