Update Highlights
- Children’s “Respite Adventureland” Weekends continue
- Children’s Respite March Break Camp – booking now!
- Adult overnight Respite & ADP Program March Break Closure
- Adult Overnight Respite Fee-for-Service Program Planning
- Team Announcements
Welcome 2025
On behalf of everyone here at the Ottawa Rotary Home, we are thrilled to welcome you and your loved one to our respite or day program in 2025. It is truly an honor to be part of your family’s support system, providing care and a safe space where your loved one can grow and thrive.
As we look ahead to the year, our team remains dedicated and eager to support your loved ones. We understand that choosing outside family support is a significant decision, and we are committed to making this experience as positive and fulfilling as possible for both you and your loved ones.
To keep you connected and informed, we will continue sharing our quarterly family newsletter. In this, you’ll find updates on upcoming changes or events, exciting developments, and a new section introducing you to our team. While we are fortunate to have many long-standing, familiar faces, we also have new team members joining us. We’re excited to introduce them to you and share a glimpse into their lives, building personal connections and extending the “family-feel” that is at the heart of our community.
We look forward to a wonderful year together and to continuing to support you and your loved ones in every way we can.
Children’s Program
We are now accepting bookings for children’s respite for the winter & spring months! Please be aware that we will be offering summer camp this year. Please call the house to be added to the waitlist.
Children’s Adventureland Weekends:
Many of the children who stay with us in 2024 for respite, experienced an Adventureland weekend with Julia, Meagan and ORH team. These weekends focused on outings, events and community participation. Due to such positive feedback, the Children’s Adventureland weekends will continue to be offered in 2025. However, these weekends will be offered on a quarterly basis. The upcoming weekends will occur in April, August & November. Specific dates to be set, but we encourage families to reserve your spot or join the waitlist now.
March Break Camp:
Please note that our children’s program will be open for a very special week – March Break Camp! Annually, we expand services in Children’s Respite to accommodate our families. This year we are ecstatic to say we will be hosting camp from March 10th-14th inclusive. During this week we have some wonderful activities plan, but we also have some special entertainment booked including Junkyard Symphonies! Please register for camp with Chaltu Sekecho if you haven’t already done so.
ADULT OVERNIGHT RESPITE & DAY PROGRAM
Program Closures:
As outlined above, since the children’s March Break Camp will be running, and as such our Adult Day Program will be closed from March 10-14th. We will resume the program on Monday, March 17th.
Fee-For-Service Program:
As a reminder our funding from the Ministry of Children, Community, and Social Services (MCCSS) for overnight adult respite is limited. However, we have additional capacity available through Fee-For-Service. Julia and Chaltu have been contacting families directly to identify interests and make bookings for 2025. However, we encourage all adult families to contact us to learn more about this program and to secure respite dates for 2025.
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENTS
We are thrilled to welcome back Jessica Thompson-Allen from her maternity leave as she returned to her role as Director of Client services. We’re also excited to announce Julia Gordon’s new role as Manager, Programs and Client Engagement. Additionally, as previously announced, Chaltu Sekecho will continue as Respite Services Supervisor to be involved in all respite programs. We’re excited about these new developments and the continued growth of our team!
We are excited to share that DeeAnna Sequin-Laport has recently welcomed a beautiful baby girl! DeeAnna has returned to work on a casual basis. Please join us in congratulating DeeAnna on this wonderful new chapter.
GENERAL UPDATES & REMINDERS
All payments for outstanding invoices are due by April 4th. If you have any questions, please contact Trina Malcolmson, Admin Assistant (main telephone number or via email at: [email protected]
A heartfelt thank you to the many families who contributed to the development of our Strategic Plan with People Minded Business. Your insights and feedback have been invaluable in guiding the future direction of our agency. The Board of Directors has reviewed the proposed plan, and next, it will be shared with the management team for implementation. We will be sure to share the finalized Strategic Plan with you as soon as it’s complete
IPAC UPDATES
As we navigate flu season, we want to share some important information about our mask policy. While we have not reinstated mask mandates, we do encourage and require staff to wear masks if they are returning to work after an illness.
Additionally, we fully support our staff’s choice to wear a mask, even if they are not sick. You may see some staff members wearing masks, which may be for personal reasons, such as protecting a loved one at home or taking extra precautions to prevent the spread of illness. Please know that if you see a staff member wearing a mask, it does not necessarily mean they are unwell.
We appreciate your understanding and support as we continue to prioritize the health and safety of everyone in our community. For further information, please feel free to reach out to the head of our IPAC team, Lauri Cox, RN at [email protected].
