“Celebrate communities where everybody belongs”: Waterloo Belongathon aims to raise accessibility awareness
Hundreds of people walked and rolled into Waterloo on Saturday to highlight the importance of accessibility.
The group was taking part in a Belongathon event hosted by non-profit organization Christian Horizons.
The event featured games, speeches and a stroll or roll along the Ironhorse Trail to raise awareness for individuals with developmental disabilities.
“The Belongathon is our very first ever event where we promote communities where everybody belongs,” said Janet Noel-Annable, the Chief Executive Officer with Christian Horizons. “We’re raising money for some of our non-government funded programs - our family camps, some of our affordable housing projects, as well as some of the work we do overseas around disability issues in Ethiopia.”
Saturday’s local celebrations marked one of many other events of its kind across Canada.
“It’s also happening in 16 other spaces across Ontario and Saskatchewan. Altogether, we’ve got 1,000 belongathoners celebrating together,” said Noel-Annable.
Though strides have been made over the years to create inclusive spaces for all, she added that there’s still lots of work to be done.
“In Ontario today, probably half of the people that need services, have access to all of the services that they need to,” she said. “Still, there are wait lists for services. Not enough people have access to good, affordable housing in our communities and we hope that by, not only raising money, but raising awareness and raising fun, we hope that our community’s awareness is raised and we just celebrate how far we’ve come and recognize the work we have to do together in the future.”
Noel-Annable finished by saying that everybody needs to reflect on what they can do to help the cause.
“We need people to be welcomed into community spaces, into faith communities, into community centres. All the things that you and I like to do, people with disabilities like to do those too.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
What new auto insurance reforms will mean for Ontarians, if they get introduced
Ontario has among the highest rates for auto insurance premiums in Canada -- just below Alberta and Nova Scotia -- however, the introduction of an insurance reform in the provincial budget could soon lower prices.