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May 31, 2025
🎉 As National AccessAbility Week comes to a close, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our incredible Members, supporters, volunteers, and community partners. Your passion, advocacy, and commitment to inclusion continue to move us forward every day. 💙
This week was all about celebrating accessibility, amplifying disabled voices, and recognizing the work still to be done—and none of it would be possible without YOU.
🎨 A special thank-you to our amazing staff member Abe for sharing his creativity and heart through this inspired painting of our Centre. Your art brought beauty and meaning to our celebration!
And to everyone who participated in our National AccessAbility Week Contest! Don’t forget: you can still vote for your favorite entry by giving it a LIKE on our Facebook or Instagram pages. Your vote helps highlight the creativity and talent in our community! The winner will be announced on the afternoon of Independent Living in Canada Day, Monday, June 2nd.
Let’s keep the momentum going beyond this week. Together, we’re building a world where everyone belongs.
May 30, 2025
The final submission for our National AccessAbility Week Contest comes from Stephanie Jack in the form of this heartfelt poem!
Don’t forget to vote by liking Stephanie’s post on our Facebook and Instagram pages!
Winner will be announced on the afternoon of Independent Living Across Canada Day, June 2nd.
May 29, 2025
Our next contest entry is from Kim Underhay, who created this bright and colorful painting, and says:
What National AccessAbility Week and Independent Living means to me:
“It means being able to enter a building, barrier free and feeling very welcome. All are welcome and no one is left out.”
● Blue zone parking, curb cuts, well lit entrances with automatic doors, with a marker of some sort to indicate you are entering another part of the building or another room.
● Wind chimes or peaceful pleasant music to welcome you as you come in.
● Accessible washrooms
● Every room is within reach and at eye level.
● Even the garden is accessible.
“A great escape into nature and the outdoors, with raised beds, beautiful flowers, a Let’s Talk Bench, a Memory Garden for quiet time and a rainbow picnic table to sit and have a lunch.”
Don’t forget to vote for this entry by liking Kim’s post on our Facebook and Instagram pages!
Winner will be announced on the afternoon of Independent Living in Canada Day, June 2nd.
May 28, 2025
The next entry in our National AccessAbility Week contest is Paul Morgan!
He says:
I am happy to have accessibility and inclusion in every day life for this year’s theme. The only thing we have to do is to educate people that we can do anything if we have the proper tools and supports to work with to carry out any task. So people can better understand our needs and help us achieve our goals in living a normal life.
Don’t forget to vote by liking Paul’s post on our Facebook and Instagram pages.
Winner will be announced on the afternoon of Independent Living in Canada Day, June 2nd.
May 27, 2025
Our second entry into our National AccessAbility Week contest comes from longtime member Amanda Howlett:
Why do I love EMPOWER, The Disability Resource Centre?
The reason why I love Empower, The Disability Resource Centre is friendship, happiness, adventure, acceptance regardless of how you look or where you came from.
If I could go back and tell the eighteen and half year old me I would tell her everything will be OK! You will make friends, you will enjoy the countless adventures you will go on and you will be amazing.
I love Empower. I love the pride I have when I say I’m a member of Empower or when I say I am a Board member at Empower or when I am at a restaurant and I snap a selfie with my group. I take great pride in leading the Lunch Club & Dinner Club.
Pre-covid I loved making phone calls for various peer support groups whether that be for dinner club or women’s group or men’s group or peers group or the membership events like the Barbecue or the Christmas dinner and dance.
I love how team Empower is so accepting and understanding.
I love everything about EMPOWER and I am glad I found this amazing organization nineteen years ago this SUMMER.
Happy National AccessAbility Week.
Don’t forget to vote by liking Amanda’s entry on our Facebook and Instagram pages.
Contest winner will be announce on the afternoon of Independent Living Across Canada Day, June 2nd.
May 26, 2025
It’s National AccessAbility Week and time for the first entry in our contest!
“Each member is woven together in our own big family, each color and design to make up who we are today. Every member of the disability community is very valuable and contributes greatly.”
Quote and quilt by: Beverley Simmons
To vote for this entry, like the post on our Facebook or Instagram pages.
Winner will be announced the afternoon of June 2nd, 2025 – Independent Living Across Canada Day!
May 16, 2025
**CONTEST CLOSED**
National AccessAbility Week is coming up from the 25th to the 31st of May, and Independent Living Across Canada Day is on Monday June 2nd!
In celebration of both, EmpowerNL is hosting a contest for our members and supporters to recognize National AccessAbility Week.
We want you to express your thoughts and feelings on this year’s theme for NAAW – “Applying inclusive thinking and actions in everyday life.”
Or you can choose to make an expression of another one of the following topics:
- What does the independent living philosophy and movement mean to you?
- Why you love Empower, your local Independent Living Center!
You are welcome to express yourself in just about any creative media you wish. You can write a poem or recite one in a reel, paint or draw a picture, sing a song or do a dance. Whatever medium feels right for you! And if you need help along the way, please let us know.
Please send your contest entry to Sherri@EmpowerNL.ca. The NEW deadline for entries is Sunday, May 25th at 6pm. Member expression submissions will be showcased on social media during NAAW – May 25th to 31st.
A winner will be selected based on the (combined) number of likes on each member submission on our Instagram and Facebook pages.
The winner will be announced on Independent Living Across Canada Day, June 2nd, and will receive a $50 Jungle Jims gift certificate.
Let’s get creative this weekend! We are so excited to hear and share your voice this National AccessAbility Week!
May 4, 2025
“Having volunteer board members as ambassadors in the community provides opportunity for others to learn about our services.”
– Kathy Hawkins, Executive Director, EmpowerNL
“I’m grateful to all of our volunteers but I’ve especially enjoyed getting to have family and friends coming to support building our shed and accessible garden beds. They have a skillset we desperately needed and they got to feel like they got to be a part of what we do at Empower.”
– Sherri Tucker, Member Services Coordinator, EmpowerNL
“Having dedicated volunteers to help support festivals in the community makes it easier for people with disabilities to be engaged with community.”
– Kathy Hawkins, Executive Director, EmpowerNL
“Advocacy Services is extremely grateful to the volunteers that allow us to run a free tax clinic for our Members every year. This year, our volunteers helped 38 members complete and file their taxes!”
– Joby Fleming, Advocacy Service Manager, EmpowerNL
“Having a volunteer Board of Directors ensures that our organization is governed in an efficient and effective manner so we can provide services to over 200 members.”
– Kathy Hawkins, Executive Director, EmpowerNL
May 3, 2025
Our final Volunteer Spotlight is Charmaine Davidge!
“I used to work with Empower years ago when I worked at another non-profit. There were, and are, an amazing community partner.
I first volunteered with Empower about 15 yrs ago. I served on Empower’s Board of Directors. For the last 5 years or so I have volunteered with the Inclusion Crew. They support barrier reduction for individuals with disabilities to attend concerts, festivals and events such as the St. John’s Regatta. I am so grateful to Empower for providing this opportunity and I am looking forward to volunteering again this summer!
I have volunteered with the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association- NL, Coalition of Persons with Disabilities (COD-NL), End Sexual Violence – NL, Equal Voice NL, the Pottle Centre, among others.
I love volunteering. It provides me with an additional means to work with organizations that I believe deeply in. I learn so much from those opportunities.
I watch NHL hockey, not post season hockey because my team rarely makes the playoffs. I spend a great deal of time with my cats. I also spend time near the ocean, smelling salt water.”
May 2, 2025
Our next Volunteer Spotlight is Hunter Bennett!
“I became involved with Empower through (Member Services Coordinator) Sherri and her brother Freddie who I met about four years ago playing in the CPA Pool League.
I have volunteered on the project of building the new garden shed. I helped pour the concrete slab, lay the roofing, and help install the doors and windows. I look forward to finalizing this project as soon as the weather allows it.
Since I moved to St. John’s from Cape Breton, Empower has been the only organization that I have volunteered with. The opportunity has only arisen because of knowing some awesome people! The kind of Volunteer work I’ve done with Empower (and plan to continue to do) gives a sense of satisfaction knowing the things I’ve done personally help out so many people. Aside from the volunteer work itself, the adventure of learning new things, meeting new people, enjoying the company I work alongside, and of course the delicious snacks, are always a reward of time well spent.
My free time mostly consists of reading and studying. However, when that’s all done, I like to play my guitars and shoot some pool with good company. I moved to St. John’s from Glace Bay Nova Scotia in 2021 right out of Highschool to pursue studies at MUN. I’ve always enjoyed the hands-on work of building or fixing things but since I moved here, my focus has been on studying and very little opportunities arose for me to explore the other side of me. When I was first asked to volunteer with the garden shed project, it was an immediate yes.
Empower is all about giving opportunity and the resources to fulfill those opportunities to everyone. I understand this is volunteer appreciation week, but I’d like to extend my appreciation to Empower for giving me the opportunity to scratch that itch I’ve had since I moved here.”