Brenda Agnew and Jordan Assaraf, your hosts, welcome Jeff Tiessen from ParaSports Ontario and Karen Stintz from Variety Village to today's episode.

Jeff is the publisher of Disability Today Publishing Group, a disability community pioneer and leader for over 25 years, is known for its quality publications, and compelling editorial. The publisher of Alignment for Orthotics Prosthetics Canada, and a host of in-house magazine and book titles, the media firm is led by Jeff Tiessen, an amputee of over 40 years. Jeff is also the executive director of ParaSports Ontario.Jeff is a three-time Paralympian and world record holder, award-winning journalist, and Canadian Disability Hall of Fame inductee. He is a respected advocate and keenly aware of the informational needs of Canadians with limb loss through personal experience and a vast network of amputees, O&P practitioners, and industry partners.

 

Karen is the president and CEO of Variety Village, which is the Children's Charity of Ontario with a 70-year history of providing programming for children and youth with a disability. In Ontario, the charity provides programming for children with a disability at Variety Village, a 168,000 square foot facility in Scarborough. Variety Village has a $7 million operating budget and includes a number of social enterprises that fund the charitable mission. Karen is responsible for facility management, revenue growth, budgets, and expanding partnerships within the ParaSport community. Karen currently leads an Executive Team and reports to a volunteer Board of Directors. Since becoming President and CEO, she has worked with the senior management team and Board of Directors to map out a new vision of service delivery, revenue generation, and expanded impact on those who are served.

 

Key Takeaways:

[2:56] Karen introduces herself by sharing her professional journey.

[7:46] What is Variety Village?

[10:01] Variety Village take their program to several communities across Ontario

[10:25] How is Variety Village laid out?

[12:55] Karen talks about the charity that supports Variety Village.

[13:43] Jeff shares his greatly inspiring story.

[18:51] Jeff talks about the medals he got in three different Paralympic Games.

[21:19] Jeff talks about what is ParaSports and how he became involved with it.

[24:15] How does ParaSport and Variety Village work together?

[26:47] If a child wants to play a sport that is not provided by Variety Village, there is a network to make sure every child can find that opportunity.

[27:29] Karen talks about the role of Archie Allison as the Director of Access and Awareness at Variety Village.

[32:16] Is there a level of disability that a person has to have to participate either on ParaSport or to become a member of Variety Village?

[34:25] In Variety Village is not about the accessible facility but about the accessible mentality.

[36:29] How can someone get involved in ParaSports?

[39:00] What a Variety Village membership entails and what are the programs that are being offered?

[43:17] Karen shares how the pandemic affected the programs offered by Variety Village and how they adapted to keep providing opportunities for children to play and create connections.

[45:21] Jeff shares how ParaSports reacted to the limitations that the pandemic imposed.

[47:02] Jeff talks about the amazing golf tournament Para Sports holds every year.

[50:55] What does the future hold for Variety Village?

[54:45] Jeff talks about the new book: The Power of ParaSports: Celebrating Five Decades in Ontario

[58:41] Round of 'this or that' questions with Jeff and Karen

[1:04:07] Jeff and Karen share their favorite recipes.

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