Thursday, April 29, 2010

ISL needs help

ISL used to be run by United Way, Chamber of Commerce and Senior VIP. It would be nice to be with another group again, as a offshoot. It does not cost much to run ISL and we are helping the public, especially when 211 gets here. Also when we do our shows, they are probably 15 hours a year, meetings would probably be 12 hours a year. Even though our book came out in January, we still need help, most of our volunteers have been here over 10 years each person. Like all groups, we need new people an ideas.

PS, we need volunteers and donations for Senior Cruise June 22.

Norm

Monday, April 26, 2010

Senior Cruise - June 22, 2010

When you see the faces of those coming from the trip, you know the effort is well worth it. As many as 2000 people have enjoyed this event in one day.

Jacques provided the boat, and Mary set out to feed everyone. She went to service clubs, individuals and businesses alike. Cab companies donated pickles, service clubs donated fresh veggies, fruit and sandwiches, and everyone Mary and Peter contacted contributed something. Local restaurants provided their specialities, too.


If you would like to help out, please take your contribution to the Cruise, June 22, or show up anytime after 8 a.m. for an assignment. If you wish to contribute to the Cruise, call 519-344-9518 or go to 265 N. Front Street, Suite 411-1. Cruises start at 9 am, and go until everyone’s had a ride. Rain or shine.

More information and poster at the ISL web site (link on right side)

211 for Woodstock

Hopefully, Lambton County will get it soon.


WOODSTOCK — A 2-1-1 phone service should be active in Oxford by September.

Oxford County council approved an additional $17,150 from its reserves to ensure the projects moves forward so the three-digit, 24 hours a day, seven-day a week phone service can launch. The bigger picture includes a full launch of a county website — www.informationoxford.ca — that has been operational for some time but is now complete.
The website provides a one-stop referral for 4,100 business in addition to complete listings for social and government services within Oxford, along with a comprehensive event listing.

"Now that this work is done, our systems upgraded, it will make it so much easier going forward," United Way of Oxford executive director and project committee member Kelly Gilson said. "It's not just what's on the website, but what's behind the scenes where there's so much more to this project. The database in this project is the piece that will support 2-1-1 as well…

"There really is a bigger picture— information, marketing and the 2-1-1 piece. We want to reaffirm the two go together, they're not competing services. Each needs the other to be supportive."

When it comes to the phone service, the call centre for those in Oxford will be based in Windsor, where the service has been in place since November 2007. 211 Southwestern Ontario project manager Jennifer Tanner spelled out how the centre there would accommodate the call volumes from the added municipalities later this year.

The service would be able to provide, by phone, the information included in the Oxford-based website, as well as referral to other regional or provincial resources. Tanner said a translation service is also available for almost 150 languages, broadening the populations that can access the service.

Oxford is among the group of regions receiving 2-1-1 later this year as the service moves closer to provincewide implementation.

"We will do everything we can to support the local data work in this community in terms of the data quality issues and standards of data maintenance and building on that great resource that exists in this community," Tanner said.

Staff at the call centre would receive additional training on the lay of the land in Oxford prior to the hard launch in the fall, which Tanner said would take place through a series of test phone calls this summer.

"We're very impressed with what we see here. Council has a good vision of what this county should look like," 211 Ontario Corp. municipal consultant Roger Maloney said. "Staff have also really taken leadership and done an excellent job."

Monday, April 12, 2010

Bridges to Health



ISL was at Bridges to Health on April 24 at Central United Church. Lots of people and good information there.

New 2010 book and CD out

Information Sarnia Lambton's new 2010 Community Services Directory is out now. Over 700
groups from the area are in it, If you are a not for profit group in Sarnia or Lambton County, please go to our website and check your listing. It is available at the Inn of the Good Shepherd on John Street for $12.00 for the book or $5.00 for the CD. . For more information, go to www.informationsarnialambton.org or phone 519-542-1949. Also Senior Cruise is set for June 22, 2010.