June 10th-16th is recognised internationally as Carers Week.
In celebration of this week we have a variety of events taking place…
Niagara:
Family Waterpark Fundraiser at WAVES Indoor Waterpark at the Americana in Niagara Falls
Enjoy an affordable family fun day while helping to raise funds for Powerhouse Project. This event is open to everyone even non-caregiving families so tell your friends, neighbours, cousins and everyone you know because each ticket sale goes to support programs and other special events at PHP! Date & Time to be determined, contact office for details
Thursday June 13th from 5:00-8:00pm
Family Campfire at Camp Wetaskiwin (3072 Scout Camp Road, St.Catharines)
Come relax with the whole family around a campfire and enjoy some food, entertainment, special guest speakers, games, activities and more!
Haldimand-Norfolk:
Tuesday June 11th from 6:00-8:00pm
Carers Week Bowling Night in Dunnville!
Wednesday June 12th from 6:00-8:00pm
Carers Week Bowling Night in Simcoe!
Friday June 14th from 5:30-7:30pm
Family Picnic and Concert at Hagersville Park
Enjoy an evening of entertainment, food, guest speakers, games and more with your family and favorite Powerhouse Project staff!
As we sneak closer to the end of the school year CNO will come to an end for the year and start back up in late September. Not to worry though because we have lots of great things happening this Summer! The final CNO for each location will be:
Welland – Monday June 3rd from 6:00-8:00pm
Dunnville – Monday June 3rd from 6:00-8:00pm
St.Catharines – Tuesday June 4th from 6:00-8:00pm @ Lester B Pearson Park (weather permitting)
Delhi – Tuesday June 4th from 6:00-8:00pm
Niagara Falls – Wednesday June 5th from 6:00-8:00pm
Hagersville – Thursday June 6th from 6:00-8:00pm
As a means for our members to meet other young carers around the two regions we have created a profile on Facebook named Powerhouse Young Carers which can be found at www.facebook.com/powerhouse.youngcarers and is for members only (no parents, no outside friends, just PHP young carers!). You can use our wall to discuss things about being a young carer, find great pictures from our events/programs or check out our friends list to add fellow members you may have met at event and lost touch with.
Also
Give our page a ‘like’ at www.facebook.com/powerhouseproject.yci to help support and promote not only the Powerhouse Project but the concept of being a Young Carer. As you may know/feel not a lot of people are familiar with the idea that often times the people who need the most support are not just the people with an affliction but the ones taking care of them. If we don’t support the caregivers correctly there is a good chance they can become burnt out or exhausted both mentally and physically making them unable to fully help their loved ones in the way they need. By liking our page you could also be helping a friend in need learn about our programs and services. Statistics show that in Niagara every 1 in 12 youth are young carers so with the click of a mouse you could potentially be helping out douzens of people on your friends list link up with the amazing things we do here at Powerhouse Project! 
We want to wish our Executive Director Angela Arsenio all the best as she departs on her maternity leave as of December 21st, 2012. Angela will be welcoming her fourth baby into the world sometime around January 31st, 2013. We wish her a safe and happy arrival of her bundle of joy!
Please help us in welcoming Michelle Lewis to the Powerhouse Team! Michelle will be taking Angela’s position as Executive Director during her maternity leave as of January 2nd, 2013. She can be reached at ext. 425 or mlewis@powerhouseproject.ca
We are excited to announce a new position here at Powerhouse Project!
Ontario Trillium Foundation has recently approved a $136,100 grant for the next two years to hire a Family and Community Engagement Coordinator to develop a system for maintaining ongoing family support and communication, while creating greater community awareness through outreach into schools, cultural centres and other service providers. The end of the grant will involve us hosting a conference on the topic of Young Carers which will include both our families and local service providers.
On behalf of the Powerhouse Project Board of Directors, Staff, Members & Families we would like to welcome Erin Marriott to the PHP Team!
CNO is starting back up again after the holiday break the week of January 7th… This is one of our regular weekly programs where our members get together from 6:00-8:00pm to participate in recreation, crafts and other activities designed to build resiliency and build skills that will help them throughout their lives as a young carer and beyond into their adulthood. CNO can be found in 6 different cities around the Haldimand, Norfolk and Niagara regions:
Monday’s – Welland & Dunville
Tuesday’s – St.Catharines & Delhi
Wednesday’s – Niagara Falls
Thursday’s – Hagersville
We are always looking for new members of our Youth Advisory Committee! You don’t have to be a member or Young Carer either, just reliable and sympathetic to the cause. So if you are in grades 9-12, looking for ways to help out in your community, or looking for high school volunteer hours then give us a call to inquire! Our January meetings will be:
Niagara – Tuesday the 19th from 4:00-6:00pm
Haldimand – Friday the 25th from 5:30-7:30pm
The Powerhouse Project would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and hope you make the most out of 2013 by attending as many of our programs and special events as possible! We feel privileged to be able to serve such a wonderful community of caregivers with such great recreation opportunities and as always for FREE. Please keep in mind that we are a very small staff team so the earlier you sign up for a program the better so we can make all the best arrangement to guarantee a great time. Once each quarterly newsletter is released you can feel free to call us and sign up for any/all events that appeal to your interests. If you can’t make it to an event you have signed up for be sure to let us know as far in advanced as possible as occasionally there are waiting lists filled with other members who want to attend. 
Carers Night Out (CNO) is a fun ‘Youth Group’ style program filled with different kinds of activities, games, crafts, sports and cooking. If you are a young caregiver between the ages of 7-16 and looking to have some fun while meeting new friends just like you then make sure to come out each week to the CNO closest to you!
Haldimand/Norfolk:
Dunnville – Mondays 6:00-8:00pm
Delhi – Wednesdays 6:00-8:00pm
Hagersville – Thursdays 6:00-8:00pm
Niagara:
Welland – Mondays 6:00-8:00pm
St.Catharines – Tuesdays 6:00-8:00pm
Niagara Falls – Wednesdays 6:00-8:00pm
All locations start back up the week of September 24th… Be sure to call and register so we know how many members to expect!
It has been a while since both regions of the Powerhouse Project have come together to celebrate being young caregivers so we have planed a fun day in the sun to meet up to share some fun stories and memories. On Thursday August 2nd from 11-3pm both regions will be meeting up at the Wellandport Community Park (5042 Canborough Road) to play a game of baseball, some fun activities and have a picnic. Rides will be available however spots are limited so be sure to call and register soon!