Matthew Lorenz and Fady Mekhail are students in the Social Service Work program at Sheridan College. Their community practicum placement this past year has been spent at Epilepsy South Central Ontario. On February 24, 2017, Matthew and Fady represented Epilepsy South Central Ontario at Sheridan College’s Practicum Fair. The fair gave them the opportunity to raise awareness of epilepsy by providing information about the services and supports offered by Epilepsy South Central Ontario. Matthew and Fady largely presented their information to a group comprised of; first year social service work students looking for a future practicum, teachers and second year students looking for future employment and networking opportunities. Matthew and Fady distributed pens, pencils, print materials and awareness bracelets to help advocate for people living with epilepsy and to make others aware of the services and programs at Epilepsy South Central Ontario. Matthew and Fady were available to discuss the programs they have been working on when students asked what their experience was like.
Author Archives: Communications
Epilepsy Action Day 2017
Today is Epilepsy Action Day 2017! (February 28th, 2017) Epilepsy Organizations are coming together to advocate that we need to standardize care for people with epilepsy across Ontario- through dissemination and implementation of the province’s clinical epilepsy guidelines, as well as explaining what the guidelines mean for patients and doctors.
Suds Launderette has wrapped up 5 of its Machines to help us promote Epilepsy Awareness Month, Purple Day, and our Purple Gala.
For the next three months, a portion of the sales from the Purple wash machines as well as a percentage of all of the wash and fold services will go directly to helping our Organization.
Help them, Help Us by bringing all your wash & fold and laundry to Suds Launderette.
Thank you to Suds Launderette for helping spread #epilepsyawareness and thank you to everyone who supports them.
Epilepsy Halton Peel Hamilton has changed its name to Epilepsy South Central Ontario
PRESS RELEASE
Epilepsy Halton Peel Hamilton and Epilepsy Waterloo-Wellington combine forces to become Epilepsy South Central Ontario.
Effective immediately, Epilepsy Halton Peel Hamilton has changed its name to Epilepsy South Central Ontario, reflecting the organization’s growth encompassing the Kitchener-Waterloo Guelph region. In alignment with the adoption of a new name, the organization will reveal its new website that will align with March Awareness and epilepsy awareness day, otherwise known as ‘Purple Day’. At that time all program updates and future plans will be announced.
Epilepsy South Central Ontario serves approximately 40,000 people living with epilepsy in Halton, Peel, Hamilton, Brantford, Haldimand/Norfolk, Kitchener/Waterloo, Guelph, Cambridge, and surrounding areas.
Agency works with media to bring supports to family of boy with epilepsy
By Deron Hamel
Epilepsy Halton Peel Hamilton communications manager Trevor Gordon was scanning online news stories in May when he came across a Global News article about a Mississauga family who was trying to find supports for the 5-year-old boy they had adopted who is living with epilepsy.
In May, Rosy Garcia and Andres Sosa adopted Jordan Sosa Garcia, who is from Colombia. Jordan’s mother, Rosy’s sister, was unable to care for the boy, so the couple brought him to Canada.
But caring for someone with epilepsy was a new experience for the couple and they didn’t know what supports were available to help.
When Gordon read the article, he contacted Angie Seth, the reporter who had covered the story, and offered the agency’s help.
“Right away when I read that article and saw that the family was in Mississauga, I thought, ‘I’m surprised that they don’t know about us (Epilepsy Halton Peel Hamilton) and vice versa,’” he says.
“I e-mailed the reporter and she was very quick to respond and was excited and I told her it would make a great third story for her, and it would, more importantly, help the family.”
Seth contacted the family and gave them the contact information for Epilepsy Halton Peel Hamilton. The family called the agency and Gordon put them in touch with Jasmine Morante, the Epilepsy Halton Peel Hamilton’s program manager.
An appointment was set up for the family to come in. Morante explained all the services the agency offers. She also gave them information on the Sunny Days Camp, a camping experience provided to children living with epilepsy and their siblings between the ages of five and 12, which Jordan attended with his brother.
Morante has also been providing education and advice to the family to help them learn about epilepsy.
“Jasmine was really good at explaining epilepsy 101 to the family and keeping them calm and positive,” Gordon says. “She is providing a great support system to the family.”
For his part, Gordon says he is happy to have been able to use the media and social media to create such a positive result.
“There is so much negativity in social media and the media in general, and I like the fact we used social media for something positive and it worked,” he says. “If people can learn from the techniques that we’ve used, hopefully that could spawn more ways of helping people.”
If you have feedback on this story, or have a story of your own that you would like to share, please contact the newsroom at 1-800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca. You can also leave a comment below.
