You're invited to the Neighbourhood Network Volunteer Celebration

To the friends, supporters and volunteers of Eating Disorders of York Region:

Join us for volunteer appreciation at the 2012 Neighbourhood Network Volunteer Celebration Event at Fairy Lake Park in Newmarket.

When: Thursday, August 23
Time: 5:30 to 7:30pm
RSVP: Lisbeth at info@neighbourhoodnetwork.org or call 905-726-3737 by Friday, August 17

Neighbourhood Network is a non-profit community-based organization that brings together volunteers with local charities and organizations that assist Newmarket and Aurora residents in need.

Tom Taylor, former town councilor and Mayor of Newmarket, will emcee the event as we celebrate the amazing work of volunteers in the York Region  community.

There will be a free BBQ for Neighhbourhood Network partners and volunteers as well as live music by the ONYX Vocal Band!

Brooke Harrison, Neighbourhood Network's student Ambassador as well as Canada's "Top 20 Under 20" for 2012 will share her community experiences.

Thank you to all of EDOYR's helpers and friends!

Tomorrow: EDOYR's Richmond Hill Honda Benefit Car Wash

We were on CP24 Breakfast this morning promoting our Richmond Hill Honda Benefit Car Wash, taking place tomorrow at the Yonge St. and 16th Ave. dealership.

Each car wash is five dollars. Three dollars from every wash will benefit EDOYR.

Can't come out tomorrow? Purchase our non-expiry car wash tickets for the same price. Call 9058866632 or e-mail info@edoyr.com for more info.

Know Drugs, 2nd Ed.

Michelle De Faria started her placement with Eating Disorders of York Region earlier this summer. Her passion is to encourage men and women to take control of their mental health.

"Know Drugs" is the byproduct of De Faria's inspiration to create a campaign to promote pharmaceutical alternatives, since medicine may not always be the only way to be healthy and happy. 

The original, all-English, video was produced on June 28, 2012. See it here.

 This multilingual edition promotes pharmaceutical alternatives and encourages people from all over the world to take control and have a voice when it comes to their mental health.

180 car wash tickets left!

When do you prefer to wash your car? Are you a winter washer or do you like the fall? No matter your cup of tea, you can purchase car wash tickets for you, your friends and your family from Eating Disorders of York Region.

Last week, I picked up 200 car wash tickets from Richmond Hill Honda for your convenience. Not one of these tickets expire, but they are going fast. We have 180 of these tickets left.

As you're already aware, EDOYR is hosting our very first benefit car wash on in five days (on Saturday, July 21) at Richmond Hill Honda, where friendly Honda employees will work their car-cleaning magic from 10am until 1pm at the Yonge St. and 16th Ave. location. Each car wash is five dollars. Three dollars from every wash will benefit EDOYR.

If you can't make it on Saturday, or even if you can, you can still purchase some of our non-expiry car wash tickets for five dollars each. Three dollars from every ticket you buy will benefit EDOYR.

Call us at 9058866632 or e-mail info@edoyr.com for more.

-- Leviana Coccia

On the eleventh day of laughter...

...You could be at Second City Toronto's preview of the Fall '12 Mainstage Revue, which will benefit Eating Disorders of York Region.

On Tuesday, July 24, come support your local charity! Doors open at 7:15pm and the show will begin at 8pm. Ten dollars from every ticket purchased from the Second City box office with the promo code, "Life in Balance,"will benefit EDOYR.

If you don't wash your car, it won't go very far...

...That's why you should come to the Richmond Hill Honda Car Wash on July 21 from 10am until 1pm. Each ticket costs five dollars. Three dollars per wash will benefit Eating Disorders of York Region.

Can't make it on the 21st? EDOYR has got your back!

We have 180 car wash tickets for anytime use at Richmond Hill Honda's Service Department! These tickets are also five dollars, and three dollars from each will benefit EDOYR.

This could be your car on July 21st between 10am and 1pm at Richmond Hill Honda.

Pick yours up today! Call 9058866632 or e-mail info@edoyr.com for more information.

We have 200 car wash tickets (that don't expire)!

Leviana Coccia, Events and Communications Coordinator, holds 200 car wash tickets. If EDOYR sells every single one, we can provide five Stages of Change workshops. Have you gotten yours yet?

Who doesn't love a clean car? The shiny metal glistening on a hot summer day, no bug guts on the windshield, no streaks left behind...I can keep going, but I'll spare you.

I picked up 200 car wash tickets this morning from Richmond Hill Honda for your convenience. These tickets do not expire!

Will you pick up pumpkins in October or a Holiday tree in December? Will your car need a wash in the middle of winter? Will you roll through some mud or a big nasty puddle in the spring?

No matter how your car got dirty, you can use your car wash tickets at Richmond Hill Honda whenever the Service Department is open.

You can come on over to the EDOYR office in Aurora, purchase as many tickets as you'd like and use them at any time. The tickets are five dollars and three from each will benefit EDOYR.

If we sell each of the 200 tickets, we'll be able to provide five Stages of Change workshops: Sessions that explore the possibility of change. Attendees discover where they are in their journey of recovery as they expore the changes they are seeking. The costs and benefits of changing eating disorder behaviours will be presented as well as barriers and healthy coping strategies.

Since everyone loves a car wash, you're all invited to EDOYR's benefit car wash at Richmond Hill Honda where friendly Honda employees will wash your car (and your friends' and family members' cars) in the Service Department! Like those tickets we're selling, a car wash is five dollars and three dollars from each will benefit EDOYR.

E-mail info@edoyr.com or call us at 905 886 6632 for more information.

Second City in THIRTEEN days!

On July 24, you will get to experience laugh-out-loud-funny comedy at Second City Comedy Club in Toronto. Each ticket is $20+hst. When you buy your ticket on the Second City website and use the promo code, "LIFE IN BALANCE," $10 from every ticket will benefit Eating Disorders of York Region.

Second City tickets make great gifts and treats. Surprise your friends and family by taking them out for a good laugh. 

Talking from personal experience here: I went to a show at Second City in March and had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard.

Doors open at 7:15pm and the show will begin at 8pm.

Don't forget to use the "LIFE IN BALANCE" promo code.

See you there!

-- Leviana Coccia

Get your car wash tickets in ADVANCE!

On Wednesday morning, EDOYR will have advance tickets for our Richmond Hill Honda Car Wash. The car wash is set for Satuday, July 21 from 10am until 1pm.

How to get your tickets early? Just call us at 905 886 6632, e-mail info@edoyr.com or come into our office in Aurora after 10am on July 11.

Each ticket sells for five dollars. Three dollars from each will benefit EDOYR.

The best part? The tickets don't expire. So, if you can't make our car wash on July 21, you can buy the tickets in advance and use them whenever is most convenient for you.

Because car wash tickets are so cheap, it'd be a great idea to get a bunch of them for your friends and family.

Get your tickets tomorrow!

Fourteen days until EDOYR's Second City Comedy Night

Get your tickets for the July 24th show now by visiting the Second City website. Doors open at 7:15pm and the show starts at 8! Don't forget to use EDOYR's special promo code, "Life in Balance."

Know Drugs

Michelle De Faria started her placement with Eating Disorders of York Region (EDOYR) earlier this summer. Her passion is to encourage men and women to take control of their mental health.

"Know Drugs" is the byproduct of De Faria's inspiration to create a campaign to promote pharmaceutical alternatives, since medicine may not always be the only way to be healthy and happy.

Thank you for making Rock for Charity 2.0 a success!

Thank you to everyone who made Rock for Charity 2.0 a great success! We exceeded our previous record set in January, thanks to all those who attended and generous donations from our friends. This was a great way to start the summer series of friend-raising events.

06/21/12

Rock for Charity 2.0 to take over the El Mo in two days

Even though you don't need me to tell you this, today's weather was sweltering hot and the forecast predicts similar temperatures until Thursday.

By Thursday, you're probably going to be craving a place where you can let your hair down, grab a drink, listen to some good music, party with a few friends and ultimately cool down, right? There is no better way to Celebrate Summer, if I do say so myself. If my assumption is incorrect, please do forgive, but I know what I'll be doing on Thursday.

I'm going to Rock for Charity 2.0, a concert organized by friends of Eating Disorders of York Region where all proceeds will benefit the organization.

Members of EDOYR's Circle of Friends have also planned a "Ladies Not Barbies, Men not Ken" photo booth, where for two-dollars a shot, you can get your photo taken on a hand-made beach set wearing summery props (I can't give away too much. You'll just have to come on Thursday to find out what types of props we'll have). Photos will be taken by Meaghan DeClerq, a fourth-year Media Studies student at the University of Guelph-Humber who also has her own photography company called DeClerq Photography.

You can also participate in a 50/50 Event Draw. Two dollars will get you one ticket, three dollars will get you five and for $10, you'll get an arm's length! Not sure how 50/50 works? Well, after the ticket-buying has stopped, we'll draw a winner. The winner will get half of the money raised during the draw and the other half will go to EDOYR. In other words: You could win some cash while still helping out a great cause. Win-win, yes?

Not to mention, we'll also be selling our recently-made "Life in Balance" t-shirts and giving away "Show Your True Colours" buttons.

I know I'm really excited for Thursday (so excited that I've been having dreams of all the bands playing). Speaking of bands, you'll get to see House of Coconuts, Ravyn Red (with special guests Andrew Ferguson, bass guitarist, and Tam Duong, guitarist and singer/songwriter),  Eric Conlon of Lambs Become Lions, Couriers, Four Nines Fine, Highway Lights and TNG perform LIVEl

See you all Thursday.

-- Leviana Coccia

EDOYR at H.G. Bernard Public School

Grade eight students at H.G. Bernard Public School in Richmond Hill sport their "Wings of Hope/EDOYR" bracelets.

Some students at H.G. Bernard Public School take part in the "Together, We Are Better" club at school. The club encourages inclusivity!

Such a stunning mural put together by "Together, We Are Better."

Members of the "Together, We Are Better" club raise their hands and "Wings of Hope/EDOYR" bracelets in front of their school sign. Go Bruins Go.

Showing their school spirit and encouraging self-acceptance, self-awareness and self-confidence, students at H.G. Bernard Public School in Richmond Hill raise their "Wings of Hope" in unison.

Leviana (Events and Communications Coordinator) took a walk around H.G. Bernard Public School with the members of "Together, We Are Better" club and found these awesome murals hanging on the wall. Integrity. Citizenship. Fairness. Courage.

Loyalty. Honesty. Kindness.

Respect. Self-discipline. Responsibility.

How stunning is this? If you look closely, you'll see that this Canadian flag is actually a mosaic of student portraits.

This here is another mosaic of student portraits. What an awesome idea!

What is your school doing to raise awareness?

Rock for Charity is in EIGHT days. EDOYR is busy prepping!

See this huge mural? We're using it as the backgdrop for our "Ladies Not Barbies, Men Not Ken" photo booth. Photos will be taken by Meaghan DeClerq of DeClerq Photography. Photos will cost $2 each. If you fill out a contact card on the day of the event, you can receive your photo(s) - professionally edited - via e-mail.

Hoola skirts, crepe paper, and a Dollarama bag full of goodies!

This is what our rough sketch looks like...We promise the final outcome will be much more lovely.

Natalia (Administrative Assistant), Leviana (Events and Communications Coordinator) and Michelle (placement student) were getting in the "Celebrate Summer" spirit for Rock for Charity 2.0. You could be wearing the same skirt Leviana's wearing on June 21 if you come and get your photo taken

Here the girls are again, smiling and laughing as per usual!

Remember those Kindergarten days where you would scrunch up pieces of crepe paper and glue them on a piece of construction paper? Leviana's hard at work making a sun for our photo booth backdrop doing EXACTLY that!

Natalia loves to paint!

Natalia loves painting so much, she now has the unofficial title of "Painter."

Natalia's cutting out leaves for our palm tree!

That palm tree is sure coming together nicely.

Slowly but surely the backdrop is coming together!

Life without Ed

EDOYR presents a six week program, Life without Ed, an eating disorder support group.  It will meet for six Mondays starting from July 9 from 5:00pm until 6:00pm. There will be no meeting on the long weekend.

LOCATION: Eating Disorders of York Region central office
15213 Yonge St., Ste. 15, Aurora, L4G 1L8
(just S. of Wellington, in the old post office building)

Register online, soon.

Guidance and Assistance for Family and Friends of Those Striving to Overcome an Eating Disorder

EDOYR presents a four week program, Guidance and Assistance for Family and Friends of Those Striving to Overcome an Eating Disorder support group with Flora Svinarenko, BSW, MSW, RSW.  It meets for four Tuesdays starting on July 3 from 6:45pm to 7:45pm.

Support for family and friends is vital in the recovery of a loved one. A family member or a friend needs to be a strong, safe and consistent source of support and needs to take care of themselves in order to do so. It is good to know that you are not alone when you experience stress, frustration or anger: an eating disorder affects the whole family.

LOCATION: 300 John Street, Suite 300
Thornhill ON, L3T 5W5
(Major intersection Bayview and John)

You can register online, here.

Healing and Emotional Eating: Using or Refusing Food to Cope

Eating Disorders of York Region has a number of support groups coming up. See below for more information:

EDOYR presents a four week program, Healing and Emotional Eating: Using or Refusing Food to Cope with Marilyn Strauch M.A. (C) OACCPP Psychotherapist. It meets for four Tuesdays starting on July 10 from 4:00 to 5:00pm.

Individuals with eating disorders may restrict, overeat or emotionally eat in an effort to numb out or not deal with uncomfortable negative emotions, or to reinforce a positive mood. Unfortunately, after each episode, there is generally increased self- criticism around weight, body image and lack of control; in addition to long term negative physical conditions

LOCATION: Richmond Hill

115 Wertheim Court, Suite 511

(East off of West Beaver Creek, North of Hwy #7)

You can register for Healing and Emotional Eating: Using or Refusing food to Cope online.

Dear 15-Year-Old Me

Leviana (Events and Communications Coordinator) and Michelle (placement student) were busy yesterday producing this "Dear 15-Year-Old Me" video. Thank you to everyone who submitted bits of quotes and inspiration.

EDOYR produced everything in "Dear 15-Year-Old Me," aside from the soundtrack ("True Colors" by The Glee Cast, which can be purchased on iTunes) for educational and inspirational purposes.

Enjoy!