May 17, 2012 is the date for the 2012 Employment Expo. We just confirmed that the Victoria Inn, 1808 Wellington Avenue in Winnipeg will once again be the site for the Expo. Mark your calendar!

Spread the word to your colleagues, friends and family. As details become available, we will post them on our website, these electronic newsletters, and update our Facebook page and Twitter feeds. Make sure you stay in the loop.   

Volunteers with Disabilities Contribute Over 46,000 Hours to Communities in Manitoba

Under the Province's Rewarding Work Program, Manitobans with disabilities who receive support through Employment and Income Assistance (EIA) are able to receive financial benefits for doing volunteer work. The Rewarding Volunteers Benefit (RVB) program, which became effective in 2009, gives added benefits of $50/month to recipients who volunteer at least four times per month and $100/month to recipients who volunteer eight or more times per month. The program is intended to encourage individuals on EIA to engage in volunteer work and the financial benefits are intended, in part, to offset any expenses (e.g. transportation) that might be incurred by the participant. Participants can use these volunteer experiences to further their employability and careers by honing their work skills, building their personal networks, and increasing their workplace savvy and confidence.

In the first full year of the RVP program (2009/2010), a monthly average of 328 people volunteered 8 times or more and earned $100 in additional benefits and 135 people volunteered at least four times (but less than 8) and earned $50 in additional benefits - for combined annual benefits of approximately $474,600. In the second year (2010/2011), a monthly average of 411 people earned $100 and 141 people earned $50 - for combined annual benefits of approximately $577,800.

While it is difficult to accurately tally the total amount of time that folks in the RVB program have contributed, these statistics give us an important glimpse into one of the many ways that Manitobans with disabilities are contributing to the health and vitality of our communities. Even if each volunteer "time" represents only one hour, 411 people volunteered no more than 8 times monthly, and 141 people volunteered no more than 4 times monthly... in 2010/2011 people in the RVB program would have collectively invested over 46,000 hours of their time and talent to community organizations in Manitoba. This is an extremely conservative estimate and the real number of hours they invested is likely much higher!

2012 Employment Expo Partners  

We are proud to have the support of many community organizations who pledge to partner with us by using their communications networks to promote the Employment Expo throughout the community.

Are you interested in becoming a partner of the Ability Axis Employment Expo? Send us an email!

October 18 - 20, 2011 - The Manitoba Customer Contact Association (MCCA) has made arrangements with six contact centres in Winnipeg to host tours of their facilities. These tours are designed to increase awareness and educate individuals, organizations and service providers about career paths and current job opportunities. There are a variety of tours available for you to attend over the course of 3 the days shown above. Each tour will last approximately 45 minutes.

The employers are:

• AAA Alarms
• Great West Life Assurance Company
• Manitoba Public Insurance
• MTS Allstream
• RBC Royal Bank Customer Contact Centre
• Western Financial Insurance Company

All you need to do is create a two or three minute video and enter it in the "Just Watch Me" contest by October 31, 2011.

This video contest is being run by the Community Futures Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Program (EDP), and is open to people with self-identified disabilities or ongoing health conditions living in rural Western Canada.

2011 Employment Expo T-Shirts 

We still have a few Expo T-Shirts available for purchase for blowout price of $14.00 (incl. taxes and shipping). The 100% heavy cotton, Fruit of the Loom T-Shirts are white, with the logo (below) printed across the back. Available sizes are medium and large.   

To get yours today, please contact our office at 204-487-0307 or info@abilityaxis.com! 

Important Dates: 

If you have an event that will be of interest to people in Manitoba's Employment and Disability Community, email it to info@abilityaxis.com to be included in this newsletter and on the Ability Axis website.

Oct 12, 2011 - RE-ES Open House

Oct 18 - 20, 2011 - MB Customer Contact Assoc Employer Tours  

Oct 20, 2011 - MSEN AGM

Oct 27, 2011 - Accessibility in the Workplace: Equipping Workers for Achievement webinar  

Oct 31, 2011 - Deadline for the Just Watch Me contest entries 

May 17, 2012 - Ability Axis Employment Expo   

View our Events Calendar page for these and many more events 

There is good reason that this book is affectionately referred to as the job developer's Bible. Whether they be seasoned workforce professionals or newly-hired placement staff, this book is a goldmine of insights and tools for all readers. More than just a "how to" book, it is written in a spirit of respect and celebration for the job seeker, the job developer and the employer alike.   

Here are a few words taken from the preface: "Today the challenges and opportunities of the job developer are greater than ever, and the need for our services is felt more acutely than ever by those we serve. Never has there been a greater need for job developers to take an intelligent, business-minded, proactive and revolutionary approach to creating employment opportunities in our local communities... This book is as much for the rebel and the dreamer as it is for the goal-oriented pragmatist...Take what you like, add your own perspective, and continue shaping the work that you do as time and experience unfolds."  

Softcover, 256 pages and 1-hour audio CD  

This publication is available for $29.95 USD plus applicable tax and shipping. If you order 10 or more copies, the price goes down to $24.95 USD each. Go to the Diversity World Store to select this or any of the available products.

Watch this space as we feature other products available through the Diversity World Store.