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DECA Learns: Reskilling workshops are back!

Many thanks to Volunteer Extraordinaire Melanie for putting all of this together!

ReSkilling Workshops

In the not so distant past, skills like canning fresh food, mending torn clothes and repairing broken items, instead of replacing them, was basic knowledge. Fast-forward to 2014 and these may be less important to you than figuring out what that green button on your DSLR camera really does, but hey, we could use a refresher in that as well.

To this end, DECA is organizing a series of ReSkilling workshops, where the goal is to re-equip people with some of these hands-on skills.

ReSkilling workshops are informal lessons taught by our community members, for our community, so let us know what you would like a refresher in and lets meet locally to brush up. And the best part is, classes will be largely free, or by small donation!

What skills do you have to share? What would you like to learn? Please contact us with any ideas for workshops that you could give, your friend could give, or that you’d like us to find someone to give! Some ideas we’re working on include: canning/preserving, learn how to use your DSLR camera, bicycle maintenance, composting/gardening, and sewing 101.

Canning Classes – Sign up!

Join your neighbors and Bernardin chef Emerie Brine for a three-part canning series this summer. All classes held at Danforth Mennonite Church (2174 Danforth Ave, just east of Woodbine) Load up at the farmers’ market and learn how to preserve the season’s bounty for months to come. Each class will teach you the fundamentals of canning and preserving, provide a live demonstration with one or more recipes and even offer yummy samples at the end of class. Sign up HERE.

June is Strawberry month and Emerie’s recipe for Balsamic Strawberry Jam is a favorite in my house, but Emery has many ideas to help you enjoy your summer berries for the months to come. Workshop scheduled for June 17 from 7:00-9:00 p.m.

August is Peaches and while halved Ginger Bourbon Peaches are a delight just out of the jar, there are many ways to preserve your peaches.  Workshop scheduled for August 12 from 7:00-9:00 p.m.

September is Tomatoes and Pickles. All that you need to get through fall/winter! Workshop scheduled for September 16 from 7:00-9:00 p.m.

DECA is offering this series as a part of our ReSkilling Workshops and you can sign up for one or all of the classes HERE.

For this particular series there is a suggested donation of $10 per class to cover the cost of the space we are renting.

For more information, email deca.reskilling@gmail.com.

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Upcoming events and news

A few events and other news to tell you all about!  Read on for more:

CareerFit Mom 5-Year Anniversary Fundraiser – May 30

A note from owner, Beth: 
Wow, time sure does fly when you’re having fun!  I reinvented my career when my twins were 2.5 years old.  It was challenging to transition from stay-at-home mum to mom-preneur.  Now my girls are 7.5 years old and very  much used to my discussions about career development and seeing me practice my fitness moves in our kitchen!
It is such an honour to work with so many amazing women in our community.   I am grateful to all my past and present instructors, partners, mentors and clients!  Thank you for your support.  I’m looking forward to many more years of facilitating your fitness, health and professional goals while connecting you to a broader network of powerful women.
Please join me in my celebrations at an upcoming Workout and Sweaty Social for Charity!
Date:  Friday, May 30th, 2014
Time:  7:45 p.m. Boot Camp + 8:45 p.m. Sweaty Social
Location:  oaks ‘n acorns – 1856 Danforth Ave.A
Donation:  $10 to support The Neighbourhood Centre, a local charity that serves families in our community
Pre-Registration Required:  www.oaksnacorns.com/book (under Happening Soon)

Meet at oaks ‘n acorns to participate in the (outdoor) Boot Camp at 7:45 pm and stay for the Sweaty Social in the studio afterwards.  Or, just come for the post-workout party!  There will be refreshments, prizes, networking and maybe a little bit of dancing (!)  Pre-registration is required and feel free to come with friends.  Women only please.

Hirut Hoot – May 30, 9:00 p.m. $5

A night of comedy at Hirut Fine Ethiopian Cuisine, 2050 Danforth Ave, featuring: Boyd Banks, Sam Burns, Todd Graham, Troy Kulchyski, Jim McAleese, Marcel St. Pierre, Mark Walker, George Westerholm
Hosted by: Kevin MacDonald

Woodbine-Gerrard Underpass Garden – Volunteers needed May 31 and June 1

Our neighbours to the south in the Beach Hill Association have teamed up with the Greening Ward 32 folks and the City to plant a garden just south of the tracks. Since this is where our two residents’ associations meet, it would be great if some DECA green thumbs were also able to join in on this great project.  Here are the details:
  • VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Saturday’s focus (May 31) is digging and planting shrubs, trees & small plants. Sunday (June 1) will involve planting perennials and spreading mulch. It runs from 9:30 – 4:00 pm but you can spend as little or as much time as possible: it’s a big space so whatever contribution you can make is appreciated.
  • Please: wear safe shoes, bring water, sunscreen, a hat and any relevant tools you have (they’ll have extras). A light lunch will be available but refreshments can be purchased close by on Gerrard as well.
  • For more info, please contact Eleanor Nielsen at eleanor.nielsen@sympatico.ca

BOMB Fitness Health and Fitness Day – May 31

One of our missions when we first opened in 2012 was to always bring you the most modern and effective ways to train in a group atmosphere and in a one-on-one session. There’s been a gradual shift in the way training is done since then, and this health & fitness day will be the kick-start to a change in the way we run our training at The BOMB.

We’re also tired of the dated fitness garbage that is still being promoted, like static stretching before training is good for you, that people can just jump into a training program without being assessed. We’re tired of the notion that women shouldn’t lift weights and that you have to starve yourself to lose fat. We’re tired of the consensus that you have to look like a rake in order to be considered “healthy” and that a treat for your kid has to be a trip to a fast food restaurant.

On Saturday, May 31st 2014 we’ll host 5 hands-on seminars and talks to let you know the truth about leading a healthy, active lifestyle.

From getting your mind in the game, to preparing yourself to train correctly, to educating you and your family on how to exercise and eat right… it’ll be a fun, informative day and to top it all off even lunch is provided and an awesome sponsored goodie bag!

For details and to register, visit: http://www.bombfitness.ca/health–fitness-day.html

Sugar-Me-Up 10% Off – Until June 30

Get 10% off all services from now until June 30. Get yourself ready for summer at Sugar Me Up…Professional Body Sugaring & Esthetics, 1792-B Danforth Ave.
www.sugarmeupbodysugaring.com

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DECA news and updates

We are so often sending out info about other events going on, but here are a few DECA events and updates to tell you about!

#DanforthEast Garage Sale – June 7

It’s not too late to sign up for the great #DanforthEast Garage Sale!

The community-wide garage sale happens Saturday, June 7, 8-2, rain or shine and after last year’s success, we are looking forward to an even bigger turnout this year!  Send us an email by clicking here to add your address to our list/map.

Why join this sale? Well, we will do all the advertising and can arrange for your leftovers to be picked up – so your two most irritating garage sale “to do”s are taken care of. All you have to do is empty your clutter onto you lawn and be willing to bargain.  

If you’re not selling that day, make sure to mark the day down anyway and plan to stroll around for good deals.  It’s a great way to meet your neighbours!

East Lynn Farmers’ Market – June 5

The market starts June 5! That is only two weeks away – just long enough for you to dig out your picnic blankets and get out the sun hats. While the experience is what makes it so special, please remember that the market can’t happen if we don’t show up and buy stuff from the farmers, so adjust your budget and set aside a bit of cash for the freshest, yummiest most wonderful locally grown/produced food that you could ever want.

Danforth East Dreams (#DEDreams) Follow-Up

Thank you to Annette and Max for putting together the final piece we have to share from April’s Danforth East Dreams event. Check out the summary of everyone’s dreams for the hood!

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You can also find everyone’s individual dreams mapped by Kim and pictures of the day. Take a look and be inspired to make one of these dreams into a reality. http://danfortheastcommunityassociation.com/danforth-east-dreams

Dance Mob Follow-Up!

DECA, Pegasus Studios and the Danforth East community came together on Sunday May 4th to celebrate Dance Day! We danced in the streets in our bright blue t-shirts.

Did you see us there were almost 90 of us? First we joined Art of the Danforth in Robertson Parkette and then we joined the Walk group at Greenwood and Danforth. We had the most fun dancing and laughing together. We want to say THANK YOU to the community for helping us create a neighbourhood where we can have this much fun!

We are incredibly grateful to all our sponsors for your help in getting this event happening and for outfitting the dancers in amazing t-shirts!

LEN: Democratic Purveyors of Fine Art and Beautiful Things,
FlyGirl Fitness,
Ages & Stages,
Oaks ‘n Acorns,
Dianna Kennedy from Remax Hallmark,
Counterbalance Studio Pilates,
Pose Hair Design,
The Canine Social Company

And what would a Dance Mob be without dancers! We had so much fun dancing with everyone who participated. Thank you for joining us and putting your dance shoes on to bring us all together.  If you want to see it for yourself, here is a video and photos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDaLumnPFwo

 

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Help Start a Community Garden, Grrrreatwood BBQ & Ankh Yoga Workshop

There’s lots to do this long weekend if you’ll be sticking around the city…

Kimbourne Park Community Garden

Are you interested in helping build a community garden in the ‘hood? A group of folks working toward creating a garden on the Kimbourne Park United Church property want your help.

Join them this Sunday, May 18 at 4:30 pm in the Kimbourne Park  Church at 200 Wolverleigh Blvd. The entrance is on the west side of the building. Email Brenda Hookey, bhook(at)rogers.com, for more details.

Ankh Yoga Workshops: Slow Down Mommas!

Ankh Yoga is introducing a new Spring and Summer Workshops series, starting with their very first one this weekend aimed at slowing down those busy moms. It’s a special Long Weekend retreat for all those deserving Moms out there who feel like some time to decompress and be guided through an interactive workshop designed to help you GO SLOW MOMMAS!! Saturday, May 17, 1 pm to 3 pm.

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Grrrreatwood Community BBQ

What’s May 2-4 without a BBQ? Celebrate with our friends at Grrrreatwood and come out to theirs. Enter to win cool reclaimed wood prizes while you’re there! Saturday, May 17, 11 am to 7 pm.

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Get involved: DECA Board meeting this Monday! (May 12)

Have you been asking yourself how you can get more involved in your neighbourhood?  Well, here is your answer!

DECA is run by a team of volunteers, many of whom are on the Board (including you favourite bloggers/tweeters/facebookers).  Our meetings are pretty laid back, but we do take minutes and have an agenda and all of that, so we appeal to just about everyone. The thing that we all have in common is that we care about this community. We are a whole that is greater than the sum of our parts and we’re all pretty proud of what DECA has become and what we’ve accomplished.

In terms of how to get involved, there are a few ways to do it. We have a volunteer coordinator (Jane) who keeps a list of people who might be available for events or one-offs (you can email Jane by clicking here).  We also have volunteers who focus on specific events (e.g., farmers’ market, arts fair). Everything that we do was someone’s new idea at some point, so if you have an idea or suggestion, let us know or better yet, come to our meeting so that we can all discuss it!

We also have a few vacancies on the Board that we will be hoping to fill at the next Annual General Meeting in November, so coming to the meetings will give us all a chance to get to know each other before we take our relationship to the next level. (That was a joke, I promise.)

We are always happy for fresh faces and new ideas around the table.  Plus, we meet at licensed establishments on or near the Danforth, so it’s a great excuse to get out and have a drink on a weeknight.

Monday’s meeting will start at 7:30 p.m. and go for a couple of hours at the most. For location details, please contact Anita by clicking here.

 

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Reimagine the Laneway, #DEdreams video, ArtCave Shindig & More Art this Weekend!

Reimagining the Laneway–now even bigger & better!

Come out this Saturday, May 10, from 3-6 pm, to the back patio of TKOs (1600 Danforth) and be part of making the laneways and parking lot surrounding Coxwell station amazing spaces. As part of Art of the Danforth, DECA has teamed up with two great architects who specialize in optimizing public spaces, Michelle Senayah & Rotem Yaniv, to see what ideas the community can generate to make the laneway more beautiful and safer.

And now, thanks to Janet Davis, we’ve connected with the TTC and Toronto Green P Parking. Both organizations are sending representatives to the join in discussions. Even more exciting, Green P has this parking lot listed for upgrades within the next 1-3 years. They have launched a program called “Green P Plus” and are holding consultations like this one with communities across the city. Ours will be able to feed into this process! RSVP to our facebook event here.

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Max wants YOUR ideas for the Coxwell stn laneway!

More Ideas & Dreams-#DEdreams video & map

Speaking of sharing ideas for making our community even more vibrant and fun, we put together the video clips of your dreams at April’s Danforth East Dreams event. Have a look and see if you spot yourself, a friend or an idea you love. Our fabulous volunteer, Kim D., also mapped out all everyone’s ideas for the ‘hood here. Have a look at what we love now about Danforth East and our wish list and get inspired.

ArtCave Shindig

Our friends at the ArtCave have a free family event coming up in May: their first ever Shindig on May 23!
They are looking for submissions for a collaborative community art project, From Cave art to ArtCave , to be launched at the party.

Even More Fun Community-Art Happenings This Weekend

Art Battle: Remember that this Saturday night at Artisans at Work, 2071 Danforth, is Art Battle! Live painting, great tunes, drinks, an auction and you  help choose the winner!

Art of the Danforth: The closing weekend promises to be a non-stop fun-stravaganza. Some highlights include  our Reimagining the Laneway event; the 5 Minute Paint Fight onSaturday at 1 pm (sign up at noon); an interactive running race on Sunday from 12-4 pm and a pot-luck dinner in Felstead Park alley on Sunday from 5-7 pm.

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