July 2017 – Danforth East Community Association

July 29, 2017

What’s happening, #DanforthEast?

We've been sharing lots on our Facebook page but the chaos of summer has left us neglecting our faithful blog readers. Here's a catch up for those of you not on fb, and for those of you who are, here's a round-up of some of our recent posts!

Electronics Recycling Today (July 29)

Toronto Cat Rescue Adopt-A-Thon Today (Jul 29)

Wag on the Danforth, Toronto: 1918 Danforth Ave / (647) 349-8263

Come one! Come all! Please join us on Saturday, July 29th from 10am – 4pm for an adopt-a-thon with Wag on Danforth! We will have a lots of kittens and cats waiting for their forever families to adopt them and love them forever! Please come and bring home your new best friend – the cats need you!

Special Adoption Fees at the event only! Our adoption fee at the event only is $100 (vs. the standard $175 adoption fee) for cats and kittens over 8 months of age, and $175 for kittens under 8 months of age – payable by cash only. Our fee includes: spay or neuter, vaccination (receive a rabies vaccination, if age appropriate) and includes 6 weeks of free pet insurance. For City of Toronto residents, the adoption fee includes a mandatory City of Toronto cat license that is valid for one year.

Old's Cool Community Strength Event & Playback Theatre – Today (July 29)

For more info click here

Coal Mine Theatre – Season 4!

Here it is! Season Four at the Coal Mine! This year we are thrilled to bring you two Canadian premieres, including a commissioned translation, one Toronto premiere, and our first ever Coal Mine Concert!

Season Passes are now on sale (for a total savings of over $30) at www.coalminetheatre.com

August Wednesday Concerts at Stephenson Park – starting August 9

Brought to you by Friends of Stephenson Park (led by the amazing Peter Woodcock) and the Danforth Village BIA mark your calendars & do summer right with music and drinks in the park!

Call for Volunteers!

DECA could use a few more volunteers to sit at the DECA table at the farmers' market. Do you have a couple of hours on a Thursday to spare? Click here to sign up!

Call for Participants!

Artists, business owners, and artisans from the Danforth Village community are invited to show their wares/services at the Main Squared Marketplace!

Main Squared is a free 9-day arts & community festival that will activate and explore the public square at the corner of Main Street and Danforth Avenue from August 26 – September 3, 2017. The event will feature art installations, performances, workshops and more.There is no fee to participate. For more information and to apply online, visit: http://mainsquared.com/the-marketplace/ Deadline: July 31st.

Main Squared is presented by East End Arts and is a Signature project of the City of Toronto’s Cultural Hotspot

July 28, 2017

#TT4T results

DECA Connects, our social justice group, flagship annual initiative happens over many months and is in two parts. Part A is organizing our Young Leader's Scholarship, which we do in partnership with Scadding Court and others. Part B is fundraising for the scholarship by holding an elaborate community ping pong tournament throughout the month of June dubbed "Table Tennis for Tuition", or TT4T for short.

On June 22 under the threat of rain that did not happen, the final matches were played at East Lynn Park. Photographer Stephen Cassie was on hand to snap some pics and in the end, the winning teams were crowned.

Congratulations to all teams who came out to play! And the winners are….

Winners |Competitive League:
Team Loveboat

Winners|Rec league:
Table teasers

Not to take away from the winners' well-deserved glory, but the results go beyond just who won. The tournament raised almost $1500, blew our $1000 goal out of the water!

You met DECA's 2017 Scholarship winner, Sal Sabila, in this blog post. On the night of the finals, Sal also sent remarks to be read out. Here is an excerpt:

This scholarship means a lot to me and my family. Opportunities such these inspire us to keep doing our works despite the obstacles on the path. Today is the end of my high school career and I feel like all of sudden, i have so much responsibilities, but also, it makes me happy to think that organizations such as DECA work hard to put smile on the students' face who are struggling financially to pay for universities. With all that being said, I hope you all had lots of fun and again, I am so sorry that I couldn't be here with you all today. I don't play Ping Pong myself in fact, I tried it only once, but I sure had a lot of fun.

We might not be all winners, but we can all be change makers. Please make sure to keep smiling and keep inspiring all of us.

Sal is right. We can all be change makers.

Luckily for all of us, the DECA Connects team who organized #TT4T are working for change right here in our neighbourhood. Huge shout out and thanks to:

Judit Alcade
Sarah Brown
Imelda Chan
Sarah Davidson
Corey Diamond
Elizabeth Dove
Trell Hunter
Catherine Porter
Jenn Scott
Stephanie Vorsterman
DECA Social Media Team

Thanks also to the local businesses for donations and help with prizes and services:

Face to Face Games
Gerrard Pizza
E-Clips Hair Salon
Coal Mine Theatre
Great Lakes Brewery
Firkin on Danforth
Stephen Cassie (photography services)
Corbin Creative (designer)
Ace Awards (trophies)

And thanks to everyone to played, donated and came out to cheer.

No photo can truly capture how much fun was had overall, but these action shots should give you a sense of it:

July 18, 2017

The Market this week: Cookbook Swap & A Basket Full of Learning

Cookbook Swap

Recently switched from paleo to vegan? Find you don’t make sushi from scratch like you thought you would? Bring your unwanted cookbooks to the market this Thursday and trade them in! Stop by the D.E.C.A. booth and see what has been shared in the Cookbook Swap!

A Basket Full of Learning

One of the best things about our farmer’s market is how every generation shows up, every Thursday, to pick up this week’s basket full of fruits and veggies, say hello to friends and neighbours and take part in whatever fun activity is on tap that week. From seniors to newborns, we’re one friendly bunch!

One of our favourite things is watching young children learn about the market and what it stands for: healthy, locally sourced foods, community building, engagement, and connection. Taking your little this week? Here are some fun ways to help them engage and learn while at the market:

Give them a few dollars to spend on their own: With $3 in hand, a child can learn a lot about making choices (apple or pear? Or I’ll treat dad to his favourite, plums?), communication (interacting with our farmers and merchants) and responsibility (whoa, I have THREE dollars to spend! All by myself!). Watch as they confidently make purchases and figure out why buying local is best.

Touch, smell, taste: A great activity for toddlers, park it on a blanket at the market, take out the fruit and veggies you just bought, and explore the wonderful summery goodness together! Touch, smell, and bite! Bonus learning involves teaching the names of the different goodies you bought.

Please and thank you: Did you accidentally bump into someone? Want to show gratitude to one of the vendors? As your children watch you interact with others in the market, they’ll pick up on your cues, such as polite manners and thankfulness for the wonderful things we’re provided at the market—and the people who make it happen!

Dinner planning made fun: This one is great for older kids—help them understand what it means to get dinner on the table every night. Get your kids to be the meal planners! Work together to come up with a meal that you make solely using what you buy at the market. Bonus points for cooking it up together!

Everyone belongs: Our market is at the heart of our community. It’s a chance for us to gather, connect and relationship build. Encourage your littles to do the same! Together, say hi to a vendor, ask their name and where they’re from. Say hi the next week, and let them know how you used those carrots you bought from them. Maybe encourage them to bring some bubbles or hit the swings after and make a new friend. It’ll empower your kids to start recognizing they’re a big part of their community and that they have a voice in it!

Wellness Booth:

Our Wellness booth will be Audacious Willow Pilates. Enjoy 15 minute 1-on-1 Stability Ball sessions with Harjit a Pilates instructor at Counter balance Studio Pilates. No previous ball or Pilates knowledge is required as we’ll start with exercises at your level. You’ll feel energized, stretched out and improve your plank!

We’ll see you at the market!

The East Lynn Farmers’ Market runs every Thursday from 3-7:00 p.m. between June 1 – October 19 at East Lynn Park, located on the south side of Danforth Ave, just west of Woodbine Ave. Stay up to date by visiting the East Lynn Market Facebook page or by following us on Twitter.

July 5, 2017

More Market, More Healthy Fun

The market is more bountiful every week, with more farmers, more fruits and vegetables, and more delicious baked goods.

This week we are also planning even more fun, with our usual kids’ tent guests of Toronto Tool Library Kids, Face to Face Games, and our clowns Mini Quinn and Clown Lady Pink Lemonade.

Making oral health fun, D on D Dental will be at the market this week (as our generous sponsors) but also with activities for kids and a raffle for market goers. Check them out beside the DECA tent.

In our Wellness Tent we have Origin Wellness, who are celebrating their third birthday in an expanded space with seven RMTs and their Naturopathic Doctor. They are offering complimentary chair massages (see? fun!) from 3:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Come meet a few of their massage therapists and discover how they can help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.

And if biking is more your kinda fun, then can also stop by the Ward 32 Spokes group for bike tune up and bike map info.

Finally, we are in desperate need of more volunteer cooks for the market! Please let us know if you are able to cook dinner for our farmers one Thursday or sign up here.