Three of RCD Martial Arts Class members, Shelton, Tony and Wilson, joined the Sirota’s Alchymy 2011 Martial Arts Extravaganza on December 3, 2011 at Hugh Boyd Secondary School in Richmond. This annual event featured martial Arts performances by all students and instructors of the school and more than 200 spectators enjoyed the exciting and entertaining presentation of strength, skills and teamwork.
The RCD, in partnership with Sirota’s Alchymy Martial Arts School, offers a Martial Arts course to members on Wednesdays from 10 to 11 a.m. The fee for 10 sessions is $80; people with all abilities are welcome to join.
Click here to view photo gallery of Shelton, Tony and Wilson at the Extravaganza.
I think RCD is…..
The RCD is thankful to the RiverRock Casino Resort for their generous donation of $5,000 in support of our services for people with disabilities and our work in the community in promoting accessibility and disability awareness. On November 18, 2011, RCD Board Chair Vince Miele and Board Secretary and Founder Frances Clark received the cheque on behalf of the Centre from RiverRock General Manager Rick Duff. Thank you RiverRock, your generosity is greatly appreciated and will bring forth coveted services in the community to improve inclusion of people with disabilities.
The Government of Canada introduced two improvements to the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP), the grant and the bond that provide more flexibility to Canadian with disabilities and their families when saving for the future.
Information about the RDSP, the grant and the bond continues to be available on the Government web site, or by calling 1 800 O-Canada (1 800-622-6232). TTY users may call 1-800-926-9105.
The 2012 Term 1 for Guitar Level 2 has been moved to Monday. The start date is February 13, 2012, Monday, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. The term is comprised of 9 lessons, ending on April 16, 2012. There is no class on April 9 which is Easter Monday. For registration, contact Ian at 604-232-2404 or email him at ian@rcdrichmond.org
Effective February 2, 2012, the Table Tennis Club on Thursday will finish at 1:45 p.m. Social Club will start immediately and finish at 3:30 p.m. For enquiry please contact Rich at 604-232-2404 or email him at rich@rcdrichmond.org
The 2012 Spring Term of After School Connection will now be on Wednesdays for children age 12-15 (Feb 15 to May 16); and on Thursday for children age 9-12 (Feb 16 to May 17). The sessions are from 3:45 to 5 p.m. There is no class during Spring Break. For more info and registration, contact Tom at 604-232-2404 or email him at tom@rcdrichmond.org
Click here for details.
The RCD hosted its 2011 Open House on December 2 nd. This date was chosen specifically because there was also another meaning– the following day December 3rd was the United Nation’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Therefore the Open House had a double purpose to celebrate the 26th years of services of RCD on this special day of the year.
The theme of the Open House was “Supporting Tomorrow’s Leaders Today”. To highlight the achievement of young members, RCD had a special award presentations to acknowledge 4 amazing young people who worked diligently and consistently for months to qualify for the Duke of Edinburgh Young Canadian Challenge Award, as well as 2 individuals who received the Richmond Kiwanis Club’s Hope of Canada Citizenship Awards for Top Achievement. They received the awards from His Worship Mayor Malcolm Brodie, Mayor of City of Richmond, and Linda and Dave Hoyt, Directors of the Richmond Kiwanis Club’s respectively.
Award Recipients:
Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Awards – Natalie Chu and Leon Tam
Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award – Jeremy Chan
Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award – Spencer Lee
2010 Hope of Canada Citizenship Award for Top Achievement – Argon Dai
2011 Hope of Canada Citizenship Award for Top Achievement – David Wang
We hereby congratulate these amazing young adults who are inspirational to their peers and everyone through their different demonstrations of Independent Living Philosophy. They are truly inspirational!
Click here to view photo gallery.
RCD Board of Directors, Staff, members and community members attended the Annual General Meeting on November 15, 2011 at 11 a.m.
After the normal required reporting, a new board was elected.
Here is the 2011-2012 new Board of Directors:
Click here to view Photo Gallery.
On November 8, 2011, the RCD hosted a raving All Candidates Meeting at the Minoru Place Activity Centre. Starting 6 p.m. we had citizens started coming and the hall was filled up to its brim with more than 200 audiences when the meeting officially commenced at slightly after 7 p.m. The meeting was attended by all the Mayoral and Council candidates, 2 for the former and 17 for the latter. RCD Founder and Board Secretary Frances Clark graciously stepped in as the moderator, in place of RCD Chair Vince Miele who was taken ill. RCD Board Vice Chair Tom Parker served as the time keeper. Thank you for all the staff and volunteers who made this event as smooth and successful as it was.
Click here to view photo gallery.
Click here to view a letter to editor by Jim Wright on Richmond News about the event.
May 2010 Liao Zhi and her dance company visited the RCD and we received them with a fabulous lunch sponsored by the RCD Chinese Support Group. On Oct 21, 2011 we are very happy to see Liao Zhi again, this time she returned to Canada to promote a disability movement for international awareness, and she visited the centre, accompanied by Chak-Kwong Au from the Vancouver coastal Health. Dr. Randy Galloway from Texas always accompanied Liao Zhi on her visit. It was great joy to see how good Liao Zhi is doing and her drive to promote dancing for people with disabilities continues. She informs us that she is in ballroom dancing now, and we wish her all the success in her future endeavours. We hope to see her again next year.
More than 180 guests attended the RCD Annual Fundraising Gala – Western Roundup. We thank you for all your support; the funds we raised will go to provide direct services to people with disabilities and empower them to lead a more independent life and to participate in the community to the best of their ability.
The October 15 gala night started with exuberance when guests came into the “Western World” in Richmond. There was Western Deco all around you, for instance cowhide balloons, backdrop on the stage with desert view, balloons everywhere showing cowboy boots, steer heads and more. The most fascinating of all was the way many guests were dressing up – cowboy hats, guns, jeans with boots and bandana. The spirit was high when old friends and new friends all gather together for a meaningful cause.
At around 7:15pm, our master of ceremony Dina officially started the event. We had RCD Board Chair Vince Miele welcome all the guests, followed by welcome remarks from Mr. John Yap MLA of Richmond-Steveston and Mayor Malcolm Bordie of the City of Richmond. Then there was cheque presentation from the Vancouver Airport Authority to the RCD, followed by plaque recognition from the RCD to our gala sponsors.
Buffet dinner started at 7:30pm, and we had wonderful review of the Western Country Buffet. Some guests indeed said that they thoroughly enjoyed the food, and it was one of the best menus and quality dishes they had ever tasted at similar events. We thank the Executive Airport Hotel, their banquet team and spectacular chef team for their good service and excellent food.
After dinner the entertainment started with a performance of line dance by Liz Salikin and Group, and guests started to join in when Liz taught the crowd some simple steps for line dancing. At about 9 p.m. the Five-and-a-half Cowboy Band began their performance and brought to the guests true western and blue grass music. Raffle prize draw, silent auction announcement and 50-50 draw at slightly after 10 p.m. brought the night to its end. Most guests told us that they had fun and we hope that more people will support our fundraising event next year, for a great cause, good food and lots of fun!
Click here to view Photo Gallery:
On September 17, 2011, Richmond VanCity held their annual Shreddathon – free shredding service for Richmond residents. At the same time, they raised funds for the RCD through this event that $5 donation toward the RCD would bring a hotdog, drink and chips. RCD also had some staff members present to assist the event and introduce the organization.
We thank all the staff members of Richmond VanCity and the shredder for their hard work, creative idea and generosity.
The RCD held a volunteer training session on September 17, 2011 for the volunteers of the After School Connection, which is offered in September 2011 as a partnership with SDC Blue Ribbon Foundation. They are joint partner in developing and implementing the activity, as well as providing funding for the project and subsidy for families facing financial difficulty.
16 volunteers attended the training; they were all recruited by the SDC Blue Ribbon Foundation. We want to thank their Volunteer Coordinators Angela Hou and Serena Li for their good work and effectiveness. Moreover the SDC Blue Ribbon Foundation Admin Team, led by their President David Wang, had made tremendous contribution to make After School Connection a reality and a success. The Admin Team includes David Wang, Jerry Zhang, Mimi Wei, Angela Hou and Serena Li. They have our most heartfelt thank you, from RCD and the children who join the activity.
After School Connection is a brand new designed activity, specifically for children with special needs. The purpose is to provide affordable and educational after school activities for children with disabilities, focusing on music, drama and movement in addition to games, team work and socialization. The objective is to foster creative development, confidence, self-expression, spontaneity and awareness in participants.
The RCD hosted its first event at the Richmond Legends Pub & Restaurant on July 29, 2011. The event, Pasta Night, was to raise fund for the upcoming RCD International Wheelchair Curling Bonspiel which will be held from November 2 to 5 this year at the Richmond Curling Club.
The night was enjoyable and very well attended. We had over 70 guests joining us, and everyone enjoyed the all-you-can-eat pasta and salad. The food was simple yet tasty; especially the salad received much compliments and attention. It was also nice to have the pasta keep coming; we believe most of the guests enjoyed 2 to 3 helpings at the pasta buffet.
We want to thank everyone who showed up to support us and bought the 50-50 tickets to raise fund for the Bonspiel. Also with special thanks to Mayor Malcolm Brodie and Mrs. Brodie from the City of Richmond, members of the Canadian Boccia Team led to the event by Paul Gauthier, Bessie and Bob from Richmond Kiwanis Club, Kim Kendrick from “Nurse Next Door”, Chris Wright and friends from Neil Squire Society and Ravinder for inviting friends from Steveston Residence to come.
We were also excited to see Shawn Logan, who since retired from the RCD Board has less frequented the Centre. It was a delight to see how well he looked. Finally thank you to members and supporters of the RCD, you help to make a huge difference to our community.
Congratulation to RCD Board Chair Vince Miele, member of the BC Team participated in the 2011 Cape Cod Summerspiel in Massachusetts USA; their team won the second prize of the wheelchair curling event from July 17 to 20, 2011. The BC Team is made up of skip Gary Cormack, who is also the Chairperson of the RCD 2011 5th Annual Wheelchair Curling Bonspiel which will be held from November 2 to 5, 2011 in Richmond, BC; Vince is second, Frank Labounty third and Alison Duddy throws the lead rocks. The BC Team faced teams from Quebec, Scotland, Russia, the United States and a US/Canada Team.
Vince, Gary, Frank and Alison – well done and we are proud of you!
Click here to view more details of the Summerspiel.
The Cape Cod Wheelchair Curling Summerspiel will be held from July 17 to 20, 2011. It is very special this year because our very own Vince Miele, RCD Board Chair, is going to compete there. Led by Team Leader Gary Cormack, their team will go to Cape Cod in Massachusetts, USA and make their international debut. We send them our best wishes and good luck at the competition.
Richmond Chinatown Lions Club donated to RCD Summer Camp
On June 11, RCD Board Chair Vince Miele and Executive Director Ella Huang attended the annual installation meeting and dinner of the Richmond Chinatown Lions Club. They also received from the Lions Club a donation of $1,000 for the RCD Summer Camp for children and youth with special needs.
Their valued financial contribution enables the RCD to offer an affordable summer camp to children who will learn new skills and enjoy summer time with peers; thereby they can return to school with much easier transition.
Their generosity does make a difference in the delivery of much-coveted services to people with disabilities and the community. The work being undertaken through the RCD is only possible because of caring people like them.
Thank you for the valued support.
On Monday, June 6th 2011, we were invited by the City of Richmond to visit one of the three tall ships that were anchored in Stevenston for a few days. Under a bright sky, a group of thirty four members of the RCD gathered at the entrance of the Garry Point Park where the tall ships were stationed.
We had the opportunity to go on board the “Lady Washington”, a 112 foot tall ship from Washington state, USA. The Lady Washington was the first ship to go through Cap Horne with an American flag on it. The crew took the time to show us around: we had the chance to see the pantry, the officer deck and to learn more about the ship itself.
It was an amazing day and everybody had a lot of fun!!
Click here for the gallery.
On June 4, 2011, more than 300 people gathered at the Ismaili Centre in Burnaby attending the Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award Presentation. The RCD is proud to have Jeremy Chan being one of the Silver Award Achievers who received the award from the Honourable Steven Point, Lieutenant Governor of BC. Jeremy joined the RCD Youth Group and took part in the Duke of Edinburgh Young Canadian Challenge. He has successfully attained the Bronze Award (2009) and Silver Award (2010).
Ella and Jeremy’s family attended this great event to celebrate Jeremy’s great achievement.
Congratulation Jeremy! Well Done!!
Click here to view the Duke of Edinburgh's Award program.
(Move the mouse on the photos to enlarge)
Our annual Volunteer Appreciation Party was hosted on the 17th of May. Over 25 volunteers showed up at RCD to celebrate the success of their hard work throughout the year. Everyone enjoyed the wonderful luncheon during this gathering while listening to live guitar music performed by one of our volunteers. After the presentation of the volunteer certificates, party games and socializing time followed to make this an unforgettable event.
Click here for the gallery.
A group of Korean Delegation, including social worker and representatives from Korean disability agencies, visited the RCD on April 4, 2011. We gave a presentation of the centre, and the Government services available for people with disabilities. They were enthusiastic with questions and we had a very fruitful discussion on the similarities and differences of our government system and policy.
In April 2011, the RCD Martial Arts Class students joined a competition at the Burnett High School, organized by the Sirota Alchymy. The group included Amy, Gary, Meera, Tony, Tylone, Shelton and Wilson. They all obtained medals and competed wholeheartedly. Congratulation to their hard work and achievement.
This year’s volunteer training was held on March 25th. This session was designed for the newer volunteers of RCD. The topics for this 2-hour training session included leadership, volunteerism, learning about different disability types, and sharing of experience.
The volunteers got a chance to meet one another during this session. Team building activities were introduced to promote effective teamwork and to boost their confidence in supporting people with disabilities. I look forward to work with each and every one of the volunteers of RCD. It is a very rewarding experience to see the development of each volunteer throughout the year.
Expedition Info for Participants
BNI (Business Networking International) Breakfast of Champions presented a cheque of $750 to RCD on December 16. Vince Miele, RCD Board Chair, received the donation from 
RiverRock Casino Resort gave a donation of $2,000 to RCD supporting their services for people with disabilities and their work in the community in promotion of accessibility and disability issues. RCD Board Chair Vince Miele with Board Secretary and Founder Frances Clark accepted the cheque on behalf of the Centre, from RiverRock General Manager Rick Duff, also Peter Goudron and Roland Monteiro.
Mr. John Yap, MLA of Richmond Steveston, presents to Vince Miele RCD Board Chair a 
Our annual Volunteer Appreciation Party was hosted on the 15th of June. Over 30 volunteers were able to join us at RCD to celebrate the success of their hard work throughout the year. Everyone was able to get a share of his or her snacks, drinks and laughter during this gathering. After the short speeches from our directors and the presentation of the volunteer certificates, we proceeded straight to our highlight of the day: The Wii Competition. There were many competitors, but only the best three could take home with them bragging rights and a Starbucks gift card. Congratulations to Kevin, Nana, and Jacqueline for being the RCD Wii Champions!
Knowledge is Key; and Peer Support Empowers!
Development”. More details will be announced shortly. 
Bob McHale, President of Richmond Kiwanis Club, presented a cheque of $2,450 on May 19, 2010 to Ella Huang, in support of the 2010 RCD Summer Camp for children and youth with special needs which is offered from July 2 to August 20. 
On May 12, around 30 attendees participated in 2 Info Sessions of Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) at Richmond Culture Centre delivered by the RCD. In addition, more RDSP Info Sessions have been arranged throughout the Lower Mainland.
On April 21, a group of RCD youth joined the Richmond in 3D Workshop on Diversity and Multiculturalism, hosted by the Richmond Intercultural Advisory committee. Over 25 youth attended the workshop which was facilitated by Richmond in 3D Group of 7 facilitators. 
RCD presented to Richmond City Council – Apr 12, 2010 
The RCD exhibited a display at the Richmond City Hall to showcase some wheelchair sports, in honour of the 2010 Vancouver Paralympics Games. The 4 banners showed different sports performed by athletes with special abilities, plus two banners about the 25th Anniversary of the RCD in 2010 and our services. We hoped to heighten the awareness of public and community members towards the ability of people with disabilities. We thanked the BC Wheelchair Sports Association supporting our display with their banners, and the City of Richmond for arranging the display venue. 
Nature/Bird Watching Club made a trip to O.W.L (Orphaned Wild life) Rehabilitation Society in Delta on Tuesday July 28. We left in vehicles from the RCD at noon and got back at 2:30 pm. During the visit, slide presentations, visual aids, and a close-up view of owls, eagles, hawks and falcons were shown by the education coordinators. 
Surprisingly, different species of owls sound differently. They might sound like dog, wolf or snake. For more information on our upcoming outdoor activities, please call Rich at 604.232.2404 or email: 
Member of Parliament Alice Wong, hosted a press conference to promote the Registered Disability Saving Plan (RDSP) and its matching grant and bond at the RCD on Thursday, July 23, 2009. Frances Clark, the Director of RCD, made an opening speech for Alice during the press conference.
The RCD Chinese Support Group 5th Annual Garage Sale was launched July 18, 2009. Lots of items were displayed on the tables outside the RCD for sale, such as toys, household items, electronics, books, clothing, stereo systems, shoes, handbags and other valuable collectibles. When people walked by and saw our garage sale signs, they surprisingly found that this garage sale was a hidden treasure for goodies. That included Honorable Alice Wong, Member of Parliament for Richmond and her husband, were attracted by the sign and dropped by to have a look. They paid careful attention to each aisle and finally brought a stereo system and a 
DVD. In the afternoon, here came another politician, Richmond City Councillor, Bill McNulty. They all enjoyed a good treasure-hunting time at RCD. Even though the sun was killing hot, we were all thrilled to collect over $3000 in the garage sale and the three pre-garage sales. Once again, thanks for our enthusiastic volunteers and supporters that made this event such a success. See you next year!
20 participants joined the RCD on July 10 for a newly introduced workshop - Top 10 Scams. The workshop was one of many popular presentations offered by the RCD under the Public Education Series. 
with some useful hints, like not to give out personal information on the telephone, not to use automatic banking machines which are not attached to the banks and so much more … to reduce risk of ID theft and other economic related scams. 
Summer is the time to enjoy sunshine and have fun. The annual summer picnic of RCD Chinese Support Group was launched on Saturday June 27, 2009. A group of 53 participants gathered at the RCD parking lot that morning and headed out to Stave Lake, Mission by school bus. It was a wonderful day for an outing as the weather was terrific with a breeze and sunshine. When we got there, the families started to set the tables. The picnic was a potluck, but literally it was a mini buffet with salad, finger food, chicken wings, pasta, fruit, BBQ pork, fish, fruit and dessert being served. We walked along the trail, played some games and visited BC Hydro Power House. By the time we left the Power House, it was about time to go home. Last but not least, we also had the chance to see the beautiful view of the Fraser Valley while getting on to the newly constructed Golden Ears Bridge on our way back. What a bonus!
from all volunteers, the hot dog and car wash funds were supplemented by a BC150 Volunteer Incentive Grant that will support the development and creation of the Peer Mentor Project. Not only did it raise funds and attention to the RCD, everyone who participated had fun and played a meaningful role.
RCD’s fundraising meat draw was a blast! The event was held at Pioneer’s Pub on Sunday May 3 from 2-4pm. During that two-hour event, there was a 50-50 draw. Many people came over to support us and brought home with some prime cut of meat for BBQ. We collected nearly $300 and all proceeds go to support persons with disabilities attending activities offered at the RCD.
RCD is one of the 40 venues in Richmond participating Doors Open Richmond. This event was organized by the City of Richmond in the weekend of May 2-3 from 10 am-4pm. We provided different activities for the visitors, like sing-a-long, 
marital arts demo, computer troubleshooting session, chess, table tennis and accessible lift demo. A group of 25 sea scouts who aged from 7-11 came over for a visit on Saturday. They were very curious about the adaptive technology at the CAP site and the accessible lift at the centre. What an interesting experience for the sea scouts and us! 
The 39th Provincial Election will take place on Tuesday May 12th 2009. In order to have comfortable and pleasant experience with the upcoming election, RCD organized an All Candidates Meeting on Monday April 
27th 2009 at Minoru Activity Centre from 6-9pm. The event was packed with around 100 concerned citizens. We raised a wide range of topics from economy, education, social services, aboriginal reserved land, environment, transportation and homelessness to the eight candidates from Richmond East, Richmond Centre Richmond Steveston riding. 
The Richmond School District accepted a cheque of $3,011.27 as a donation to inner-city schools whose students with special needs require wheelchair accessible transportation in order to actively participate in field trips.
There were over 30 volunteers who attended this year's volunteer appreciation party. Everyone had a wonderful time. Our board of directors presented award certificates to each and every one of our volunteers; thanking them for their efforts and commitment they've made in the community throughout 2008. A little bit of Magic Show by the RCD staff seemed to be the highlight of the day. It was a worthy Magic Show when a burst of applause was heard from the crowd!