We are excited to announce that the prizes for our event are going out soon! 🎁🎉

We want to thank everyone who supported us in making this event a success, especially Ability First Ottawa, a non-profit organization that empowers people with disabilities to live fulfilling lives. They generously offered raffle prizes for attendees, such as gift cards, books, and more.

About Ability First Ottawa

Ability First Ottawa (AFO) is a charity organization that provides comprehensive services and support to individuals with development and non-developmental disabilities and their families. Their mission is to assist persons with disabilities, and their families, reach their social, educational and employment goals, by offering resource infrastructure and skills development in coordination with their supporting community. Some of the programs they offer include:

• Housing Assistance: AFO assists vulnerable members of our community in obtaining safe, market-rental housing.
• Life Skills and Training: AFO provides participants with the opportunity to choose various activities to do or attend, such as cooking, arts and crafts, gardening, sports, etc.
• Parent Support: AFO offers support groups, workshops, and resources for parents of children with disabilities.
• Summer Camp: AFO organizes a yearly summer camp that sells out every year, where participants can enjoy outdoor activities, games, and socializing.

Ability First Ottawa was founded by Christina Ranieri, who has a long history of involvement within the people with disabilities community. She has overcome many challenges herself, as she was diagnosed with 13 different disabilities as a child. She has earned several degrees and awards in the field of social work and sociology. She started the charity as a summer camp under a different name, and then expanded it to its current form.

Getting Ready for the Next one

We are looking for sponsors, volunteers, presenters and talent for our next Pride event! If you have connections to your local pride organizations and want them to offer a virtual option, let them know about our project and let’s work together to get their support! You can also donate below to help us make the next one even more accessible!