Summer Internship Reflections

The summer of 2016 was a memorable one. The 2016 Rio Olympic Games (where the Canadians won 22 medals) have finally come to an end, Kevin Durant shocked the world in his decision to sign with the Golden State Warriors, Donald Trump was selected as the Republican candidate for the 2016 American presidential election, and most notably Jaxson Creasey (Yours truly) completed his first ever job. Yes, this glorious position was, indeed, my first ever position of employment. Can you tell? Don’t answer that. In this post I will be discussing how this remarkable experience came to fruition and exactly what I did in my three months with bridges.
To begin, I’m sure many of you are wondering how I actually got involved with bridges. Well, as I may have mentioned once or twice (I promise, I hate bragging and I apologize if it sounds like I’m doing just that) in my previous posts, I am one of twenty recipients of the 2015 TD Scholarship for Community Leadership. As part of the award, TD offers their recipients four summer work terms with the bank – the first as a bank teller. However, due to my limitations I was unable to participate in a job at the branch where I felt I could contribute in a meaningful and impactful way. The bank did offer me the alternative of working as a member of the “lobby leadership” department at one of my local branches, but I felt that that position did not present a good fit. So, they most generously offered me the opportunity to work for a nonprofit of my choice. To be honest, at that time I was unaware of any nonprofits in my area that I felt I could make a difference for. But, luckily I thought of just the place that would suit my talents… So, immediately contacted my soon to be boss, Nate Schwartz at bridges to the future. Since then, I have worked for Bridges as their summer intern.

Another question I’m sure that you’re probably asking yourself is, what exactly did I do there? Well, to give you a brief outline of some of my responsibilities, I was tasked with the duties of posting a series of blogs (one of which you’re reading right now) offering my honest perspective on various issues that people disabilities often face. Additionally, I was in charge of the social media pages and their outputs (motivational Monday, tic Tuesday, wellness Wednesday etc.). In doing this, my goal was to reach a younger demographic that could benefit from the information that bridges has to give. Finally, with the help of Nate, Sarah and Shailynn I produced a series of four webinars advising individuals with disabilities who are considering going to postsecondary on some of the issues they might face in first year (be sure to check them out in the link below).

Overall, this experience has undoubtedly provided a positive impact for me in my future. I’ve never been given the opportunity to work and for this new knowledge I’ve gained, I am obviously extremely grateful. Thank you TD, Muscular Dystrophy Canada, Bridges to the Future, and last but certainly not least, thank you Nate Schwartz.
For the final time (sort of) stay classy folks,
Jaxson
PS do not worry. There will be many more blog posts to come over the course of this year – enjoy.

What's Next: High School to Post Secondary Transition Series.

Check out this four part webinar series on transitioning from high school to post secondary school. There is a lot to plan for but let us help you break it down and ensure you have the best experience you can. Post secondary school is an incredibly fun time, best of luck and enjoy the vdieos!

Webinar 1
Entering the final year of high school? Interested in going to University? Then this is the video for you! In this webinar, we will give you some advice about things you should do during your grade 12 due to make the transition from the University to high school run much smoother.
Your grade 12 year

Webinar 2
The summer between the final year of high school and 1st year university can be a stressful time. In this video we will share with you some of our ideas on how to make the most of those short 3 months so that you can enjoy them properly without any anxieties.
Grade 12 summer prep

Webinar 3
Wondering what your 1st year of university will be like? This video is a cash course guide on what to expect, as well as some advice on the necessary steps to make the year much easier and the transition seamless.
What to expect your first year

Webinar 4
In this video Bridges to the Future intern, Jaxson Creasey, will share with you his experiences from his 1st year of post-secondary so that you can get a better idea of what to expect.
Reflecting on first year

Let us know what you think! Leave your comments below or on the Youtube link after you check it out! 

Fundraising Fueled by Passion.

Madeline (Maddy) and Emily are two students (ages 15 and 13 respectively) from Frances Kelsey Secondary School in Cobble Hill, British Columbia, a small town just outside of Victoria. Why am I telling you this? Well, these two teenage girls share a passion and interest that most children their age rarely acknowledge, nevermind invest their valuable time into – that is, a passion for raising funds and awareness towards the neuromuscular disorder Muscular Dystrophy.

Their interest in spreading the word for this degenerative condition sparked when they recognized how little people actually knew about MD., The two girls were astonished how often it was confused with MS (Multiple Sclerosis). Therefore, they brought forth the idea to organize a bake sale at their school. In it, they enlisted the help of their friends and classmates to help them achieve their goal. Maddy and Emily also came up with the brilliant idea of asking their family and friends for a small donation towards their important cause. In the process, they raised over $2000 which happened to be the highest amount raised by an individual at the 2016 Victoria, BC Walk for Muscular Dystrophy and was all donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Canada. In addition to their generous donation, the two girls spread a considerable amount awareness for the cause, a feat that is just important as the money itself. Already filled with an overwhelming sense of achievement, Emily had also been chosen and honoured as the ambassador of the event

Although their fundraiser was a massive success, it was not without its share of “hiccups” as evident in one very amusing story about one of the challenges they overcame to fulfill their final goal. It all began when the school secretary was writing the donation cheque the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Canada. Rather than writing the funds out to MDC (as they were instructed to), the secretary and school administrators instead wrote the money out to MS, despite Maddy and Emily’s clear objective and overall message. However, as I am sure you can probably guess based on their positive tenacity and dedication to their cause, the two immediately noticed the error and had it corrected before it was too late.

While their fundraising campaign is finished (for now) and they are focusing on their transition into a new grade, Maddy and Emily aren’t done giving yet. They are already in the planning stages of next year’s fundraising endeavor where they plan to organize at least one bake sale throughout their school year. They even offered this piece of advice to anyone who feels compelled to give back to an organization they are passionate about by saying “If you're our age, start with something small, like a bake sale at school. If it was a hit, try it again, or a few times throughout the school year. Raise as much awareness as possible, it will help others understand what you're raising money for and will lead to more donations” and “don’t wait until the last minute to plan your event, it takes a fair amount of time to organize fundraiser”.

Overall, these two young girls have a bright future and I am very proud to share their story and bring attention to their accomplishments.

Stay classy people,

Jaxson

Your New Bridges Summer Intern!

Let me just start off by saying, I love talking about myself. So, in an attempt not to bore you to death, I am going to try and keep this as short and as to the point as possible…

My name is Jaxson Creasey. I am 19 years old, about to enter my second year at the University of Victoria and I am the biggest sports fanatic you will ever meet in your entire life. Oh, and as I am sure you will notice throughout the series of blogs I will be posting, I have been told that I have a cutting, borderline over-the-top, sarcastic, ridiculously dry sense of humour. Sounds like your typical 19-year-old boy right? Not exactly. At age 2 I was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) – a rare and extremely degenerative neuromuscular disorder. As a result, I am in a wheelchair. Growing up people have reacted to my “situation” differently. Some respond with sympathy or pity (if you ever meet me, please do not do this), others think that I am mentally challenged (this I just find amusing). However, once many individuals have gotten to know me, they realize that I am literally the most “normal” 19-year-old boy they have ever met (that is, despite the 350 pound set of metal limbs I rely on to move around). As a result, this is where I have developed my “philosophy” on life with a disability. While I am in a wheelchair and require the assistance of my friends, family and support workers to help me with all aspects of my daily life (yes, including wiping my butt!), I am not different, nor do I want to be viewed differently than anyone else my age. So, at risk of sounding cliché, my philosophy is as follows: adapt circumstances, not expectations. In other words, do not ask for people to change their expectations of what you can accomplish, just ask them bend the rules so you can achieve the final outcome in your own unique way. Sound like something you might expect to find in a fortune cookie? Good. To be honest, if a philosophy isn’t cliché, it is not legit. And that is something I pride myself on being – honest.

The purpose of this blog (I’m hoping) will be for me to provide answers/ideas/opinions/perspective on questions of any topic. (E.g., navigating CSIL, University, high school, ANYTHING). That you, my readers will email me (see email below). In your email, I will ask you (though not required, just preferred as it makes my job easier) to disclose your diagnosis, name or pseudonym and age. Or if a friend or family member of a youth with a disability email’s me, the youth diagnosis and your relationship to them as well as, your name. In doing so, I will respond as soon as possible (on this blog) with my honest, truthful and helpful (once again, hopefully) opinion. Please note that on extremely rare occasions my borderline sense of humour has offended some people. So, if I offend you in one of my posts, I am extremely, extremely sorry. Let me know in an email if this is the case and we can discuss it further. I am a caring, accepting and compassionate person and it is never my intention to hurt anyone’s feelings.

Stay classy people,

Jaxson Creasey (youth intern at Bridges to the Future)

Jaxson.creasey@muscle.ca

Part Three: Let's Get Serious About CSIL-What is CSIL

Our third webinar is happening live tonight at 6PM PST. Watch live here or click on video to go to Youtube and comment live!

We will cover:

So CSIL is a good fit for you. How do you find success on CSIL? We will talk about what you need to do to have success on the program and in your quest to live independently.

Click here to watch live!

Part Two: Let's Get Serious About CSIL-What is CSIL

Join us tonight at 6 PM PST for the second of our three webinars around moving out. Tonight we will cover. Choices for Support in Independent Living or CSIL, what is it? How does it work? How do you take advantage of it and is it right for you? These are all questions we will talk about during this session.

Click here to watch!

Part Two:Let's Get Serious About CSIL-What is CSIL?

Just us for our second webinar live tonight at 6 PM.

What will we talk about?

Choices for Support in Independent Living. What is it? How does it work? Is it right for you? These are all questions we will talk about during this session.

Click here to watch live!