Community Living time capsule captures 60 years of memories

By Mark Ribble

ESSEX COUNTY — Over the 60 years that Community Living Essex County (CLEC) has been operating, the name of the agency has changed three times to better reflect what it is they do.

During that 60 years, they’ve managed to positively affect the lives of thousands of clients and families across Essex County.

From humble beginnings in 1961, the organization has come a long way and on Wednesday, August 18, were able to put together a time capsule which captured the essence of the agency over those 60 years.

The time capsule was buried at the agency’s location on Talbot Street in Essex with a crowd of about 30 people on hand to witness the feat.

President of the CLEC Board of Directors, Sue Desjarlais, pointed out that it’s more than a celebration of the past.

Derek Roy and Amanda Mastronardi lower the time capsule into the ground during the ceremony.

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“We’re celebrating 60 years,” she said. “But also for our children, future employees, volunteers and the people we serve into the future.”

Desjarlais said that in 40 years when CLEC turns 100, many of those in attendance won’t be around, but those that are will be witness to the opening of the time capsule.

“We are inspiring a whole new generation,” she said.

The organization supports over 650 people of all ages with an intellectual disability and those supports include supported living, community participation, employment support, family support and special services at home.

The majority of their funding comes from the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services and the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, although they get additional funding through donations and a variety of fundraisers.

Those fundraisers include the annual Jingle Bell Run, the Ruthven Apple Festival, the annual golf tournament and this year, their 60 for 60 raffle which is running currently.

Amanda Mastronardi and Ray Renaud, left, shovel the dirt in along with Sue Dejarlais and Karen Bolger, right.

Sun photo

One of the organizations clients, Ray Renaud, who is involved in the New Day Leaders of Today program, also spoke and thanked the agency for its work over the years.

Karen Bolger, Executive Director of CLEC, took the podium to explain the kind of things that were going into the capsule, such as old dinner-dance tickets, flyers, lapel pins, certificates, medals, ribbons and even a candle. Also included were items from each of the four areas of the county that CLEC serves. The Leamington-area items were beach glass collected on the shores of Lake Erie.

“Each community we serve is represented with something,” said Bolger.

With that, the capsule was loaded up by CLEC’s Amanda Mastronardi and Derek Roy and lowered into the four-foot-by-four-foot hole, before Desjarlais, Mastronardi, Bolger and Renaud converged with shovels to ceremoniously begin the burial process.