The Garth Homer Foundation
The Garth Homer Foundation provides funds to the Society to support people with developmental and other disabilities to make a life, a home, and a place in the world.
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At the Garth Homer Society (GHS) the ancient practice of yoga is being combined with mindfulness themes in a Winnie the Pooh story by AA Milne to create greater connection between instructor Isabelle Desmarais and her students. “I use [the text] as a deep nugget to work with the different characters throughout practice,” explains Isabelle who guides up to eight GHS clients with developmental disabilities, once a week, to be in the moment while moving their bodies. “It’s about finding different ways to connect, so I use Pooh and his love of honey as a metaphor for finding the sweetness in one’s practice.” Desmarais’ love of yoga and its transformative powers started at age 15 and only keeps growing through working with a niche of clients who don’t have the same kind of access to yoga that others do. She’s been guiding GHS clients through their downward dog, child’s pose and forward folds since March, in a hybrid chair and mat format, and teaches at other non-profits like the Victoria Brain Injury Society and Our Place as well. Her own neurodivergence is what motivates her to offer a softness in practice not usually offered at more traditional yoga studios. Inviting students to communicate their needs enables the class to become a curated experience rather than one that moves through a set routine. “I like to stop or pause to ask how a pose felt and to encourage the class to let their bodies, and what feels right, lead the way,” explains Desmarais. As an example, a recent class focused on rocking, a movement Desmarais describes as soothing for all bodies but an especially natural motion for students with down syndrome or autism. She also offers techniques that ground the parasympathetic – or rest and digest- parts of the body. It’s a strategy that’s particularly effective for her Garth Homer yoga enthusiasts who she describes as the most diverse groups she has ever taught in terms of personalities and needs. “It's so beautifully challenging and very humbling as a teacher. I learn so much more, I think, from the support workers as well, about how to connect with these beautiful people,” Desmarais explains. Communication is also key as some students are non-verbal. Questions aimed at getting a yes or no answer, pointing to body parts and meeting each individual where they’re at help guide every practice. The power of choice also grounds her approach. “Not everyone has the luxury of choice in their day-to-day life and so in this space, they have the opportunity to choose what feels good”. It’s an approach that has led to a dance party at the end of class rather than the traditional shavasana that typically concludes practice. “Maintaining stillness can be challenging for the group but I’m already getting great feedback from caregivers who say yoga has helped with the ability to self-calm and sit still,” adding the studio is a place where students can practice and incrementally build up their ability to be in stillness. Desmarais is quick to point out however that working with GHS clients isn’t just about giving the power, benefits and healing properties of yoga to her students. She emphasizes that she receives much more in return commending everyone’s unapologetic way of showing up to each class. “It’s all pure honesty in that room, there are no masks or competition. Everyone is showing up as authentically themselves and I think that’s the true power of yoga.”

If you’re looking to soak up the sounds of summer, tickle the ivories, enjoy some art or all three at the same time then Oak Bay is the place to be from July through early September this year. It’s where you’ll find Garth Homer’s painted piano, and ArtWorks’ artists first ever entry in the municipality’s Arts Alive program. The popular Arts Alive pianos are painted by local artists and located in select outdoor locations around Oak Bay for the public to play from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily. Special pop-up performances by pianists are also in the planning stages. Times and locations will be posted at: Oakbay.ca/events “This year we have three new pianos being featured,” explains Andrea Pass, Oak Bay’s arts and culture programmer, who jumped at the opportunity to include Garth Homer artists in the program which began in 2014. “They truly embody a collective of community artists which is true to former Oak Bay Arts Laureate Barbara Adam’s (who started Arts Alive) vision of making Oak Bay a destination for arts and culture.” For the 17 Garth Homer artists, work on the piano began in April, when it was professionally moved into the back of the ArtWorks Government Street studio. Examining the piano’s form, playing the keys, exploring the inner workings, and just engaging with its physical presence in the studio was the first step in the creative process according to ArtWork’s studio and gallery coordinator Alison Duerden. Finding the date of 1896 stamped inside the piano then launched the research, brainstorming and collaboration among artists that determined the style in which the piano is being painted. “Art nouveau was the big movement of that time and matched a lot of what our clients voiced in terms of their ideas for the piano. A lot of their visions embraced natural elements, so botanicals and animals. It's a very flowy movement with natural lines and hardly any straight ones,” explains Duerden. The piano’s front panel is dominated by a large flower inspired by William Morris, a British textile designer who used flowers as his source of inspiration for wallpaper and tapestries. Surrounding that centrepiece is an owl, birds in flight, a cat, peacock, imaginary animals and sunflowers. “This is the first truly collaborative work our artists have done,” enthuses Duerden. “When you look at the piece, you’ll see 17 distinct approaches and brushstrokes united by a common art nouveau style and palette of dark green and different hues of turquoise.” Duerden adds there’s another special feature of the Garth Homer piano that’s as unique as the artists who have spent upwards of 500 hours on the project. “Each artist has hidden a little ‘easter egg’ surprise somewhere in their design that speaks to who they are as a person,” teases Duerden. “If you find a tiny cupcake hiding somewhere discreet then you’ll know for sure it’s our piano.” Taking great pride and contributing something, that is lasting or enduring to the neighbourhood is what she says has driven the artists from day one. “It represents more than just a painted piano. I think it serves as a reflection of the community and the individuals, like our artists, who make it unique,” says Duerden.

It’s high school graduation season and for four Oak Bay High grads their transition to adulthood is being helped, and shaped, by a one-of-a-kind job readiness and work experience program called Future Forge. Specially designed for graduating students with diverse abilities, it provides eight weeks of instruction with Garth Homer Society’s Lifestreams’ ( Lifestreams Learning ) vocational counsellors to build participant’s skills in areas like resume building, job search strategies, interview practice and professional letter writing. Helping the students recognize their individual strengths, and teaching them about worker’s rights, responsibilities and workplace safety, are also covered to help with career exploration. And while career planning in high school isn’t a new concept, what is different about Future Forge is its emphasis on hands-on training in the community and using Garth Homer’s established network of employers to help graduates find jobs. “The idea is to empower individuals for independence,” explains Adrian Benedek. “The goal is to shift thinking from what now? to I can contribute to my own support ”. Gaining some independence post high school is particularly important for young people with diverse abilities who receive funding supports through the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) until they turn nineteen. When adult support services are needed, there is a new application process, and the transition is not always a smooth one. “It can sometimes take a person a few years to access funding, and unfortunately not everyone qualifies,” he says. It's why Future Forge targets students while still in school. “We can make a huge difference for young people by helping them find purpose and a means to contributing to their independence rather than waiting until adult identities have been shaped,” explains Benedek. Oak Bay High’s student inclusion department head Tessa Kubicek agrees, “The program is an incredible opportunity to bridge the transition from high school to adulthood by immersing students in their local community as they build towards their employment aspirations.” The Future Forge program is funded by GHS and donors ( Garth Homer Foundation & Garth Homer Society | Garth Homer Foundation ) and community partners with a contribution of $1,000 from Oak Bay High. What started as a pilot in 2024 has now produced two semesters of successful participants. Jamie Turner is one of them. After graduation he hopes to work in the food service industry and has already honed his kitchen prep skills at a Saanichton area restaurant. Work placements arranged by Future Forge gave him further exposure to customer service and commercial baking through the Royal BC Museum, 4-Cats Art Studio and Save On Foods.