Community Living benefits from apple festival

by Mandy Matthews

The Ruthven Apple Festival has been supporting Community Living for 34 years with its two-day event filled with attractions and vendors.

Community Living is an organization that works to support people who have an intellectual disability. The Essex district started in 1961 and provided a room in a psychological institution where children with developmental disabilities could be sheltered from the stresses of everyday life and the judgment of society. Since then, things have changed.

Manager of community relations and resource development for the Community Living of Essex, Tony DeSantis said the government mandated that all institutions be shut down in Ontario and people be brought back into the community.

In 2008 there were three institutions still being operated by the government. South of Chatham in Blenheim stood the Southwestern Regional Centre, housing nearly 950 people averaging at the age of 51. Most had lived there for almost 40 years. In April, the government invested $276 million to move nearly 1,000 people into new homes.

There are now Community Living organizations in Windsor, Essex and Chatham-Kent. These organizations are funded by the government as well as occasional fundraisers.

“That is what we strive for, not every parent wanted their son or daughter in an institution,” said DeSantis. “So, we wanted to make sure we provided support.”

DeSantis said it has been more challenging over the years to raise money because more people are fundraising for other causes.

“We have to fundraise in order to cover the areas that are not covered by the province,” said DeSantis.

In 1980 Community Living approached a small group called the Oddfellows who hosted the first Apple Festival in Ruthven. The event raised $3,000 and 5,000 people attended. The money raised was earmarked for Community Living to repair or replace vehicles which are used to transport people they support.

Thirty-four years later, the Apple Festival continues to provide local support to Essex’s Community Living branch. This year kicked off with the traditional Ruthven Oddfellows/Rebekahs and Friends breakfast followed by the Apple Festival parade which led into the grounds at Colasanti’s Tropical Gardens. The festival cost $1,500 to produce and despite the drizzle on Sunday, 15,000 to 20,000 people attended. The weekend included musical entertainment, rides and games, a car show, the farmers market and met full capacity with 122 craft and food vendors.

While winning a spot in the top 100 festivals in Ontario three years in a row, the festival has raised $725,000 for Community Living. Still unsure about the profit this year, DeSantis said they were aiming for last year’s $40,000 or better.

Emily Gillard, 22, has attended the Apple Festival four times since she was a child.

“I remembered all the food the most and that pretty much brought me back,” said Gillard. “I browsed everywhere and went to see the animals too.”

Last year, the local apple crop could not produce enough apples to support the two-day event due to poor weather conditions.

George Whaley & Dons have been donating the same amount of apples for several years and they said they have no difficulty producing the same donation year after year.

DeSantis said the farmers made up for what they did not provide last year. He said there were about six bins of 500 apples donated by local farmers.

“We ended up with tons of stuff, it was really overwhelming,” said DeSantis. “It’s a big boom to the local economy as well as Community Living.”

Left over produce from the event was donated to the food bank.

“I can imagine as a result it is very important for the community to support the festival, so I can see it continuing forever. I can’t imagine it stopping,” said DeSantis.