July 3, 2025

Karis Connected Everybody Engages sessions have come to an end and we want to take a moment to share just how inspiring and impactful this experience has been for everyone involved. What began in early May as a journey of connection, dialogue, and co-design has truly exceeded our hopes—and it’s all thanks to everybody who participated. 

  • Over the past few weeks, we’ve hosted 10 in-person sessions across Ontario and Saskatchewan. From Ottawa to Saskatoon, we had over 500 participants joining the sessions including: people supported by Karis, family members, and Karis’ employees.   
  • The overwhelmingly positive feedback we received affirms that we are journeying together with shared purpose as we co-design Karis’ 3-year Strategic Plan—to shape the future of Karis, together. 
  • This is just the beginning. It was a wonderful team effort, and we saw just how much everybody appreciated participating in each of the sessions.  

What’s Next? 
We now continue to draft the 3-year Strategic Plan, diving deeper into the input, insights, stories, and ideas shared throughout the sessions to guide the future of Karis. We will be sharing back a detailed report with communities to reflect on what we’ve heard and learned over the past several months, and we will be seeking feedback on the draft plan in the coming months. Stay tuned for more updates on this! 

A Sincere Thank You 
A special thank you to everyone involved in making these sessions possible: 

  • Our Co-host and Self Advocates: Wayne Jones, Dzidra Halar, and Liz McDonough  (Toronto), Steven Welbourne, Patricia Morgan, and Ray Ellis (Ottawa), Lorie Downie, Aimee Sutton (Kingston), Sean Davis (Regina), Anne Chaput, Carolyn Engen, and Wren Peters (Saskatoon), Harold Shreve, and Joanna Sylvestre (Chatham), Kevin Deguere, Linda Lafontaine, and Shawn Duncan (Sudbury), Aimee Fleger, Genie Lupton, and Tammy Laskowski (Huntsville), Stephen Grundy (Peterborough), Trevor Hoy, and Dean Henderson (Oakville).
  • The team from Davis Pier for helping us co-facilitate the engagement sessions, and helping us embed co-design throughout this journey. 
  • And our leaders and teams for being present at every session, actively listening and engaging with each participant—demonstrating a true commitment to building our future together. 

Your voices are shaping a more inclusive, inspired, and connected future for Karis. 

Thank you everybody! 

Strategic Initiatives Team