As a mother, I will never give up on my child. As a mother of a child who has autism, I will never give up hope.
I look into his eyes and I see all the potential that he has to offer to this beautiful world and I just know that one day the world can see what I see.

Follow my blog as I share my life and my experiences as a person who loves someone with autism.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Celebrate Canada Day the best way… with Bubbles!

This year we’ll be celebrating Canada Day the best way… with bubbles!

Join us at either of these events where we will be blowing bubbles as we wish Canada a happy 147th birthday!

If you’re in Vancouver, join me and Bryce as we team up with Andrew the Crazy Canuck and Kyle the Canuck Piper of A&K Crazy Canucks Society and blow bubbles at Canada Day at Canada Place!

Canada Day at Canada Place

We’ll also be in the Canada Day at Canada Place parade with them! (Thank you so much, Andrew and Kyle!!)

… OR …

If you’re in Squamish, join us at the Squamish Canada Day Community Celebration where my mom and my sister will be selling bubble blowers and blowing bubbles!

Squamish Canada Day Community Celebration

We hope to see you at either event!

Happy birthday, Canada!

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Up To $90,000 Disability Savings Benefit Is Available To Canadians With Special Needs

This is a guest blog post written by Samuel Li, which discusses how a disabled Canadian could enhance their savings through the Registered Disability Savings Plan, RDSP.

Disability Savings Benefit Is Available To Canadians With Special Needs

Hi readers of BubblesMakeHimSmile.com, I hope you are all well. This is my very first guest post in this blog, and hopefully what I’m going to share will be helpful to you!

Whenever I sit down with clients who have family member with special needs, they often are worried whether there will be enough savings for the disabled dependant in the long run.

For example, “When I’m no longer able to provide support to my disabled children, without adequate savings, will they be able to afford the same treatments or medical services? Hire a qualified professional to assist their daily living activities? Or just maintain the same standard of living?”

From all the many conservations I had with these families, I could truly understand that people with disability and their loved ones could experience a different set of financial challenges throughout their lives.

The Government of Canada also realized these challenges, that’s why in 2008, they launched the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP). This is a very helpful program designed to enhance the long-term savings for the disabled persons. The RDSP makes it a lot easier to accumulate savings by providing assisted government funding and tax-deferred investment growth.

How Does It Really Work?

By having a RDSP account, the beneficiary may be entitled to disability savings benefits such as the Canada Disability Savings Grants (CDSGs) and Canada Disability Savings Grants (CDSBs).

The Canada Disability Savings Grants (CDSGs) is a matching grant where the government will deposit the funding into your RDSP account based on your family income and the amount of your contribution. The maximum lifetime benefit per beneficiary is up to $70,000. Although it varies from each individual case, many families that I’m working with did receive up to 300% of the matching grants on a portion of their contribution.

To provide even more assistance for low income families with special needs, there is the Canada Disability Savings Bonds (CDSBs). Unlike the matching grant, the disability savings bonds do not require any contribution. The government will examine solely on the family net income. If the income is not beyond the program’s limit, up to $1000/year will be deposited into the RDSP account.  The maximum lifetime benefit per beneficiary is up to $20,000.

For minor beneficiary, the family net income is that of his or her parents, while beneficiary over the age of majority, the family net income is that of the beneficiary and his or her spouse, if applicable.

Who Could Open a RDSP Account?

A Canadian resident with SIN, contributions to the RDSP can be made until the end of the year in which the beneficiary turns 59, and one must be eligible for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC).

Furthermore, the government grants and bonds will only be paid until December 31 of the year the beneficiary turns 49. The DTC is available to individuals who have mental or physical impairments that markedly restrict their ability to perform one or more of the basic activities of living (i.e., speaking, hearing or walking). The impairment must be expected to last a period of one or more years, and a physician must certify the extent of the disability. Individuals can apply to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for the DTC using form T2201.

About Samuel Li:
Samuel Li, Investment Fund AdvisorSamuel Li is an investment fund advisor and insurance consultant in Ontario, Canada. Since 2005, Samuel has started his financial advisory business with the intent to assist families and small business owners in making the right financial decisions. He is proud to be one of the few advisors who are truly specialized in the RDSP planning for families with special needs. He has great passion in sharing his insights and knowledge on investments, life insurance planning and health & dental coverage. He believes building assets and protecting the financial future is the core in financial planning.

Want to know more about planning for the RDSP? Feel free to connect with me!

Samuel Li,
Investment Fund Advisor | Investia Financial Services Inc.
Sales Manager & Financial Consultant | Excel Insurance Agency Inc.
Mobile: 647-294-0702
Email: Samuel@SamuelConsultant.com
Website: http//SamuelConsultant.com
80 Acadia Ave., Suite 205, Markham, Ontario. L3R9V1

Disclaimer:
This article is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific personalized advice including, without limitation, investment, financial, legal, accounting or tax advice. Please consult an appropriate professional regarding your particular circumstances. This article does not constitute an offer or solicitation in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is not authorized or to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation. References in this article to third party goods or services should not be regarded as an endorsement of these goods or services. This article is intended for Ontario, Canadian residents only and the information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The owner of this article is not liable for any inaccuracies in the information provided. Image courtesy of http://chanpipat/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Monday, June 16, 2014

“Bubbles make you famous, man!”

We made headlines! Well, sort of... We’re mentioned in The Province newspaper from Car Free Day Vancouver.

Car Free Day Vancouver The Province

“The all-ages crowd on Commercial drive brought bikes and scooters, rollerblades and roller skates, and enjoyed music, street performers and the bubble-blowing appeal of bubblesmakehimsmile.com.”

“Bubbles make you famous, man,” said Christina Forsyth as she fired off double-bubble guns to the delight of the younger set. “Thankfully, the rain we had around noon is over – it’s all good.”

Had to share. Thanks, sis, for blowing bubbles with me in the rain! You can read the full article here.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Covering Commercial Drive in Bubbles #DriveFest

Today we covered Commercial Drive in bubbles at Car Free Day Vancouver!

Car Free Day is a family-friendly, fun, and safe event with entertainment, activities, and an opportunity to engage with your local community, and of course, lots of bubbles! Car Free Vancouver’s Mission: Less Cars = More Community.

We were invited to blow bubbles and sell our bubble blowers and raise some autism awareness!

Special thanks to my mom and sister for coming out and helping me! We had a blast making Vancouver smile! Thank you, Klynt, for inviting us and we’ll see you next year with EVEN MORE bubbles!

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

P.S. A big thank you to everyone who came and played in our bubbles! We had a ton of fun! If you took pictures of our bubbles please feel free to share them on our Facebook page or tag us on Twitter! We’d love to see them!

Friday, June 13, 2014

Saddest. Day. Ever.

Today we said goodbye to Bryce’s Special Education Assistant (SEA), Ms. J as it was the last day of school (strike pending) and we are going to a new school next year. Ms. J has been with us for two incredibly supportive years and has been the best! We will truly miss her! We love you, Ms. J!

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Thank you, @PNE_Playland!

Anyone who knows Bryce knows he loves to draw, and more recently, loves to draw the Hellevator ride from Playland. I shared one of his drawings on Facebook, tagged Playland, and Playland loved it and sent us Playland PlayPasses! Here’s the result of our day at Playland with Bryce, me, and my sister!

Thank you so much, Playland, for all the memories! We had a blast! For more pictures, check out our Facebook page!

Playland is now open daily! Get your PlayPass and come join the fun!

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Car Free Day Vancouver 2014

Join us for Car Free Day Vancouver on Sunday, June 15th, 2014 (Father’s Day) as we take back the streets of Vancouver!

Car Free Day Vancouver logo

Car Free Day is a family-friendly, fun, and safe event with entertainment, activities, and an opportunity to engage with your local community. Car Free Vancouver’s Mission: Less Cars = More Community.

Car Free Day Vancouver Drive Fest

This years festival is spread out to four different parts of Vancouver:

  • Commercial Drive
    Where: Venables Street to North Grandview Highway/Central Valley Greenway Bike Lane
    When: Sunday, June 15th, 2014 from noon to 7pm
  • Kitsilano
    Where: Various block parties throughout Kitsilano
    When: Saturday, June 14th, 2014 and Sunday, June 15th, 2014
  • Main Street
    Where: Broadway to 30th Avenue
    When: Sunday, June 15th, 2014 from noon to 7pm
  • West End
    Where: Denman Street between Davie Street and Robson Street
    When: Sunday, June 15th, 2014 from noon to 6pm

Come join us at the Commercial Drive festival as we celebrate a day that’s all about the community! We’ll be blowing bubbles by the Kid Zone in front of Grandview Park! Their will be tons of fun for everyone!

Hope to see you there!

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Monday, June 2, 2014

Downtown Squamish Summer Nights

Hey Squamish!

Join my mom and sister every Friday night as they cover Cleveland Avenue in bubbles during Downtown Squamish Summer Nights!

Downtown Squamish Summer Nights

Cleveland Avenue will be transformed into a gathering place filled with food, music, family, and friends. Local food stalls will be set up offering a wide selection of tasty treats. Buskers & Street Entertainers will be stationed throughout the street. Family activities will be scattered along the street to engage the young and the young at heart. Come downtown to mingle with your neighbours and be part of the community that is what Squamish is all about.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya