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Jean Lauder
Jean Lauder made a significant originating contribution to the creation of services in Toronto for adults with cerebral palsy. Jean Lauder was a young person with cerebral palsy in the 1930’s when she was at high school at the Wellesley Orthopaedic School. Through discussions with her teacher, she began to think of alternatives to living at home with her parents and came up with the idea of a residential workshop.
Into the 1940's, Jean and her family further recognized the imperative of developing a community alternative to her situation of living at home. In 1948, through the efforts of family, friends and mentors, the Cerebral Palsy Adult Association was created. This group, under the leadership of Muriel Heyland and members of the Alpha Gamma Delta Fraternity, decided to start work on the workshop and set up the Inter Fraternity Cerebral Palsy Association Workshop, now known as Corbrook Workshop.
By 1956, now that the workshop was running, these two groups and the Cerebral Palsy Parents Council formed the Auxiliary of the CP Adult Association to work on developing a residence for adults with CP. Jean Lauder, Christine and Marie Lauder, Jean's sisters, and Muriel Heyland led the group, which solicited help from other organizations including CNIB, Canadian Red Cross, a local Kiwanis Club, the Polio Foundation, Paraplegic Association, and Ontario Society of Crippled Children.
In 1957 they opened 718 Kingston Road. Through the support of live-in staff and many volunteers, these women attended church, attend workshop for modest pay, did household duties and enjoyed their garden.
Jean continued to contribute and have an active role in the development of Bellwoods Park House at 300 Shaw Street including membership on the residents’ council over many years. She always had good ideas. She was a great writer and enjoyed writing throughout her life. She has written a detailed history from the beginning up to 1983, the History of Bellwoods Park House, which we have used as the basis for this story. Jean lived at 718 Kingston Road from 1956 to 1967, when she moved to Bellwoods Park House at 300 Shaw Street until her death in 1998. We greatly appreciates Jean’s courage, initiative and perseverance and the family’s leadership and support over the years. It is a truly amazing feat to have started the first residence for adults with physical disabilities in Ontario and, to our best knowledge, in North America.
Muriel Heyland
Muriel Heyland first become involved with the group in 1948 through volunteer activity of the Alpha Gamma Delta fraternity, upon the advice of someone at the Ontario Society for Crippled Children at the time. She initiated monthly social meetings, thus beginning a twenty year association of young adults with cerebral palsy and fraternity members, in which they all became friends. “Mike” as Muriel was known, quickly earned the trust and appreciation of this group. Jean says that Mike was a “dynamo” and the “spark” in terms of “instigating things”.
When the Cerebral Palsy Adult Association was about a year old, she phoned Jean to say that the Alpha Gamma Delta Fraternity would like to do more for the group. This is when they started to talk about the possibility of a residential sheltered workshop. Muriel solicited members of her own fraternity as well as from two other University of Toronto fraternities to form the Inter Fraternity Cerebral Palsy Association Workshop. As previously mentioned, this is the group that started Corbrook, Workshop in 1950.
In 1956, three members of the Cerebral Palsy Adult Association met with Muriel to discuss developing a residence for CP. Through Mrs. Heyland's leadership, members of three CP associations formed the Auxiliary of the Adult CP Association, which initiated the incorporation of the Adult Cerebral Palsy Institute of Metropolitan Toronto (ACPI) in August 1957. The first Board searched for a year and a half for a property and finally found the house at 718 Kingston Road, which opened in 1959. “Mike” further helped by bringing on more volunteers such as Kiwanis Ladies Auxiliary and Scarborough Horticultural Society to provide social activity for the first six residents of the house.
Muriel Heyland was a Board member of ACPI from 1957 until 1964. She was later named an Alpha Gamma Delta Distinguished Citizen (Outstanding Leadership in Altruistic Service) in 1965.
Bruce Heyland, Muriel’s son, became involved in Bellwoods in 1978 when he joined the Board. He continued until he became Chair from 1982-84, completing six years on the Board.. Bruce provided important leadership through the renewal and revitalization period when 300 Shaw Street was renovated from sixty-one rooms to thirty-two apartments in 1983. His strong leadership was a key factor in ensuring the continued viability of the organization as it went through this stage of development.
We greatly appreciate Muriel Heyland's leadership, which was the key to making the first pilot project on Kingston Road a reality. Bellwoods also recognizes Bruce Heyland's contribution to moving Bellwoods forward during what must have been a difficult time.
John and Mary Yaremko
John Yaremko is Bellwoods’ Honourary Chairman, a title he has held since 1967. His wife, Mary Yaremko, died in 2003.
Mr. Yaremko was MPP for Trinity Spadina in 1963 when the Board started looking for a new property to relocate 718 Kingston Road. When he first met Jean, he marveled at her forward thinking, her drive and perseverance as she was dealing on a daily basis with a significant physical disability as well as difficulty in expressing herself verbally. He was instrumental in helping the organization find the current property at 300 Shaw Street, which was provided by the City of Toronto.
In 1966, Mr. Yaremko became Minister of Social and Family Services and continued his interest in Bellwoods’ clients and the organization’s activities. He made sure he was at 300 Shaw Street to greet the six women moving in from Kingston Road in 1967. He and his wife, Mary, attended Annual General Meetings for over twenty-five years and he has continued to attend himself right up until this year. He always speaks very highly of the strides that adults with disabilities have made throughout this time. He and his wife have also provided Valentine's chocolates for clients each February and brought chocolates at Christmastime for clients each year for many years.
He has also enjoyed our annual BBQ almost every year. Over the years, he has gotten to know many clients and has expressed a personal interest in them.
Mr. Yaremko has also made financial donations many times over the years and has kept in close touch with us regarding 1082 Dundas Street West project. Mr. Yaremko has provided Bellwoods with his longstanding interest and continuing support, always with a view to enhancing the lives of persons with physical disabilities who live in the community. We greatly appreciate the contribution he has made though his continuing involvement and interest in our activities and new projects.
 
Bellwoods Centres for Community Living Inc., 789 Don Mills Rd., Suite 701, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M3C 1T5
Bellwoods Centres is registered Canadian charity | 
