The Big Rideau Lake Association (BRLA) is a non-profit organization with roots back to 1911. Located on the Big and Lower Rideau Lakes in Eastern Ontario, the Association is committed to long-term environmental protection and service to all who use the lake and share its resources. The Big Rideau Lake Association supports programs in the areas of environment, recreation, government affairs and lake safety.
When we began in 1953, for many people who had intellectual (or developmental) disabilities, community living was a dream. It was an objective yet to be realized. Until they finally closed in 2009, some still lived apart in Ontario government institutions. Others were physically in, but had little connection to the community around them - as children, they were in segregated classrooms or in schools far away from the neighborhood children who were their peers; as adults, they were often excluded from opportunities to join the workforce. At all ages, many faced physical and social barriers that kept them from participating in the social and economic world around them.
Be Prepared The County of Lennox & Addington is a caring and friendly organization, dedicated to working for the benefit of all of the citizens of the county and to representing the best interests of the county's local municipalities, in a fiscally responsible and accountable manner.
We honestly just started out trying to do something we enjoyed doing. We thought we could maybe make some things that we liked and see if other people would like them too. Our name, Free, came from a simple place; we like being clever, we wanted a name that people wouldn't forget, but we also wanted it to mean something, a chance for more.