Village LMC

Village Times goes City Wide

By Diane | Published: May 30, 2009

Did you receive the June issue of Mississauga Village Times? A special spring compilation of Streetsville, Clarkson and Port Credit editions of The Village Times all rolled into one city wide issue. Village Times Publisher, Toby Gardiner of RJ Entertainment has produced and delivered a great, informative community publication.

Spotlighting on three of the City’s twelve communities, the paper is a pleasant, spring reminder of all the wonderful shops and services tucked away in these beautiful and friendly villages.

Included in this Spring Edition is a Mississauga’s Festival’s pullout, showcasing many of the award winning community festivals and events that contribute to the vibrancy of this city. There is much to see and do within this great city and as an advocate for Mississauga events and tourism, I applaud and greatly appreciate Toby for his promotional efforts. Reaching the over 700,000 residents can prove to be a challenge when working with a limited budget, so if you didn’t receive your copy, stop by any BIA office, City Recreational Facility or Library to pick up your copy. You’ll be glad you did.

As I’m always on the lookout for event postings, here’s a list to save you some time.

The City of Mississauga’s website http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/residents/eventscalendar

Mississauga Tourism http://www.mississaugatourism.ca/Mississauga_Tourism_112.aspx

http://www.mississauga.com/

http://www.mississauga.worldweb.com/Events/AllEvents/

http://www.mississaugakiosk.com/mississauga-events/

The two links below contain Mississauga Festival information and Southern Ontario events.

Festivals and Events Ontario

Toronto Tourism

Congratulations Toby for producing a great piece.

Posted in Fresh, Frontpage, Life, Thoughts | Leave a comment

Port Credit, some spring happenings.

By Diane | Published: May 7, 2009

If you are feeling bored, alone or looking for something to do, then you’re probably not living in Port Credit or Mississauga for that matter.

Someone once asked, “If I was single, looking for a partner, what would you suggest?” For me, the answer is really quite simple, volunteer and if you live in Port Credit, the choice is yours. When I relocated to Mississauga in 2003, that’s what I did and the rest, as they say, is history.

Thankfully, it’s May and the blossoms are out. Soon it will be Mother’s Day and if you live anywhere south of City Centre, chances are, you’ll run (there’s that pun again) into the thousands of participants for the Mississauga Marathon, May 9^th & 10th. Now 5 years young, this event has become one of the fastest growing events in North America. Probably lots of volunteer positions available and even if there isn’t, venture out onto the race route and cheer on the runners. If you feel that is a rather lame thing to do, I dare you to try it for awhile. Count how many acknowledge your presence and even say thank you. For those who dare to take on the challenge, a little encouragement goes a very long way. Check the website for the race route, especially if you plan to travel that day and/or the volunteer opportunities. www.mississaugamarathon.com.

Technically, not Port Credit but it’s nice to support our neighbours. Carassauga, Mississauga’s Festival of Cultures, May 22^nd, 23^rd & 24^th. Over 40 countries featured throughout the many cultural facilities in Mississauga. When you purchase your $10 Carassauga Passport, Mississauga Transit is free. A cultural pub crawl of sorts. Their website: www.carassauga.com.

Sunday, May 24^th, there is Canoe the Credit. Not familiar with this event but wow, paddling in the Credit, enjoying nature and supporting the Conservation Youth Corp, what a wonderful way to spend a Sunday, don’t you think? Something about a Landing Party at the Mississauga Canoe Club. Best check the website for details, www.creditvalleyca.ca/foundation/canoethecredit.

Sunday, May 24^th is a very busy day here in Port Credit. “Bike for Betty” sets out from Memorial Park and runs along the Lakeshore Trail. This has become a major event in honour of Trillium’s Betty Wallace Women’s Health Centre. Plenty of areas to participate in. www.bike4betty.com.

One of my favourites, “Paint the Town Red”, Port Credit’s Canada Day celebration is hosting a Pool Tournament Fundraiser, at The Crooked Cue on Sunday May 24^th. If you have never dined there, The Cue has great food. www.portcredit.com has the lowdown on this event.

Another of Mississauga’s jewels and a personal favourite is Streetsville where the annual Bread and Honey Festival is held the first weekend in June, 5^th, 6^th & 7^th. At the time of this blog, the website wasn’t working but here is the link just the same, www.breadandhoney.com.

Jumping ahead to Father’s Day weekend, yep June 19^th-21^st, it’s the Mississauga Waterfront Festival. Sam Roberts, Bruce Cockburn, 54-40, for the big kids and for the little ones, The Backyardigans, tribute to Hannah Montana and the Great Canadian Dad Contest. This event has far too much to list here, follow the link to their website, www.mississaugawaterfrontfestival.com.

I could go on for quite awhile but I’ll wrap this up with the Canada Day Celebrations. Of course, Port Credit’s Paint the Town Red is my favourite and it just so happens that yours truly is very proud to be your host in Memorial Park. Fireworks in Port Credit, Streetsville and City Centre. No matter where you are in Mississauga, we have you covered.

Port Credit www.paintthetownred.ca, City Centre www.mississauga.ca, Streetsville www.thevillageofstreetsville.com

The city of Mississauga and its communities are filled with vibrant, active people. Why not venture out share a smile and maybe just maybe, you’ll make a new friend.

Posted in Life, News | 1 Comment

Children + Coins = Community + Cardiac Care, a truly heartfelt equation!

By admin | Published: May 1, 2009

A manager, mentor of mine often quoted Thomas Edison’s, “Vision without execution is hallucination”.

Caring, compassionate and creative people can do wonders with visions. Dave is one of those people and it’s no wonder he’s my best friend. This man’s life is filled with inspiration, motivation and compassion for everything he touches and everyone around him. Many do not know Dave is one of the founding members of the 11th Annual Tim Hortons Southside Shuffle, Port Credit’s Blues and Jazz Festival.

Hazel & spearheads Dave's Have a Heart for Change Campaign

Lately, this caring and compassionate man has directed his creativity to the health care industry, more specifically, the Volunteers of Trillium Health Centre. It was last fall Dave had an idea to see if kids could have fun being involved in a hospital fundraising project. Research, discussions and a plan of action have now become “Have a Heart for Change.” The concept is simple – gather all the loose coins in your house or car and donate them the Hazel McCallion Cardiac Centre for Heart Health at Trillium Health Centre.

Proud to say, “Have a Heart for Change” was launched just this past week with an early morning assembly at Mineola Public School with Mayor McCallion and a slew of guests. With Cardiologist, Dr. Gupta on hand to play Hearth Health Jeopardy and an incredible 8 year old speaker, Shyla, providing a five minute speech on the importance of Heart Health, it was an enthusiastic and educational approach to inspire and motivate the kids. The schools in Mississauga are encouraged to create their own contests to collect the most change during the week of May 4 to the 8th.

Now some sceptics might think that pennies and nickels don’t add up to much but the truth is, collectively, they can create miracles. Coining (excuse the pun) phrases from Dave’s proposal, the statistics are quite surprising.

Most North American households have over $100 sitting around in loose change (in piggy banks, couches, boxes, jars, cupboards, cars, etc.)

One of the most successful coin campaigns is The New York City School Penny drive. For fifteen years, young people between the ages of four and eighteen put theircompassion for others into action by collecting pennies and turning those pennies into community programs. The program originated with a 4 year old girl’s desire to feed a homeless man.

In the 2006 school year, 770 New York Schools (70%) participated in the Penny drive, raising $655,508.54. They created 1,283 monetary grants for services such as women’s shelters, healing gardens and senior centres, demonstrating to themselves and to others that students most certainly can make a difference.

Countless charities rely on coins to achieve their goals. In fact $1 million dollars of the $3 million raised annually from 7-Eleven charity coin boxes are actually pennies.

So, if you have children in a Mississauga school, check to see if their school is participating. If not, look for the new Mayor McCallion life size cut outs at the Board of Education or Trillium Health Centre, the ones with the water jugs and throw in your loose change.

With kids having fun helping a great cause and learning about heart health along the way, I’m thrilled and proud to have witnessed this vision turn into a reality for Dave. Great job Honey!

Remember, when you are feeling less than motivated – “Vision without execution is hallucination”.

Posted in Fresh, Frontpage, Life, News, Thoughts | 3 Comments

Feelings

By Diane | Published: April 6, 2009

Feelings —consider the impact on relationship building.

Today, we always seem to be in a hurry. Over-scheduling ourselves, frantically getting to the next appointment and staying up all hours to meet that ever so important deadline. You probably find yourself looking to the many choices technology offers for the fastest and easiest way to communicate, resulting in impersonal service and a great deal less human contact.

But neither technology nor corporations build relationships. People do.

No matter the type of business you are in, the level of authority or role that you play, it’s people who make the decisions. Just like you, it’s these same people who want to be treated special, unique and made to feel like they are the only customer/person that matters? In this highly competitive economy, it is personalization, customization and relationships that will set you above the crowd.

The timeless fundamentals of Dale Carnegie’s 1936 book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” stand strong and true in 2009.

Let’s list a few simple reminders on how to create and nurture a positive relationship:

Be honest
Be Friendly
Make others feel special
Be consistent
Build trust
Be helpful
Appear interested
Show respect
Be yourself
Be unique
Be accessible
Respond to queries promptly
Display a sense of humour
Be considerate
Be timely
and most importantly, feelings. Everybody has them. It’s what relationships are built upon; how people feel about you. People will buy on emotion and justify it with logic.

Tom Peters states that there are two secrets of life: Flowers and thank you’s. The time has come to consider being more high touch and less high tech. Consider sending thank you notes or cards and not because you have to but because you want to. When was the last time you received a thank you note? Do you remember how it made you feel? Chances are a thank you received in an email was followed by the stroke of the delete key. Nice gesture but not quite the same as feeling something in your hands. Ah, that word again, feeling.

Sending a note or card illustrates to people that you thought and cared enough to purchase a card, write a note, grab a stamp and drop it in the mail box. It’s a nice feeling, isn’t it?

Village LMC has an affordable and unique program available for personalized thank you cards. Utilize your favourite candid photos, family, business and event shots. Even your favourite expressions can be added to the card. You tell us what you want and we’ll gladly take care of it for you. Drop us a line to find out more about developing your own line of thank you cards and rejuvenate your relationships.

Posted in Life, Thoughts | 2 Comments

Work-Life Balance

By Diane | Published: March 12, 2009

According to Wikipedia, the term Work-Life Balance was first introduced in the late 70’s.

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada describe Work-Life Balance as “the desire in part of both the employees and employers to achieve a balance between workplace obligations and personal responsibilities.”

Once deemed a woman’s issue, work-life balance has become the epidemic of today’s overworked society. Exploring all the contributing factors to work-life imbalance would eat up too much of your precious time but there is one prevalent in today’s society. Many of us turn to technology, the essence to saving time or at least we hope.

Just a few decades ago, technology was the answer to providing us with more time for our families. Instead we find ourselves with the exact opposite. 24/7 accessibility and convenience of recent technological developments has stretched the typical work day to anything but 9 to 5. How many of us, while on vacation, enjoying our kids’ soccer game or an evening with friends, whether it’s personally or professionally related, feel the incessant need to check our emails and answer our Blackberries? Why did we ever think being able to work from home was the answer to our prayers?

Another aspect would and could be the current economic climate. As an employee, chances are, you are contributing even more of your valuable, personal time in last ditch effort to secure your position in the company. What sacrifices have you recently made and how is it impacting your life? Worth thinking about.

A continual increase in worker’s compensation claims, stress related health issues and work place absenteeism has resulted in Governments and employers taking a keen interest and researching work-life balance.

Though some say, self-inflicted, there are choices and changes one came make to limit the impact of work-life imbalance.

Beneficial to both the employee and employer, contracting a Concierge/Personal Assistant just makes good personal and business sense.

Enter in the relatively new industry of Lifestyle Management and Concierge Services. Affordable, personal assistants ready to help alleviate some of those day to day stresses. Beneficial to both the employee and employer, contracting a Concierge/Personal Assistant just makes good personal and business sense.

While at the office or at work, why not pay someone to;

pick up your groceries,
your dry cleaning,
run the dog to the groomers,
plan your dinner party,
shop for your mother’s birthday present,
clean your house,
mow your lawn,
clean your pool and
check in on Grandma to ensure everything is alright?

Okay, it’s an added expense but have you ever thought about what your personal time is worth? We’ve all heard it said that life is too short. Your time, now more than ever, is priceless.

Imagine freeing up some hours in a day. Now, you have time to go to the gym, stop and have a drink with your friends, play a round of golf, sit and have dinner with your kids or volunteer for your favourite charitable organization.

From an employer’s perspective, you’re happier, you’ve become more focused leading to increased productivity and chances are, less time away from work. Management is enjoying the new you.

Everybody wins. Isn’t that what we all want?

Posted in Thoughts | 1 Comment

And they’re off!

By Diane | Published: March 10, 2009

Village LMC is finally out of the gate and we couldn’t be more excited. Dan and I took the time to enlist professional resources to ensure we have a strong foundation from which to jump and jump we have.

“Village LMC will help people make the most of their time and promote a healthy work-life balance.”

One of the first questions people ask is “what does LMC stand for?” LMC – Lifestyle Management Concierge. Naturally, it’s followed with “what is that?” Still refining my 30 second elevator pitch but briefly, “Village LMC will help people make the most of their time and promote a healthy work-life balance. With concierge and personal assistant services to alleviate your day to day tasks and give our clients back more time for the moments that matter.”

Why? Dan and I both have extensive history in customer relations and feel that excellent customer service and relationships have fallen by the wayside. Society has become too high tech and not enough high touch. You can have the best product at the best price but if you don’t have an established or strong relationship, you probably don’t have the business.

We want to know what’s important to our clients and we want them to feel special, going above and beyond the call of duty.

How? Our staff and vendors will represent the same care, compassion, integrity and service that people deserve. We will bring back the service in customer service.

Is it affordable? Well, what is your time worth? Have you ever thought about how much time you spend on errands or tasks you don’t enjoy? Want more free time for the cottage, a round of golf or that special someone? Maybe just a little more quiet time for yourself or a backyard BBQ with friends? Wishing someone would look in on a lonely or ill family member?

The sky is the limit. Whatever your needs may be, whether it’s business or personal, large or small, we will do our absolute best to take care of you professionally and efficiently. That’s who we are and what we do best.

We look forward to helping you achieve a healthy work-life balance.

dianeanddan

Posted in Frontpage, News | Leave a comment

Gratitude

By admin | Published: March 9, 2009

Many years ago, I made a conscious decision to acknowledge those that make a difference in my life and help along the way in this wonderful adventure called life. At times, it can be awkward for either party but I seriously doubt anyone is ever offended.

For the record, this certainly is not awkward. Fact is on behalf of Dan and myself, it is with great pleasure that I publicly express our gratitude to the following individuals who assisted us in launching Village LMC.

First and foremost, thank you to our partners; Sandi and Dave. Where would we be without their continued support, encouragement, patience and love? Our exuberance can make us a trying pair at times.

Mr. Frank Bailey of Frank Bailey Graphics, thank you for creating such a magnificent logo. Clean, crisp and professional, representing a class of service we are proud to stand behind and one that is sure to brand our business.

Mr. Jeff McPhee and his assistant, Valentina of JD Accounting Services. Thank you for your countless hours of advise and preparing the paperwork to make it all happen.

Mr. Jesse Collins of Moxy Webworks. Thank you for your time and creativity to develop a wonderfully professional website reflective of who we are. With Jesse’s progressive thinking abilities, I’m anxious for the endless possibilities and direction our website and business will grow in.

Mr. Mark Kostelnik of Kostel Photo. Thank you Mark for your patience, creativity and exemplary photographic abilities. Photo shoots can be tough but Mark made it fun and we are blown away by the results.

Dr. Frank Lista and his beautiful wife Ann from The Plastic Surgery Clinic. Thank you for your encouragement, patience and opportunity as we carefully took the time to initiate this concept properly.

To each and every one of you, we express our sincere gratitude for helping us along the way.

Diane Goldsmith and Dan Meadowcroft,

Village Lifestyle Management Concierge Service