Second Annual CAFFI BBQ brings together families and community

July 24, 2025 · 0 Comments

By Riley Murphy

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Caledon Area Families for Inclusion (CAFFI) celebrated its second annual barbecue, with almost triple the attendance it saw at its inaugural barbecue last year.

CAFFI is a group that advocates for children and adults with differing abilities in Caledon.

The day was marked with hamburgers and pizza, games for all family members, music, and the opportunity for families to connect.

Regarding the growth participation, Mike Brunetto, the leader of community partnerships and collaboration with the Community Support Network, shared that it’s incredibly encouraging as it shows the need in Caledon.

“I think the message is getting out that people are recognizing the need,” he shared. “Rather than be isolated, coming together really helps decision makers and people out there that are trying to put things in place, that shows how real the challenge is overall.”

Brunetto shared that a large part of their focus has been on the transition to adulthood for these children and adults.

“Coming together with agencies and the Town and families and friends to say, ‘what does adulthood look like for our kids and how do we ensure that they have a place in the community and they grow and they foster with other people and other friends’.”

At the event, he said, he noticed families without young adults and kids with differing abilities are now coming out and saying they want to be a part of the organization and its goals.

“Having them come out and support is just making everyone feel a lot more comfortable and show how unique Caledon is,” said Brunetto.

Michael Fernandes attended the BBQ with his wife, brother-in-law, and daughter Mia. He and his family joined CAFFI because there was nothing available to meet their needs and those of their daughter where they live.

These types of events have become true family activities, Fernandes shared.

He said he enjoyed seeing all the children together at the barbecue that day.

“Just these kids having fun with the games, and the parents enjoying it, and seeing how important it is to join together with all the kids, special needs, however, just to see them mingle together, and the parents included,” said Fernandes. “That’s the joy we live to see.”

Sharmaine Douglas was one of the volunteers at the event. She has been involved with CAFFI for over a year now, and began attending their monthly town halls. At the end of last year, she became more involved, attending events such as their organized bowling.

“Everyone is just so loving and so understanding and everyone’s really great with my son. I love it, it’s like an extended family being here,” she shared.

She noted she feels CAFFI is an excellent way for people, parents, and families to come together, share their stories, and help build this community.

Douglas was an attendee at the first barbecue and shared that seeing the size grow is amazing.

“I think that just everyone coming together, realizing that there’s a need for this and we didn’t have it and now that we do, we want to try and grow it and get everyone just educated and involved. This is one way that we can do it, just give back to the community and give back to the families.”

Councillor Mario Russo, representing Wards 4, 5, and 6, also attended the event and shared that upon meeting Mike Brunetto and other board members many years ago, he immediately became aware of the significant contributions they make to the special needs community.

Moreover, the lived experience they have to educate Town staff, especially Recreation staff, he shared.

“There are a lot of individuals here today that have simple needs, and there’s some that have very, very, very complex needs and recognizing that from the Town’s perspective is important because we need to know when we need more expertise on our staff for certain rec programs,” shared Councillor Russo.

He shared that it has been educational, as the community is growing, and so are the needs, especially in the special needs community.

Councillor Russo stated that CAFFI serves as a voice for these individuals who are unable to advocate for themselves.

“I put it on all Council, all staff, to listen to their voice and be able to provide what we can within certain parameters,” shared Councillor Russo. “Those are the respectful conversations that need to occur.”

Diego Brunetto said it was great to see other children and families have the opportunity to participate in activities like this, as there is often not much available to them.

“When we do events like this, it’s super helpful to create a community environment in the Caledon area. There’s not a lot available, especially when kids move out of high school,” explained Diego. “As they get older, it becomes more difficult to provide services for them. So it’s nice that there’s events like this that bring people together and give people a sense of community, and give people a sense of purpose.”

The group will continue to work towards its goals, including community living and integration, plus 21 transitioning, revitalizing connections and awareness, and evolving inclusion programming.

To learn more about CAFFI, those can visit cafficonnect.ca.