Durham Region P.A.R.T.Y. (Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth) Program
In 2019, thanks to the dedicated work of a Heads Up! Durham sub committee, Durham Region became an official site for Sunnybrook Hospital’s P.A.R.T.Y. Program!!
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The P.A.R.T.Y. (Prevent Alcohol and Risk-related Trauma in Youth) Program is a one-day injury awareness and prevention program for students in grades 10-12.
P.A.R.T.Y. started at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto as result of the initiative of a Sunnybrook Hospital nurse, Judy Radford, who lived in Port Perry at the time. Teens had approached Judy with concerns about the number of car crashes in the area that resulted in the injury or death of their peers. Sunnybrook Hospital took up the call to action and P.A.R.T.Y. started in 1986. The program is a vital component of the growing community effort to prevent and reduce death and injury in alcohol-, drug- and risk-related incidents.
Mission: An active life, injury free.
Vision: Reducing the frequency and severity of youth injury.
Values: CARE: Collaboration. Advocacy. Research. Education.
The P.A.R.T.Y. program is about prevention and awareness. It’s about learning from real people and their very real experiences. This P.A.R.T.Y. takes young people through the path of a trauma patient as they are rushed through the trauma room doors, into surgery, rehab and, if lucky enough, recovery. This P.A.R.T.Y. is about experiencing what happens when young people make a decision that changes their life forever.
P.A.R.T.Y. is based on the understanding that 90% of all injuries are both predictable and preventable. Students who participate in the P.A.R.T.Y. program leave knowing that they have the power to make the right choice!
PARTY operates in 150 global sites (USA, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Germany and Japan) reaching 50,355 students worldwide.
P.A.R.T.Y. started at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto as result of the initiative of a Sunnybrook Hospital nurse, Judy Radford, who lived in Port Perry at the time. Teens had approached Judy with concerns about the number of car crashes in the area that resulted in the injury or death of their peers. Sunnybrook Hospital took up the call to action and P.A.R.T.Y. started in 1986. The program is a vital component of the growing community effort to prevent and reduce death and injury in alcohol-, drug- and risk-related incidents.
Mission: An active life, injury free.
Vision: Reducing the frequency and severity of youth injury.
Values: CARE: Collaboration. Advocacy. Research. Education.
The P.A.R.T.Y. program is about prevention and awareness. It’s about learning from real people and their very real experiences. This P.A.R.T.Y. takes young people through the path of a trauma patient as they are rushed through the trauma room doors, into surgery, rehab and, if lucky enough, recovery. This P.A.R.T.Y. is about experiencing what happens when young people make a decision that changes their life forever.
P.A.R.T.Y. is based on the understanding that 90% of all injuries are both predictable and preventable. Students who participate in the P.A.R.T.Y. program leave knowing that they have the power to make the right choice!
PARTY operates in 150 global sites (USA, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Germany and Japan) reaching 50,355 students worldwide.
Durham Region P.A.R.T.Y. is a countermeasure of Durham Region’s Vision Zero initiative.
Support for Durham Region P.A.R.T.Y. Program
Please see our Financial and In-Kind Supporters.
Program Development
- Sunnybrook Hospital P.A.R.T.Y. Program
- Canberra Health Services, Australia
- Durham Catholic District School Board
- Durham District School Board
- DurhamRegion.com
- MADD Durham Region: Danielle Oliviera; Chapter Admin Assistant, MADD-Durham
- Parachute Canada
- In conjunction with our team:
Meet the Team
- Ajax Fire and Emergency Services: Joanne Warren
- Represents Fire Services for the Region
- Hosted the first Durham Region P.A.R.T.Y. sessions. See details
- Brain Injury Association of Durham Region: Heather Desta, Amy Ellis and Jami Vandette
- Canadian Automobile Association (CAA): Michael Stewart
- Durham Regional Police Service Collision Investigation Unit: Sgt Tony Limb
- Durham Region Paramedic Services: Nicole Gilchrist
- Garrett Bell: Co-founder, Heads Up! Durham; Injury Prevention Advocate
- Kerry Corbett: Vice Chairperson, Heads Up! Durham; Sports TBI Prevention Advocate
- Linda Lowery: Chairperson; Co-Founder, Heads Up! Durham; Coordinator, Durham Region P.A.R.T.Y., Retired, Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention Coordinator, Durham District School Board (DDSB)
- Ministry of Transportation (MTO): Melissa Brabant
- Sarah Ginn: Injury Prevention Advocate; TBI speaker, Sunnybrook Hospital P.A.R.T.Y. program
- Ted Dionne: Co-founder, Heads Up! Durham; Retired Staff Sgt., Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS); Retired Professor, Justice Studies, Durham College
Sincere appreciation is extended to former team members:
- Charles Senior: Former P.A.R.T.Y. Program Communications Coordinator, Sunnybrook Hospital
- Community Care Durham: Jennifer Hammond; Director, Quality and Standard Clinical Care
- Durham Regional Police Service: Jeff Williams; Tactical Flight Officer, Air Support Unit
- Joy Schwartz: Regional Strategic Outreach Coordinator, Transportation Safety Division - Ministry of Transportation
- MADD – Durham: Danielle Oliveira; Chapter Admin Assistant
- Pat Costello: Retired, Board Liaison for Extra-curricular & Community Programs, (K-12); Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB)
- Peter Mohyla: Retired, Community Safety Officer – Transit Safety Operations; Safety & Security Division - GO Transit Metrolinx
- Taylor Reid: Injury Prevention Advocate; focus on elimination of Impaired Driving
Financial Sponsors
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Sincere appreciation is extended to the financial sponsors of Durham Region P.A.R.T.Y.:
We also extend our appreciation to our in-kind sponsors for donating venues for P.A.R.T.Y.:
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Presentations - Plaques of Appreciation
Pictured above: Heads Up! Durham presented plaques of appreciation for providing financial sponsorship of our inaugural Durham Region P.A.R.T.Y. Program to:
- Ontario Ministry of Transportation - Melissa Brabant, Regional Strategic Coordinator, Central Region - North
- Durham Vision Zero - Amanda Spencer, Sr Project Manager of Traffic Safety Group; and Steven Kemp, Manager of Traffic Engineering and Operations
Heads Up! Durham also presented plaques of appreciation for participation in the inaugural Durham Region P.A.R.T.Y. Program to:
- Ajax Fire and Emergency Services: Deputy Chief Shain Kimball and Office Supervisor Joanne Warren
- Durham Regional Police Services: Chief Moreira
- Durham Catholic District School Board: Pat Costello
- Propel Physiotherapy: Hoong Phang and Alanna Holz
- TBI Survivor Sarah Ginn
In The News!
March 2023: Ajax Fire and Emergency Services Hosted Durham Region's First P.A.R.T.Y. Program
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Ajax Fire and Emergency Services hosted Durham Region’s first ever P.A.R.T.Y. (Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma Among Youth) Program. For more info: Ajax Fire and Emergency Services to host Durham Region’s first P.A.R.T.Y. Program - Town of Ajax.
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June 2023: Durham Region P.A.R.T.Y. Program featured on Global News
Durham Region P.A.R.T.Y. Program Final Reports, Photos and Videos
Please expand each section below to access photos and videos from the program as well as the Final Report for that year:
2023: Durham Region P.A.R.T.Y. Program
Durham Region P.A.R.T.Y. Program
Kicked Off April 4, 2023 in Ajax
During our inaugural session, held at Ajax Fire Department Headquarters, a class of students from Notre Dame C.S.S. in Ajax received valuable information as part of the growing community effort to reduce death and injury in alcohol, drug and risk-related crashes and incidents.
Presenters included Ajax Fire, Durham Regional Police Services, Propel Physio, Heads Up! Durham, and traumatic brain injury survivor Sarah Ginn.
Pictured above are (from left to right)
Presenters included Ajax Fire, Durham Regional Police Services, Propel Physio, Heads Up! Durham, and traumatic brain injury survivor Sarah Ginn.
Pictured above are (from left to right)
- Joanne Warren, Ajax Fire; Linda Lowery / Kerry Corbett / Ted Dionne, Heads Up! Durham
- Deputy Fire Chief Shain Kimbell, Ajax Fire
- Detective Constable Jeff Williams, DRPS Tactical Flight Officer Air Support Unit
- Sarah Ginn, TBI survivor
- Alanna Holz, Propel Physio
- Linda Lowery, Chair of Heads Up! Durham
Durham Region P.A.R.T.Y. Program - April 18, 2023
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Above: Students from Notre Dame C.S.S. in Ajax tried some of the lifesaving equipment utilized by Ajax Fire and Emergency Services upon arrival at the scene of some Motor Vehicle Collisions (MVCs).
Durham Region P.A.R.T.Y. Program - May 2, 2023
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Above: Students from Archbishop Denis O'Connor CHS in Ajax learned a memorable lesson on impaired driving by wearing Fatal Vision Impairment Goggles. Students also tried equipment used by Ajax Fire and Emergency Services to extricate patients from vehicles following a Motor Vehicle Collision (MVC).
Durham Region P.A.R.T.Y. Program - May 16, 2023
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Students from Archbishop Denis O'Connor CHS in Ajax heard from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) survivor and former student Sarah Ginn. Students also tried using some of the extrication equipment used by Ajax Fire at the scene of some Motor Vehicle Collisions (MVCs), and demonstrated the impact of impairment using Fatal Vision Goggles.
Durham Region P.A.R.T.Y. Program - May 31, 2023
TBI survivors including Sarah Ginn, along with Durham Regional Police and Alanna Holz from Propel Physio, presented to students from All Saints CSS in Whitby. Students also demonstrated how extrication equipment could be used by Ajax Fire when attending to the scene of a MVC.
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Final Report - Durham Region P.A.R.T.Y. Program 2023
Read the final report which summarizes the impressive results of our pilot program held in April and May 2023.
| dr_party_report_oct_10_2023.pdf |
2024: DURHAM REGION P.A.R.T.Y. PROGRAM
During 2024 our program continued at Ajax Fire and Emergency Services before expanding to a larger facility, DCDSB's Pope Francis Centre in Oshawa, in order to host larger groups of students.
We welcomed additional presenters from Region of Durham Paramedic Services and Oshawa Fire Services.
We welcomed additional presenters from Region of Durham Paramedic Services and Oshawa Fire Services.
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Final Report - Durham Region P.A.R.T.Y. Program 2024
Read the Final Report which summarizes the impressive results of our program held in April and May 2024. Our 2024 program was even more impactful than our 2023 pilot program!
| durham_region_party_final_report_april_and_may_2024_final_v2.pdf |
2025: DURHAM REGION P.A.R.T.Y. PROGRAM
Our 2025 program branched out to community groups such as Okanagan Hockey Ontario in April and Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS) Youth in Policing Program in August.
Pictured below: DRPS's Youth in Policing attendees
Pictured below: DRPS's Youth in Policing attendees
Pictured below: DRPS's Youth in Policing students engaged with presenters to learn about the spine, the role of EMS at a Motor Vehicle Collision (MVC), some of the lifesaving equipment utilized by Oshawa Fire and Emergency Services upon arrival at the scene of some MVC's, what it feels like to take part in a DRPS roadside assessment while wearing goggles mimicking impairment by alcohol, and Sarah Ginn's inspirational and educational story as a Traumatic Brain Injury Survivor.
Pictured below: Okanagan Hockey Ontario attendees
Pictured below: Okanagan Hockey Ontario players engaged with presenters to learn about the role of EMS at a Motor Vehicle Collision (MVC), some of the lifesaving equipment utilized by Oshawa Fire and Emergency Services upon arrival at the scene of some MVC's, and what it feels like to take part in a DRPS roadside assessment while wearing goggles mimicking impairment by alcohol.
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Players from Okanagan Hockey Ontario (OHO) tried some of the lifesaving equipment utilized by Oshawa Fire and Emergency Services upon arrival at the scene of some Motor Vehicle Collisions (MVCs). |
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DRPS demonstrated a roadside assessment on an OHO player who is wearing goggles mimicking impairment by alcohol. OHO players refined their CPR skills under the direction of Durham Paramedic Nicole Gilchrist. |
Final Report - Durham Region P.A.R.T.Y. Program 2025
Read the Final Report which summarizes our continued positive impact in 2025.
| final_report_2025_dec_14.pdf |
Contact Info
For further information on Durham Region P.A.R.T.Y., or to offer your support, please contact:
Linda Lowery
Chairperson, Heads Up! Durham
Coordinator Durham Region P.A.R.T.Y.
905-259-8846
For General Inquiries: [email protected]
For P.A.R.T.Y. Specific Inquiries: [email protected]
Linda Lowery
Chairperson, Heads Up! Durham
Coordinator Durham Region P.A.R.T.Y.
905-259-8846
For General Inquiries: [email protected]
For P.A.R.T.Y. Specific Inquiries: [email protected]