Choir from St-Laurent community centre brings message of inclusivity to Fairview Mall

Members of the Action Centre choir perform at Fairview Shopping Centre in Pointe-Claire, sharing songs of positivity and belonging. (Christine Long/CTV News)

The Action Centre in St-Laurent is a community organization that supports adults with physical disabilities. Among its activities is a choir whose members recently took their show on the road to Fairview Shopping Centre in Pointe-Claire, filling the centre court with songs of positivity and inclusivity.

Natasha Zielinski, a member at the Action Centre, says being part of the choir brings her joy.

“I love singing with all my friends, all the members. I love being in the group!” she said.

One of her co-stars, Gordon Mitchell, says the Action Centre is a welcoming hub for differently abled people.

“Nobody judges anybody. We’re all we all have different disabilities, but we were all accepted the same.”

Executive Director Mojgan Yazdani says it’s the only bilingual centre of its kind.

“We offer adapted social, recreational and educational programming to young adults with physical disability. And also we offer respite to their families,” she says.

The choir is one of many services and activities offered at the centre.

Dimitri Fiskas, who is blind, says his time there has been transformative.

“It helps me grow up, become more independent, and it makes me talk to other people in other programs that I attend,” he says.

Taking their show on the road, the choir members make it clear they take the music seriously — but have fun, too.

Gordon has some zingers to share: “I sing solo — so low that nobody hears me!”

He says he enjoys the singing but could also host a comedy workshop.

“I can also sing tenor, 10 to 12 miles away,” laughs Gordon, alongside others who make up a community with great gusto for music and humour.