2020 Excel Society Community Report

COMMUNITY REPORT

2020

House | Support | Enrich

BY PROVIDING EXCEPTIONAL

PEOPLE IN OUR CARE A

THAT BRING THEM JO

L CARETHROUGH MEANINGFUL ENGAGMENT, THE

ARE ABLE TO ENJOY ENRICHING OPPORTUNITES

OY, MEANING, AND CONNECTION TO THEIR LIVES

At the Excel Society, we care for people with disabilities and complex mental health needs.

We work with the people in our care, our teams and their families, and the broader community to provide the highest standards of quality, safety, and service excellence in our field.

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OF

C ONTENTS

O UR E XTRODINARY T EAMS

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E NRICHING L IVES

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O UR S TRATEGY O UR C LIENTS & S ERVICES

O UR A CCOMPLISHMENTS C ONQUERING COVID-19 C ALGARY ’ S 15-Y EAR A NNIVERSARY C ALGARY ’ S COVID-19 S PACE

09.

P RESERVING

OUR

T RADITIONS

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P ARTY IN THE P ARK A NGEL T REE

O UR F UTURE

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V OLUNTEER P ROGRAM B ALWIN V ILLA C OMMUNITY O RCHARD

O UR E NRICHMENT F UND

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F INANCIAL R EPORT

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M ESSAGES

FROM OUR

CEO & B OARD C HAIR

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Enriching Lives

2020 Community Report

O UR E XTRODINARY T EAMS At the Excel Society, we do what is right and safely achieve superior results. Throughout the years we have faced many challenges to remain at the Forefront of Community living and Support Services, but none quite like the COVID-19 pandemic.

This challenging time has greatly impacted every one of us as well as the services we provide.

Thankfully, we have been fortunate enough to have the right people in the right positions that have enabled our team to overcome multiple outbreaks across our facilities and residences.

These team members stepped-up during some of our most difficult moments and have truly been heroes throughout this pandemic.

These team members ensured every person in Excel was properly prepared and cared for by covering any open shifts, modifying or extending their own shifts, working additional hours and even supporting the team during their personal time. They each understood that the people in our care are safer with the support of our team and ensured that the level of care our clients received did not digress.

There were multiple extraordinary contributors at each site that stepped-up, collaborated with their teams, and made these site outbreaks as brief as possible.

2020 challenged us to grow and we accepted. As an organization, we have been able to overcome multiple outbreaks by making drastic changes to our procedures and services.

Though, these incredible successes would not be possible if we did not possess such a dedicated and committed team.

We would like to thank each member of the Excel team for their extraordinary efforts during this time. By collaborating with one another, our team was able to create innovative ways to support and enrich our clients while ensuring they continued to receive the highest level of care.

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E NRICHING L IVES Our Strategy At the Excel Society, we care about the people we serve, our teams and their families, and the broader community. we do what is right and our values help guide us during our important work to ensure our actions reflect the commitments in our mission.

With the help of The Excel Advantage, we are able to realize our vision through our mission, guide our behaviours, set our priorities, and align our collaborative efforts. This new strategy recognizes that we each have a role in making the difference to our clients, team members and the community as a whole.

Mission

Vision

The Excel Society is committed to providing exceptional care through meaningful engagement and adherence to the highest standards of quality, safety, and service excellence.

Excel Society is at the forefront of everyday excellence and innovation in Community Living and Supportive Services.

Our Values People

Integrity

Excellence

Creativity

Collaboration

Our Pillars Exceptional Care

We partner with our clients, their families, and our funders to provide the best possible care and to be the Service Provider of Choice.

Meaningful Engagement

We foster a culture of appreciation and recognition that achieves the highest possible employee engagement and satisfaction.

Being at the Forefront

We are recognized as a partner/employer of choice and an industry leader in Community Living and Supportive Services.

Organizational Stewardship

We are accountable to our stakeholders for executing our mission faithfully and managing our resources effectively.

Enriching Lives

2020 Community Report

Our Clients & Services The Excel Society cares about people, and we want people who come to the Excel Society to feel accepted, valued, cared for, and connected to a meaningful community of support. Over the past 50+ years, we have developed a broad range of programs and services to better support the people in our care. Our unique approach to exceptional care through meaningful engagement enable us to provide services to the highest standards of quality, safety, and service excellence.

At the Excel Society, we House, Support, and Enrich the people in our care.

By providing the people in our care with access to engaging opportunities, we can enrich their lives and help them reach their full potential at the pace that is most comfortable for them.

Currently, we care for over 530 people each year In Edmonton And Calgary.

We also employ approximately 850 people on our team.

House

EDMONTON 42 Community Living Residences 2 Designated Assisted Living Sites: Balwin Villa & Grand Manor

2 Day Programs:

Gerard Raymond Centre & Clubhouse 55

Supportive Roommate & Respite Programs

We believe everyone needs a safe, comfortable, and practical place to live and call home.

We work with our residents and their care partners and family to identify person-specific housing needs, and then provide a long-term housing solution that best serves the individual in our care.

Support

We believe everyone needs comprehensive care and personal support for a developmental disability or complex mental health diagnosis. We start from the perspective that every person is unique and has their own individual needs and goals, then we collaborate with our team to help them achieve their own physical, emotional, and psychological wellness on their terms.

CALGARY 4 Community Living Residences A Community-Based Day Program Respite Program

Enrich

We believe everyone needs to express themselves, create meaning in their lives, and feel connected to their community. We strive every day to make this a reality for people that come to the Excel Society by enabling them to participate in activities that make life rewarding.

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O UR A CCOMPLISHMENTS Conquering COVID-19 At the Excel Society, we are committed to building healthy work environments where our team can connect and build with one another. As COVID-19 began to introduce more social isolation, our team created an initiative to share positive stories with one another that we called Conquering COVID-19.

From the moment it was released to our team, stories began to pour in. We learned firsthand about all the amazing things our teams were doing across Alberta, and how they were each making the best of this unprecedented time.

From converting a gymnasium to a distribution centre and organizing staff appreciation drive-bys, to creating residence-specific activities and teaching new lifelong skills, our team did incredible things this past year despite all of the restrictions.

These stories have inspired us and solidified that we are all in this together. By trusting in our team’s ability and commitment, we have all been able to overcome this pandemic.

Excel Calgary’s 15 Year Anniversary Since 2005, the Excel Society has enriched the lives of Calgarians by providing exceptional care through meaningful engagement in our communities. Fortunately, this milestone came before the COVID-19 pandemic so we were able to celebrate with the Calgary team and our clients.

A huge Excel Advantage Shout Out to our incredible team in Calgary - 15 Years of helping people reach their full potential!

Enriching Lives

2020 Community Report

Calgary’s COVID-19 Space In order to achieve the highest standard of quality, safety, and service excellence, we regularly collaborate with one another to discover new and innovative ways to meet the needs of our clients.

Under regular circumstances, the Calgary day program is community-based, meaning one or more team members support our clients while they engage in various activities across the city. However, as many of these public facilities have temporarily closed due to COVID-19 restrictions, our clients were left with limited options that only accounted for a few hours of enrichment each day.

Our team recognized that this level of service was not meeting the needs of our clients, so they began to search for a space where they could deliver daily programming for a small cohort group of day program individuals.

The team explored several different options and fortunately came to a solution when they reached out to the agency that currently leases the Calgary office. They inquired about any unused office space they could temporarily use for a reasonable price and after the parties discussed the details, our team in Calgary was able to gain access to a new space for no cost at all!

Since the second week of December of 2020, the Calgary team has been able to provide our clients with quality daily programming during the pandemic. As the day program relied on community activities, the team engaged in meaningful collaboration to develop new and innovative activities to engage our clients while complying with all health orders. The team created several programs ranging from Zumba and music therapy to themed learning and life skill sessions that were well received by all of the clients.

We are so pleased to have a space to allow our clients the ability to socialize and participate in a variety of programs during this particularly isolating time.

By collaborating with one another, the Calgary team was able to transform an ordinary office unit into a welcoming space that provides enriching opportunities to the people in our care.

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P RESERVING O UR T RADITIONS Party in the Park At the Excel Society, we safely achieve superior results. The Excel Society’s Party in the Park is an annual tradition where our clients, team members, partners, and other members of the community would gather at Hawrelak Park in August to celebrate another great year. Even though we were not able to physically gather this year, we were able to leverage technology to host our first major virtual event that connected clients and team members through virtual means.

On the afternoon of Friday August 21st, over 250 pizzas were delivered to the residences in both Calgary and Edmonton so that our clients and direct care team members could begin the event with a meal together. While they were enjoying the pizza, other members of our team divided themselves into groups and created a small parade for each residence that included some donuts for dessert! Each group decorated their vehicles, created signs, and showed their appreciation for each residence they visited.

From there, the clients and team members joined an organization-wide virtual Zoom video call. The call began with a few words from our CEO, Brad Perkins, and then was passed along to the residences where our clients socialized with one another. As many of them were not able to visit other houses, this virtual event gave them the chance to connect with some familiar faces they haven’t have a chance to see in a while.

It was a very special date for many clients and they really appreciated that our team was able to make this event virtual!

By being committed to providing exceptional care and meaningfully collaborating with one another, we were able to ensure our annual tradition was not postponed due to this pandemic!

Enriching Lives

2020 Community Report

Angel Tree At the Excel Society, we care about the people we serve, our teams and their families and the broader community. Unfortunately, some of the people in our care are not fortunate enough to have loved ones to celebrate the holiday season with. This is why the tradition of The Excel Society’s Angel Tree was created to ensure every person in our care enjoys the excitement and connection that comes with each holiday season.

This year was especially important to the people in our care due to increasing restrictions and the inability to invite our clients' families to the Balwin Villa and Grand Manor annual holiday dinners.

The Angel Tree Committee engaged in meaningful collaboration to create compelling communications for both internal and external viewers, connected with the people in our care to develop a wish-list of items that donors could purchase directly for each client and utilized the Balwin Villa distribution center to ensure everyone got their gifts in time!

By the time the holiday season was here, we had received over $2000 from multiple individuals and organizations to purchase gifts for the people in our care.

Thank you to everyone who contributed their time and/or donated to this year’s Angel Tree.

Each of you truly made the difference this holiday season!

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O UR F UTURE Our Volunteer Program At the Excel Society we enrich lives and enable people to reach their full potential. We value our connections within the community and have developed a volunteer program to further engage with our neighbours that provide a mutually beneficial experience for all.

Our new volunteer program provides individuals with the opportunity to engage with the people in our care while also gaining valuable work experience that will develop their skills. We believe each volunteer that comes to the Excel Society is valuable, and will be treated as equal co-workers. These volunteers will receive in-depth training, meaningful assignments, development opportunities, quality feedback, and recognition for their efforts.

The volunteers who come to the Excel Society will learn about our unique approach of providing exceptional care through meaningful engagement, which will enable them to connect with the people in our care and provide all parties with enriching experiences.

Get Involved!

We hope to provide this opportunity to our community in Summer of 2021. For more information on our volunteer program please visit: https://excelsociety.org/our-volunteer-program/

Balwin Villa Community Orchard We believe everyone needs to express themselves, create meaning in their lives, and feel connected to their community. We strive every day to make this a reality for people that come to the Excel Society and have teamed up with the communities of Balwin and Belvedere in Edmonton to help develop a sustainable micro-orchid and community garden space!

This initiative is led by a group of community members who go by the name of the Packingtown Community Growers. This group shares an interest in creating unique experiences for the entire community and we have been collaborating with them to develop an opportunity for everyone to learn from one another, establish long-lasting relationships, and produce a beautiful community garden.

Get Involved!

If you are interested in this exciting new initiative, please visit www.balwinbelvederehub.com and under projects select Packingtown Community Growers

Enriching Lives

2020 Community Report

O UR E NRICHMENT F UND We want anyone in Alberta, regardless of their diagnosis, to be able to express themselves, create meaning in their life, and feel connected to their community. We strive every day to make this a reality for people that come to the Excel Society by providing meaningful enrichment experiences.

Why we created the Enrichment Fund At the Excel Society we are committed to providing exceptional care through meaningful engagement.

Many people in our care have approved funding from the province that covers their housing and support needs, but only leaves a small amount for recreational activities.

By creating The Excel Advantage Enrichment Fund, we are able to ensure that every person in our care has the opportunity to experience difference opportunites and grow as individuals.

Our Enrichment Funds Artistic Enrichment

Help a client access artistic supplies and experiences.

Recreational Enrichment

Help a client access sport, leisure or recreational activities.

Musical Enrichment

Help a client access musical instruments and experiencest.

Holiday Enrichment

Help a client have a simple holiday or celebrate a special occasion.

Join the Excel Society with a gift to the Excel Advantage Enrichment Fund and help enrich a life right here in Alberta!

How much of each donation goes directly to the people in our care?

Whether it be an interest in learning to play a new instrument or enroll in a Summer camp, 100% of the amount donated is directed towards enriching opportunities for the people in our care.

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2020 F INANCIALS Revenue Alberta Health Services 39%

Persons with Developmental Disabilities 30%

In 2020, we were challenged with the COVID-19 Pandemic, and what effects it had on the Excel Society as a whole. To keep every member of the Excel Society safe, we purchased additional PPE, adapted to working remotely, hired and trained relief staff, and created hundreds of additional individual client programs to comply with social distancing requirements.

Rent & Food Services

Despite all these challenges, our team was able to overcome these obstacles by being stewards of the Excel Society. From simple things such as adhering to policies and managing resources effectively, to more meaningful actions like collaborating with fellow team members virtually to share new ideas, our entire team remained diligent and ensured that our clients continued to receive the highest level of care.

17%

NorthWest Territories 12%

Other Grants, Sales & Fundraising 2%

Expenses By Structure Community Services & Supportive Living

Expenses By Category Service Delivery Manpower 78%

93%

Administration

Facilities 11%

6%

Excel Academy

Programs 6%

1%

Administration 4%

Education & Training 1%

Enriching Lives

2020 Community Report

2020 in Review We did business with over

200

Organizations We provided care for over

530

People

We supported over

430

We employ approximately

inidividuals with their spending accounts

850

people across Alberta

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M ESSAGES President & CEO 2020 was a year with challenges few of us would have imagined. COVID-19, the worldwide health Pandemic, changed how we provide our services, how we interact with our community, how we stay healthy and how we properly support those we know who have contracted the virus.

Yet, I feel very grateful. I work with incredible people who care immensely. We are committed to doing the right thing and have come together to help each other. I have been forever positively changed through learning about the acts of kindness from so many of our team. I have been forever positively changed by the commitment we have and the willingness to find solutions together, to challenges none of us have experienced before. I have been forever positively changed through witnessing the incredible selfless acts and desire to help others.

When we return to a lifestyle closer to what we knew before COVID, we must hang onto some of these positive experiences and build upon the connections we have made through the challenges we have faced. Our challenge will be ensuring that will take place.

Supported by an amazing team and working with a dedicated and talented Board I am certain we will face our upcoming obstacles and overcome them as well. Together, focusing on a common purpose we have proven to be able to do extraordinary things and I am very excited about the future of Excel.

Thank you to the Board of Directors for the enormous support you have provided to the management and operations team at Excel, throughout this last year.

Brad Perkins President & CEO

Enriching Lives

2020 Community Report

Board Chair I have had the honor of being part of an amazing group of individuals on the Board of Directors, of the Excel Society, through the events of 2020. None of us could have predicted that we would be charged with helping direct a health care organization through a worldwide pandemic. Through the focus we have had on the health and safety of the clients we serve and the team who serves them, we have helped lead Excel through a transformational period.

This leadership has surfaced in all aspects of our support. Whether that has been a simple note of gratitude or encouragement to the team, asking the right, difficult questions or continuing the focus on our strategic objectives, to a person the Board of Directors has remained committed to our Vision. Of course, the execution and implementation of the health and safety measures over the last year has rested with the team at Excel Society. I think we can agree, we have the right team!

The dedication we have seen from the team at Excel has been nothing short of heroic.

From the endless hours needed to implement all of the safety measures, to the positive approach that was taken to support each other, to the health care workers facing their biggest fears and “walking through the door” into an outbreak, to get the job done, we have witnessed extraordinary acts in 2020.

I and the Board of Directors have so much appreciation for CEO Brad Perkins for his unwavering commitment in leading such a talented team through the pandemic of 2020.

Your leadership has driven so many of these success stories at Excel and with your guidance and support the staff and clients were able to navigate through all the difficulties they faced in 2020.

While challenging, this year has been perhaps the most rewarding I have had during my years of service to the Excel Society. As I look forward, I know we have done the work to leave Excel in a better position than ever before.

Colleen Scott Board Chair

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LedgeView Buisness Centre Suite 500, 9707 110 Street NW Edm onton, AB T5K 2L9