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Welcome Back to Camp! What’s New in Education and Training! New Opportunities for Inclusive Employment in Hudson Bay
NorthSask Special Needs Continues to Grow Kinsmen Manor Welcomes Old Friends During the Holidays
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Cosmo’s 50th Year Finishes with a Flourish
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Pipestone Kin-Ability Swings into Accessible Park Equipment
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SaskAbilities Working with City to Enhance Inclusive Employment in Swift Current
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Light it Up! for NDEAM A Huge Success
About This Issue In this issue, we have made the move to a fully digital experience. You’ll have noticed that in past issues, we’ve provided a digital link in addition to the printed version of the publication. As we all move to embrace a more digital experience now and into the future, we felt now is the perfect time to move our publications to be solely accessible through an online link. This way, every story, image, and link is accessible for anyone who wants to read and share the content. We encourage you to download and share this link with your network. We hope you enjoy!
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Welcome Back to Camp!
After a two-year pause of in-person programming, Camp Easter Seal, a flagship program of SaskAbilities, is excited to welcome campers back. Camp Easter Seal, Saskatchewan’s only fullyaccessible summer camp program and facility, sits on the shores of Little Manitou Lake near Watrous, SK. Since 1954, this program has welcomed Saskatchewan campers, children, youth and adults experiencing disability, to enjoy all the fun, traditions, and activities of a summer camp in a barrier-free setting. Whether campers are enjoying the aquatic centre, activities on the lake, arts and crafts, music and talent shows, campfires or sports and games, they all experience life-changing experiences. The sense of belonging that each camper experiences at Camp Easter Seal
is empowering, the friendships that are developed and nurtured are memorable, and the freedom and independence that is encouraged allows campers to achieve many personal outcomes, including increased independence, improved communication and social skills, confidence and self-esteem and, simply put, living and enjoying life to its fullest. For most campers, attendance at Camp Easter Seal is “better than Christmas” and “what they look forward to each year”. For the past two summers Camp Easter Seal delivered online programming, Camp Connected, to campers across the province, which kept us connected to each other, and the traditions we passionately love, alive. Although physically apart, campers and staff had a lot of fun and adventures exploring new ways of being at camp together.
Facility Upgrades During the time our facility was closed to campers, we had the opportunity to see some facility renovations and projects
to completion. Thanks to our funders and supporters, we undertook some significant projects, and cannot wait to show the updates to our campers and friends. Not only has the aquatic centre undergone a major renovation, but we also have new roofs on the chalet, dining hall, and several cabins; pathways have been resurfaced with rubber paving, new doors and windows have been installed, new patio furniture has been purchased, and much more! In addition to the physical updates, we have also had the opportunity to explore new ways of programming and meeting the recreational needs of our campers. Camp program design was evaluated and redesigned, new supplies and plans are now ready to be tested out, and new spaces are eagerly waiting for camper arrival.
will follow Provincial and Public Health guidelines and adapt as the months leading up to summer camp unfold. We are committed to communicating regularly with our campers, their families and caregivers, and our stakeholders.
Moving into the Future In 2020, just prior to the global pandemic changing everything, we were in your communities across the province, listening to what our stakeholders had to say. Using the expertise of Prairie Wild Consulting Co., we heard what campers, families and our community felt was important about Camp Easter Seal and what their vision is for the future. We continue to look to the report and recommendations to enhance our program and how we meet our mission and vision moving forward. Camp Easter Seal continues to welcome all persons experiencing disability into our program. This includes campers of all support needs and levels of care. We offer a high standard of care for campers, including medical staff on-site and trained camp staff who can meet the complex and diverse support needs of campers. Camp Easter Seal is a popular place, and it is important to note that each year we receive hundreds of applications beyond our space capacity. This leaves us with difficult decisions as we seek to serve all those who wish to have this summer camp experience.
Summer of 2022 As we move forward with the realities of COVID-19, we continue to make camper and staff safety a priority. We will have processes and protocols in place to ensure safe participation at camp. We
We are eagerly planning for 11 weeks of summer camp, in-person, at Camp Easter Seal. We are busy recruiting an amazing team of staff members and designing great fun for all! In addition to the traditional five-day camps we are also introducing two other ways for campers to enjoy Camp Easter Seal. For the youngest of campers, those aged 6 to 9 years, we will be welcoming families to be part of the experience. Details can be found on our website. Upon recommendations from our consultation process, we want families, especially those of young campers, to feel comfortable and confident in the care and programming we are offering. This pilot project week also allows families, parents, and siblings of our campers a chance to try new things together within our camp environment. It is all about building memories together. The second pilot project week will be an opportunity for group home cohorts to come together to Camp Easter Seal. This will provide an opportunity for those who want to holiday together to experience camp in a secure way. Details about how this will work can be found on our website.
We are thrilled to be working towards welcoming campers back to experience the true magic that is Camp Easter Seal. What a great day it will be when campers arrive – we can hardly wait! For more information on the upcoming camping season, you can visit us online at camp.saskabilities.ca.
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What’s New in
Education and Training!
Proof of vaccination or proof of negative test required to attend SARC in-person training Effective January 1, 2022, proof of vaccination or proof of negative test for COVID-19 is required for all individuals who attend SARC in-person training. In addition to providing this proof, we are asking that you wear a mask, self-assess the day of the training (do not attend if you are ill), maintain physical distancing, arrive no earlier than 15 minutes before the start of your training, and sanitize your hands before entering and while in the training space. SARC continues to have smaller group sizes to promote physical distancing, conducts regular cleaning and sanitizing practices, provides individually packaged food and beverage service, limits the locations where we host our training, and waives late cancellation fees. You can also see all of our COVID-19 information at www.sarclearningcentral.ca/covid-19. If you have any questions, please let us know at sarclearningcentral@sarcan.sk.ca.
Is your organization eligible to take training at no cost to you? Find out more about the COMPASS Training Package by clicking here.
Get started on your spring training plans! Stay tuned to our SARC Learning Central website and the weekly e-newsletter to be the first to find out about our new training opportunities! We will continue to arrange for in-person and virtual sessions of NTG Dementia, Mental Health First Aid, Person-Centred Essentials, and more! Or you can take any of our online programs as you need them – Stride, Venture, and ELEVATE to name a few – register quickly and conveniently and take training when you need it. Register for all our programs and training at sarclearningcentral.ca.
COMPASS News C
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Bring a certified first aid instructor to your organization and train up to 25 employees in Red Cross First Aid! Limits on how many people each organization can send to a COMPASS program per year have been lifted for 2021-2022. Send us your First Aid or Food Safe documents to be reimbursed if you are over the originally stated limits.
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Supported Employment Success – launching in spring 2022 We are very pleased to let you know that Supported Employment Success (SES) will be launching in Spring of this year! You won’t want to delay in registering for this online professional development opportunity for employment professionals. It covers everything you need to know to support someone experiencing disability to find, obtain, and maintain employment.
Update on E&T Events and Initiatives Venture Are you a new supervisor, or do you have a new supervisor that started at your work? Register for Venture – an online program that is meant for up and coming supervisors, or those who are wanting to enhance their skills! Ready to learn more about Venture? Visit sarclearningcentral. ca/programs/venture!
Don’t want to travel? Let us come to you – virtually or in-person In the last six months we have delivered training virtually to many organizations who are interested in training their employees as a group. We offer organizations this option with many of our programs – Person-Centred Essentials, NTG Dementia, Mental Health First Aid, and PART to name a few! Inquire today and have our facilitator come to you, virtually or in-person! For more information go to sarclearningcentral@sarcan.sk.ca.
Please let us know if you have any questions about our in-person, online, and virtual training options – we’re here to help!
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New Opportunities for
Inclusive Employment in Hudson Bay
Porcupine Opportunities Program (POP) has been operational since 1974. It provides residential, vocational, as well as recreational supports and services for roughly 30 adults. In the late 1990’s, the day program in Hudson Bay was formed and continues to support people experiencing disability. They have a very supportive community behind them that allows for quite a few employment opportunities. These include SARCAN, Modeon Theatre, Parkland CO-OP and the Hudson Bay Rink. The supported employment program was introduced 3-4 years ago and it has really given the
participants a great opportunity to contribute and be involved in their community. During the COVID pandemic the participants worked with job coaches to learn how to navigate the new world. They had increased safety and PPE training through SARCAN along with WHMIS training. They also used the downtime to work on further developing their resumes.
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Everyone has done really well considering the circumstances. However, one person in particular really stands out. Nathan is newer to our program, coming to us mid pandemic. He was having some issues with the current state of the world and was more comfortable staying home or at the day program. Then late this summer he mentioned he wouldn’t mind working at COOP, so his staff told Jayme Musikov, POP’s Supported Employment Coordinator, and she set things in motion. Luckily Parkland CO-OP had already expressed interest in being a Partner in the community, so after a few phone calls and an interview Nathan had a job at CO-OP! Through job coaching and the wonderful staff at CO-OP, Nathan has become more comfortable with the current world and a lot more confident in himself. Every shift, all the employees greet him as soon as he walks in the door; it gives him a great boost of confidence. He gets along well with all his coworkers and he really enjoys his job. This job opportunity has really helped him excel and grow in all aspects of his life. Now not only does he work at CO-OP, but he also works at the local hockey rink with his fellow participants, where they work as a team to do the rink’s laundry and recycling. Nathan also had great success at the seasonal pop-up store (it was an extension of the Bits N Pieces store that we run in Porcupine Plain) where he greeted customers and helped them find the perfect gift.
Nathan is a true joy to have part of our team and we are so glad to see him become more outgoing, confident and succeeding at work!
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NorthSask Special Needs Continues to Grow
NorthSask Special Needs has had a very eventful year! Despite the many challenges that 2021 brought to LaRonge, NSN was able to welcome many new faces into our new group home, Ty’s House, which opened at the end of 2020. Throughout 2021, we welcomed new clients to the
new group home, including some who had been living away from LaRonge and were now able to move back home. Though COVID restrictions throughout the year proved challenging, NSN staff have worked hard to ensure our new residents are happy and comfortable in their new home.
We held a small outdoor sign unveiling ceremony for the new home to recognize a long time client and friend whom we lost in March, 2021. With his family’s blessing, we were honoured to carry our friend’s legacy and thus, Ty’s House was named. Thanks to Mosquito Workshop who donated their time and materials for our beautiful new sign. The NSN Day Program continues to grow, and staff continue to amaze everyone with their innovative ways to support clients and engage with the community during unpredictable circumstances. With the opening of the new group home also came an additional four SILP suites. These apartments are located above Ty’s house, and have space for up to six SILP clients. We have welcomed four new SILP clients, who are adjusting well in their new homes, one of whom was able to find full time employment a few blocks from home!
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Kinsmen Manor Welcomes Old Friends During the holidays Pre-pandemic, Kinsmen Manor was a very busy and active place with visitors from the community regularly stopping by for coffee, recreational programming and volunteering. However, for the past 20 months, there has been a hold on welcoming the public in to the building in efforts to keep both residents and team members safe and healthy. On December 18th, 2021, for the first time since the pandemic began, Elmwood welcomed corporate partners Galon Insurance and Mortgage Brokers in for a joyful Christmas Party and Reunion. Galon Insurance and Mortgage Brokers has been an important partner of Elmwood Residences for the past several years with the highlight for residents being the annual Christmas Party. This annual celebration was launched in 2019, moved virtual in 2020 and was a welcomed treat to be held in person once again this past holiday season. “The residents absolutely loved it! It’s been 20 months of some pretty intense precautions to ensure
everybody is safe and with risk mitigation measures in place we feel very pleased that we were able to make this celebration possible in 2021.” said Elmwood’s Executive Director, Rachael Steinke. With enhanced precautions in place, including proof of vaccination and rapid testing Galon Team members in attendance, it was a great opportunity to come together in a safe way over the holiday season. Residents were given gifts personalized to their interests, enjoyed hot chocolate and some good old fashioned visiting! Galon Staff was even wished well through the singing of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” led by resident Mary-Ann before their departure. Elmwood looks forward to continuing its ability to safely welcome the community into the Manor and Community Homes. We are in a very different place from last year, having access to vaccines and rapid testing making us confident that 2022 will be a different year filled with more connection and inclusion opportunities.
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Cosmo’s 50th Year Finishes with a Flourish
Cosmo’s theme for this past October’s Disability Employment Awareness Month (DEAM) was ‘Building a Stronger Workforce.’ Our jobseekers are proud to work in their community and working together with them, employers and Cosmo’s employment specialists create diverse and inclusive employment. Several job seekers participated in a professional development opportunity to learn about Soft Skills and Safety in the Workplace. The soft skills covered communication, enthusiasm and attitude, and teamwork. Each course included a short learning period followed by a fun activity. Natural leaders emerged, others were amazing helpers, and everyone had words of encouragement for their group members.
The safety portion of the session included: the 3 R’s, slips, trips and falls, and proper use of gloves and masks. The YouTube sensation, ‘Rod Stickman’, helped teach them all about safety in the workplace.
By the end of the safety session they knew their 3 R’s: the right to know, the right to participate and the right to refuse. Everyone who attended received two certificates acknowledging their participation.
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On November 24th, 2021, Miners Construction hosted a 50th anniversary breakfast celebration for Cosmo Industries. The centerpiece of this event was the presentation of the Howard Stensrud Spirit of Cosmo Award to the Kinsmen Club of Saskatoon. The award is given out annually to an individual, group or business which has made a significant contribution to enhancing the lives of persons with intellectual and related disabilities in Saskatoon. Over 300 members of the public, program participants and family attended the breakfast.
Prairieland Park made the event look like the Academy Awards with multiple video screens and a gigantic multiplex television hanging above the stage. At each table were 8 different placemats decorated by participants as well as a vase with flowers created out of recycled paper. The Spirit of Cosmo breakfast was also a fundraiser for Cosmo’s ‘Building Miracles’ project. Thanks to sponsors, ticket buyers, a raffle and a silent auction, $80,000 was raised for the renovation of our Business Services area from its current 1970’s industrial setting to a 21st century environment that will include non-slip flooring, energy efficient lighting, and accessible washrooms.
Plans are being made for another Spirit of Cosmo Breakfast to be held in November of 2022. Cosmo continuously accepts nominations for the Award. Nomination criteria and the online form can be found at cosmoindustries.com.
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Pipestone KinAbility Swings
into accessible park equipment
15 business in town to let them know about the Liberty Swing Project. It was amazing to see the commitment from our community partners and monetary donations started rolling in immediately. Community partners were also very generous in donating their time, resources, and expertise to help get this project off the ground. Our Community Partners hosted a Christmas Party, Craft Shows, Buzz Cuts on Main, Town BBQ’s and many other community functions where the profits were redirected as donations to the swing. In just over one year we were able to order the swing and begin the planning for installation! Covid slowed down the installation and Grand Opening process but we were very happy to officially open the swing in 2021.
Helping to break down the barriers to accessibility is important to Pipestone KinAbility Centre Inc. One summer day after the participants at PKC were at the park, we decided that this community needed a Wheelchair Accessible Swing. And so, the journey began to find a CSA approved Wheelchair Accessible Swing. When we found the Liberty Swing we immediately knew the project was a little more than we bargained for. We reached out to the local Kinettes and they were happy to partner with us to help make this dream a reality. They had worked with the Town of Moosomin to create Kin-Park at Bradley Park and the town was excited about the addition to the park we proposed. Pipestone KinAbility Centre Inc. participants and staff went to every
Having a Liberty Swing in Moosomin has drawn lots of positive attention to our town and highlighted the fact that this community is actively working towards creating inclusive accessible environments for everyone to enjoy.
The Town of Moosomin Parks and Recreation division awarded Pipestone Kin-Ability Centre Inc. the 2020-2021 Community Councilor’s Award for their lasting contribution to Parks and Recreation in Moosomin with the installation of the Liberty Swing.
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SaskAbilities working with City to enhance inclusive employment in Swift Current If you’re heading to the City of Swift Current’s Recycle Depot, there are a few things that you can be guaranteed: outstanding customer service, expert guidance to handle sorting your recyclables, and that by using the City’s Recycle Depot, you’re supporting inclusive employment for people experiencing disability. “The City of Swift Current has enjoyed a partnership with SaskAbilities to provide recycling services to the community for the past twenty years, including the operation of the Swift Current Recycle Depot since 2008,” said Mitch Minken, General Manager of Infrastructure & Operations for the City of Swift Current. “It is extremely rewarding to collaborate with the SaskAbilities team to help fulfill their mission of building inclusive communities for people of all abilities, while at the same time providing a valuable service to the citizens of Swift Current. This is a true win-win for our community.” When SaskAbilities took over sole operation of the Recycle Depot in 2008, one of the employees that started his employment journey was Kyle Froese, a recycling technician. A 2014 SARC Al McGuire Award Winner, Kyle still enjoys the camaraderie his job provides. “I love seeing the happy customers,” he said. "It makes
me want to be happy for all of them!” Recycle Depot Supervisor Brian Lemay says the positive attitudes and enthusiasm of all staff members serve to enhance the customer experience at the Depot. “The customers love chatting with the staff and working together. The staff is really good at sorting and getting things into the right bins.”
17 Brian adds that the staff members are very dedicated, and the Depot enjoys a very low turnover rate. “Kyle has been here for 13 years, and Scott Friesen, another employee, has been here for 11 years, so they are veterans. Staff do their jobs well, we all have fun, and we help customers the best we can and enjoy that interaction with them as well.” Staff members at the Recycle Depot are responsible for educating and guiding customers on what materials are accepted at the facility. Their support for the City’s residential recycling service is well-used as well. The City of Swift Current Recycle Depot greets between 700-800 customers in a typical week, leading to the diversion of a whopping 750 tonnes from the city landfill each year. This valuable service consistently supports the work SaskAbilities does within the community to exemplify and amplify opportunities for inclusive employment.
Thanks to community partners like the City of Swift Current, SaskAbilities is able to continue providing supported employment for persons of all abilities, while promoting more sustainable choices in southwest Saskatchewan!
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Light It Up! for NDEAM a Huge Success
Since 2010, SARC has worked with the Government of Saskatchewan to annually proclaim the month of October as Disability Employment Awareness Month (DEAM). Each October, SARC and its over 100 Members host events to celebrate employers who have created inclusive workplaces that include people experiencing disability. This year saw numerous events throughout the province to celebrate DEAM, including employer coffee breaks, numerous social media posts promoting inclusive employers, and an employer engagement virtual event. SARC also joined a national campaign aimed at bringing awareness to inclusive hiring and the benefits an employer can see by hiring people experiencing disability. In 2020, the Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN) held a provincial campaign called Light It Up! for NDEAM (National Disability Employment Awareness Month). In 2021, they determined to make Light it Up! for NDEAM a bigger success and invited provinces and territories across Canada to light up buildings, landmarks, and structures in purple and blue lights to bring
awareness to inclusive hiring. SARC was delighted to participate and asked SARC Members and numerous groups from across the province to join us – the event was a huge success! On the night of October 21, 2021, 320 municipal landmarks, businesses, and organizations in 111 cities and towns across Canada participated in the first national Light It Up! for NDEAM campaign. We are proud that in Saskatchewan, 44 municipal landmarks, businesses, and organizations across 12 communities joined SARC in lighting up the sky through a variety of creative ways. Some buildings and structures were covered with purple and blue lights while other organizations used purple and blue light bulbs inside their buildings. One person wrapped a string of purple lights around themselves as they visited inclusive employers within their community. SARC is proud to have shown Canada that Saskatchewan is the land of living skies, and they were shining purple and blue that night! However, this national campaign is not just about the lights - it’s about building awareness. Lighting up landmarks and buildings in purple and blue lights is meant to start conversations and to bring
awareness to the many benefits an employer can reap when they build inclusive workplaces by hiring people experiencing disability. We are seeing these benefits in so many communities across Saskatchewan, and we have highlighted some success stories through other articles in this issue of the Update.
The 2021 event sparked many discussions with employers across Canada, and in October 2022 we hope to see more buildings and landmarks throughout Saskatchewan, lighting up the sky. Together, let’s show Canada how brightly Saskatchewan can shine while bringing awareness to, and promoting inclusive workplaces.
Clockwise from top: Weyburn Group Home Society; Humboldt City Hall; The University of Saskatchewan President’s Residence; SARC Main Office in Saskatoon; SARCAN Recycling; Lights in Victoria Park, Regina; BTEC; Autism Services of Saskatoon; Employee at Munch Cafe and Catering.
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SARC 111 Cardinal Crescent Saskatoon, SK 306 - 933 - 0616 contact@sarcan.sk.ca www.sarcsarcan.ca