3 minute read
VALID Celebrates Growth
VALID Celebrates Growth
Rosanne Fortier - News Correspondent
Vegreville Association for Living in Dignity (VALID) supports persons with developmental disabilities in community inclusion and lifelong learning.
VALID’s vision is to empower individuals to be valued members of the community.
These values were showcased at the Annual General Meeting on September 24 at Vegreville Legion Hall.
Board Chair Rhonda Manz reported that this past year marked their 65 years of service to their community. “Reaching this anniversary is a true testament to the vision of our founders, the commitment of our staff, the dedication of our Board, and the support of our community.
This year, the Board undertook a full review of our bylaws.
We also celebrated the continued success of the Pot O Gold Thrift Store. We have nine individuals employed here.
Another highlight was achieving 100% on our Creating Excellence Together (CET) survey.
Perhaps what we are most proud of, however, is the feedback we’ve received from our employees. Our staff report high levels of job satisfaction, and a genuine sense of belonging within our organization.”
Executive Director Lana Syms shared that VALID has advanced their strategic goals over the past year. She was proud to say that 2025 has been a year of meaningful progress across all areas of their plan. The goals they have achieved were enhanced program diversification through the purchase of six additional vending machines, raised community awareness, expanded employment opportunities, placed special focus on staff recruitment and retention, continued to demonstrate commitment to responsible board management and diversity, and worked diligently to ensure the financial stability and long-term viability of their organization.
For the Recommended Slate of Officers, Kim Weinkauf agreed to renew her term.
At the Recognition Awards Presentation, Tim Hortons was the recipient of the Outstanding Community Employment Award for their kindness and commitment to employing individuals.
Vegreville News Advertiser was awarded the VALID Board of Directors Community Inclusion Award. Syms went on to express that VNA covers so many of their community events, which creates community inclusion, knowledge, and awareness.
Dan Beaudette said they appreciate everything that VALID does for the community and the people that they serve. VNA will continue to be there for this organization as much as possible.
When Beaudette was asked to comment on how the individuals are instrumental in the success of VNA, he replied, “We have two employees from VALID at the present time. It has been around 30 years that we have been employing VALID clients for the delivery of papers. They have been very reliable.”
After that, Samantha Humphries was awarded the Staff Recognition of Excellent Award.
Connie Barratt was the recipient of the Marg Imesch Memorial Award of Employee Excellence.
Team Pot O Gold was presented with the Team Building Award of Excellence for their teamwork for the betterment of VALID.
