We are excited to share an article featured in the SARC Winter Update on the 2022 Prairie Sexuality & Disability Conference. We are still beaming with pride when thinking back to the event made possible because of all our incredible partners, sponsors, presenters, caterers, and resource distributors! We look forward to seeing everyone at our 2023 conference in Saskatoon. Stay tuned!
Hello! I am Tai! I am a Team Leader at COR and have been here for just over 2 years! I heard about COR while supporting at a different agency. COR had come out with a video for 100 acts of kindness and was giving back to members of the community that made a positive impact around them. It was such a heartwarming gesture; it didn’t take long for me to realize that I would have a very fulfilling career at COR. I have had the amazing opportunity to facilitate some classes. I’m not great at public speaking, but COR and Inclusion Regina gave me the opportunity to facilitate Tell It Like It Is, and the COR Studio allowed me the chance to host an art class in preparation for the Cathedral Arts Festival. I have lots of projects in the works for next summer and can’t wait to get working on them.
I am most proud of my team; we faced a very challenging year and everyone did well in facing the challenges with kindness. The growth I have seen in the individuals we serve has been quite impressive and the credit goes to all the supports! My advice to new COR candidates is don’t be afraid to try new things, and allow yourself to think outside the box. You can make your support times very exciting, and fun with the right mindset.
Quotes that I love:
a reminder to myself that everyone starts in the learning stages and the most important thing to do is try regardless of the outcome. It may work the first time but, highly unlikely.. so it’s okay to get messy.
“Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy”
– Miss Frizzle
Hi, I’m Keir! I’m the People and Culture Advisor! I mainly work within recruitment alongside our Employee Experience Advisor, Casey! In addition, I facilitate payroll for all COR employees alongside Lill! I began my journey with COR working as the Payroll and Benefits Specialist, but quickly moved into what I was really passionate about – people!
I recently celebrated my 2 year anniversary at COR! I’ve been here since late September 2020. Time really flies when you love what you do! I first learned about COR when I was working at PEBA (Public Employees Benefits Agency). I met one of my great friends, JJ Mathieson, who was working full-time at PEBA and supporting overnights at COR. He told me about what he did and that he loved the organization and its culture. From there, I told him to let me know if there were any opportunities to work within COR in a business role! A few months later, he said to me that they were hiring a People and Culture Advisor. I applied for it, didn’t get it, but I was offered a benefits and pension specialist position (very in line with what I was doing at PEBA) and I took it!
My favorite project at COR so far has definitely been Healthy Workplace Month. I spent time over the past year filming different shorts for the COR socials and it was a blast! I’ve realized I’m very camera-shy, but getting out of my comfort zone really stretched me as a person. This year, we’ve decided to garner as many recipes from everyone across the COR family and compile it into a cookbook that everyone can use in their daily life. I’m super stoked to see what recipes come in from who, and try them all out! There are a few major projects at COR that have really strengthened my ability to move through adversity and plan for the future. Before moving to COR, I didn’t have much experience in implementation and planning. I felt very privileged to be able to come into a role that would impact the organization as a whole, as well as to work with incredibly supportive individuals who always had my back through thick and thin!
My advice for prospective COR candidates would be to have an open mind and open heart! Since starting at COR, I’ve really tried to immerse myself in the philosophy of Gentle Teaching and I feel that it’s really impacted how I think, my values, and how I conduct myself on a daily basis. It’s interesting to reflect on prior years and positions I
held in different organizations and see how they compare to COR in terms of culture, philosophy, and structure. I know it sounds cliché, but I really do feel that everyone has my back within COR and that I’m free to take risks and make mistakes without judgment!
Fun Facts about me:
My favorite book is called “Can’t Hurt Me” by David Goggins. It’s an autobiography-style book with some insane stories about persevering through adversity and creating mental toughness within yourself. I think I’ve read it about 3 or 4 times over. I would totally recommend it to anyone who is looking for a brutally honest story about
overcoming obstacles in your life!
I’m a major Dark Knight fan, and I always think back to when he fell down the well in Batman Begins. The quote goes, “Why do we fall, sir? So that we can learn to pick ourselves back up”.
I think this quote is insanely relatable to my life and I can honestly say I hear this quote in my head from Alfred at least once a day! I’m constantly falling down, but it’s having the strength to stand back up, dust myself off, and keep pushing forward that’s so important!
I once had to do a triathlon because I lost a bet with my partner! We were casually chatting about a video game that I play, and I told her it would be impossible for her to reach a “max level” skill in the game. Sadly, she took on the challenge with the prize being me doing a triathlon with her. I laughed in her face but ended up doing the triathlon a few months later…
Hello! I am Julian and I am a Key Support at COR and have been supporting at COR for 5 and a half years now! I first learned about COR through the Kinesiology Program at the University of Regina! Seeing the people I support grow and achieve milestones in their lives has to be one of my favorite moments at COR!
My favorite project at COR had to have been during my undergraduate studies! I was leading the Transit Travel Training Program, which helped people around the community learn conventional bus routes around the city! It made me feel proud to empower them and give them more opportunities for transportation. One of my favorite memories was being thanked as a team by one of the moms. She was emotional to see her son for the first time in around 30 years being engaged with himself and the community.
At COR, you really learn how to come out of your comfort zone. You build strong relationships and friendships with both the people you support and your co-supports. Everyone is so friendly and understanding, it really feels like being a part of one giant family. Seeing the smiles and the memories you make with the people around you makes you really take pride in being a support at COR!
I tore my Achilles two weeks after Kevin Durant.
My favorite book is “You Can’t Hurt Me” by David Goggins
Hi, I’m Matt! My role at COR is the Director of Youth Support. I have the privilege of being involved with and overseeing all of the homes and programs that are specifically for Youth. I’ve been at COR for over 11 years now! It seems like a long time but it has all gone by incredibly quickly. When I finished my Kinesiology Degree I was looking for work while I made the decision of obtaining further schooling in the areas of occupational or physical Therapy. A couple of my university professors were on the Board at COR and I had heard them speak briefly about COR. That intrigued me to look into the disability field and I started searching for jobs in that area. Through my church, Shannon Weibe found out that I was looking for work and encouraged me to look into COR. I took her advice and the rest is history!
I’ve absolutely loved being a part of COR’s decision to serve Youth. From the very beginning, there was so much positive energy and excitement at the thought of being able to help kids and provide them with a loving home and stable environment. The prospect of possibly preventing years of unnecessary trauma and countless transitions really resonated strongly for me. Being involved in coordinating the first youth home in COR and seeing everyone come together and be creative in our approaches and with the unique hurdles that youth face was definitely one of my favorite projects so far. My proudest moments at COR come from my deep-rooted desire to be the best “cheerleader” I can possibly be. My role allows me to see different leaders come and go on a regular basis. There is truly no better feeling for me than seeing Leaders succeed and being able to cheer them on in whatever capacity I can. It could be as significant as taking time to coach and mentor someone, or as simple as sending an encouraging message or bringing food to a meeting to show gratitude. It is a core value of mine to be able to support people and give them the opportunities they need to succeed.
My advice to anyone who is looking to join COR is to embrace the challenge! I think people can sometimes see the work that we all do from a very superficial lens. It looks fun to accompany someone to the park or the mall. It seems very easy to share treats, give hugs, or enjoy a hobby with someone. The truth of the matter is that the work we choose to do is hard. It’s hard because we’re choosing to do things the right way. We’re choosing to invest in people and build on genuine relationships. When you can embrace the challenge and realize that the hard work you’re putting in is bettering the lives of the people you serve, it makes everything worth it.
Fun Facts about me:
I love food. I make it a point to travel based on opportunities to try new and intriguing foods. Sharing food with others is a Love Language of mine and most of my social interactions are based around the food that is involved.
I am an introvert at heart. I enjoy spending time alone recharging my batteries through video games and movies. When I’m feeling a bit more social, golfing and eating at new restaurants is usually how I like to spend my time with others!
Here are the 2022 winners of the Canada’s Healthy Workplace Month Great Employer Award.
| Organization Name | City | Prov | Website | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AGS Rehab Solutions Inc. | Mississauga | ON | https://www.agsrehab.com/ | 2022 |
| Artis REIT | Winnipeg | MB | https://www.artisreit.com/ | 2022 |
| Your Neighbourhood Credit Union | Kitchener | ON | https://www.yncu.com/ | 2022 |
| AudienceView | Toronto | ON | https://www.audienceview.com/ | 2022 |
| CanmetENERGY-Ottawa, Natural Resources Canada | Nepean | ON | https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/offices-labs/canmet/ottawa-research-centre/5753 | 2022 |
| Cardata | Oakville | ON | https://www.cardata.co/ | 2022 |
| CHEO (Pediatric health care and research centre) | Ottawa | ON | https://www.cheo.on.ca/en/index.aspx | 2022 |
| Connecting Care & Points West Living | Edmonton | AB | 2022 | |
| Creative Options Regina | Regina | SK | https://creativeoptionsregina.ca/ | 2022 |
| Grand River Hospital | Kitchener | ON | https://www.grhosp.on.ca/ | 2022 |
| Lethbridge College | Lethbridge | AB | https://lethbridgecollege.ca/ | 2022 |
| Region of Peel | Brampton | ON | https://www.peelregion.ca/ | 2022 |
Hey, my name is Darby! I am the Team Leader within COR Youth and have been at COR for just over 2 years! I first learned about COR while I was pursuing my Bachelor of Kinesiology at the University of Regina. Throughout my time at the university, I had the opportunity to see a few different presentations from COR in my disability studies courses, as well as listen to my professors talk very highly about the organization and the work that COR does. I knew from those experiences that working with people with disabilities was an interest of mine, but it took me a couple of years to fully figure that out after I obtained my degree. Upon completion of my degree, I worked as a Health Coach for a couple of years before realizing that my true passion was not helping people with their fitness goals, but connecting with them and building a relationship that was more meaningful than that. After some soul-searching and researching, I rediscovered COR, applied, then began my journey in 2020.
One of the best things about COR is that everything we do is rooted in building strong, healthy relationships. Whether that is with the people we support, with our team members, or with the community, everything we do is based on Gentle Teaching and that really allows for everyone to feel safe and valued in their relationships, which in turn creates an environment in which we can help support the people we serve to the best of our abilities. As a team leader, I love being able to create a safe space for my team to be vulnerable in as this helps us have more open and honest communication which I find then directly correlates to the strength of our team when supporting the youth that we support.
My proudest moment so far at COR has been around starting up a brand-new youth home with a brand-new team and seeing that team become such strong, incredible supports. I am so proud of my team for continuing to show up even when things were not always easy and constantly working at becoming stronger, more compassionate people both in the boys’ home and out of the home as well.
My advice to prospective candidates is always to be open-minded and ready to be vulnerable when it comes to building relationships with the people that we support. The key to success is being genuine and bringing the best version of yourself to the table. There will be times when things get tough and Gentle Teaching may not make sense, but don’t be afraid to ask questions and maybe sit in some discomfort to really begin to understand the beauty of Gentle Teaching.
Fun Facts about me:
If I were to choose a favourite book, I would probably have to pick “Radically Happy” because it was such a relaxing book to read and it gave me many tools to use when I am feeling stressed or overwhelmed.
My favourite quote is, “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.”
Some things that I enjoy doing in my free time include working out, playing with my dogs, reading, playing video games, and having coffee/connecting with my friends.
