Subscribe to our Newsletter
COR Supports
Meet Our COR Family: Casey Sakires
Hello! I am Casey! I am the Employee Experience Advisor. Primarily I am that familiar face for new supports as they are interviewed, on-boarded, and begin their journey with COR. I have been at COR for 3 years now! The way that I found out about COR was that I actually saw a posting for the Director of People and Culture role. I began exploring the website and inquiring about the organization – everything resonated with me. I don’t even know how much time I ended up spending watching every video and reading all about COR. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard of COR before! I ended up applying; I didn’t get hired for that role, but ended up being offered a new position – Employee Experience Advisor! And…. here we are 3 years later…. Time flies!
I have many favourite projects that I am involved with at COR! Most notable would be 100 Acts of Kindness, the Golden Ticket, and Employee Appreciation. I think the 100 Acts of Kindness would be my favourite! Shifting internally last year through Covid – doing a 3-hour Facebook Live Event where we read nominations for our awesome #CORFam for being awesome and seeing people come to the office and receive their nomination and receive their COR swag was awesome! It was amazing to see everyone again and there was a buzz around CORhq!
I think my proudest moments are seeing people grow through the organization. There have been people we have interviewed as supports who we hired and who have grown into Key Supports and Team Leaders. Seeing them grow through COR has been inspiring! Some advice that I have for people who want to join the COR family is that we always try to keep our interviews as relaxed as possible and more of a conversation while getting to know each other – just be your true authentic self. Our interviews are all values based; just be yourself and don’t stress about the ‘interview’. I would also recommend anyone who wants to make a difference in someone’s life to check us out and apply to be a support. When we are looking through resumes we are looking for that heart and genuine interest and passion in being that positive person in someone’s life, so make sure that interest and passion shine through! I’ve never been part of an organization that genuinely cares so much about its employees and community!
Fun facts about me:
- My favorite book is 4 agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
- In my spare time I like to be with my family, Workout, play flag/touch football, or do anything active!
Meet Our COR Family: Jonathan Mathieson
Hi! I am Jonathan! I am the Finance and Administrative Assistant at COR. My role involves the support of day-to-day accounting operations, including accounts payable and accounts receivable, maintaining accurate records of COR’s financial transactions, ensuring accurate administration of employee benefit and pension plans, ensuring employee expense reports are reviewed monthly and submitted for payroll processing, assisting with the annual budgeting process, along with filing, reporting, ordering office supplies and opening, sorting and distributing incoming correspondence.
I first learned about COR through a referral. I was very intrigued as I was pursuing a kinesiology degree and had lots of exposure to people with disabilities as my mother was born deaf. I joined COR as part-time support in 2019, after completing my volunteering hours for my course through the University of Regina. At the time, I was working full-time with the Ministry of Finance and eventually left my full-time position to become full-time at COR in 2022.
My favourite initiative at COR would have to be the development and implementation of efficient processes. I have created a custom premium deduction calculator and I have implemented a plethora of automated processes into my day-to-day operations! I have had many proud moments at COR. It is vague, however, my proudest moment would have to be seeing the growth and development of the individuals I was supporting. It is extremely fulfilling to see someone adopt healthy habits in their day-to-day lives. The advice that I would give to COR candidates is to be yourself! COR is a diverse workplace that embraces everyone’s unique individuality. As an organization, COR has been steadily growing. If you’re looking for a place where you can grow as a person and grow your career, COR might just be the perfect fit for you!
Fun facts about me:
- My favourite book would have to be rich dad poor dad. This book gives a great perspective on the value of money and creating generational wealth.
My favourite quote would have to be “Fail to plan, plan to fail”. I believe that people are more efficient at whatever they want to do if they are very intentional with their actions.
- In my free time, I enjoy staying healthy and active through weight lifting, running, and recreational sports such as football, ultimate Frisbee, boxing, and dodgeball. I enjoy channeling my creativity through photography and videography. I also value spending time with friends and family.
Meet Our COR Family: Param Singh
Hi, I’m Param! I have been a key support at COR since June 2019! The way I heard about COR was when my classmate in Yorkton was telling me about it when I was moving to Regina (her friend used to be a support at COR)! There are many things that I love about COR, but I absolutely love the COR studio activities! They are always so inclusive and fun! Whenever I get the chance to go for an activity with someone I support, I always have a good time whether it is art, ipad classes, or games!
One of my proudest moments at COR is when I can change my support’s mental space and help them come back to a safe place where they feel confident again after a rough day. My advice to anyone who is thinking about becoming a support would be to be open-minded, responsible, accept people for who they are, and help them be their best selves. I always try to bring as much positivity into the house when individuals are having a bad day.
Fun Facts about me!
My favourite quote is “there is no such thing as a neutral exchange. You leave someone either a little better or a little worse.”-Dale Carnegie.”
- I can break eggs with one hand
- In my spare time, I play video games, go to the gym, go for a bike ride, go for a walk, or cook!
Sexuality and Disability Conference featured on CTV News Regina
‘Healthy, loving relationships just like the rest of us’: Talking sexuality for those with intellectual disability
Published
On Friday, Inclusion Regina hosted a conference to talk about education and health when it comes to sex for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Alan Martino, an assistant professor of community health sciences from the University of Calgary said it’s a good opportunity to highlight a topic that is taboo in society.
“What I see with talking to people with disabilities is that they want to have relationships, they want to have that intimate experience,” he said.
Martino was the keynote speaker at the conference, but the allure of it was the panel of speakers who have had experiences while living with intellectual disabilities.
Heather Hind was one of the speakers, and she is not letting anything stop her from living her life to the fullest.
“Well the boyfriend I have right now, it’s kind of rocky some days, we kind of, like get into arguments, but I had a daughter with him and she’s eight already,” Hind told CTV.
Speaking on the panel with four other members, she spoke about inclusivity, sex health, and her own learning experiences.
Speaking to the room of over 100 people, she said she first learned about sex education in elementary school, but said she could have learned a lot more, especially when it comes to feelings.
Taking a 10 week sexual health and wellness program put on by Creative Options Regina called ‘Tell it like it is,’ Hind was able to express herself, and talk about feelings associated with romantic relationships and sex.
“Had you had a chance to talk about your feelings like that before?” asked Natalya Mason, panel host and one of the events organizers.
“Not really, no,” Hind responded.
When Mason asked Brad, another panelist, if he thought people with disabilities are interested in sex and relationships, has response was an elated, ‘For sure!’
The panelists themselves gave advice from their own experiences, like getting to know someone before you ask them out and wearing condoms to protect from pregnancy, as well as sexually transmitted diseases.
Those hosting the conference said it’s important for people living with intellectual disabilities to be educated on the topic, but also those who care for them.
“I think it’s really critical that they themselves, but also people who support them, family members, caregivers, have access to information that’s relevant, that’s up to date and that’s engaging,” said Mason.
Moreover, she said conferences like this allow the stigma around sex and relationships for those individuals to be put to bed.
“Love, intimacy, it doesn’t come with a guide, so we kind of learn as we go, and I think that right, that opportunity should be granted to people with disabilities as well,” said Martino.
Mason could not agree more.
“At the end of the day, everyone has the literal human right to relationships, to love, to privacy to inclusion. One thing I always say is pleasure is a human right, so it’s really, really critical that everyone has the opportunity to be involved in these conversations. 
Meet Our COR Family: Dante Curti
Hi! I am Dante! I have been with COR for 7 months and currently am a support for three boys! One of my favorite things about being at COR is being able to witness the boys laugh, smile and interact is something which truly brings me a lot of joy. One of my proudest moments while being a support would be witnessing the boys grow into such amazing humans. Each individual has faced so much adversity and to see them push through it with the help of our team, brings me great pride. They have come such a long way and will only continue to progress. It makes me feel very proud of them.
My advice for anyone that is thinking about becoming a support at COR is to not be afraid to ask questions! Being a support can generate a lot of questions and one thing that I have learned is that every person at COR is here to help, and you are not alone!
Fun facts:
My favorite quote is, “Follow your own path and let the people talk.” -Dante Alighieri
During my free time, I like to play video games, go to the gym, hang out with friends, cook, and take my dog for walks.