Meet the COR Family: Kristy Dupperault

Hi there, my name is Kristy, and I am the Director of Support Services and a Licensed Practical Nurse at COR. I have been with COR for 2.5 years, and it continues to be an amazing journey!

I first learned about COR’s culture and philosophy when I took my first Gentle Teaching training from Michael at Hope’s Home over 8 years ago. I have always admired COR’s success in supporting some of the most complex people in our province, and I am blessed to be a part of this amazing team.

My favourite project at COR has been building relationships with all the people at COR. They teach me more than I can ever teach them, and I feel grateful to be a part of their lives. My proudest moment at COR was when we successfully transitioned a person into their first apartment and watched them thrive independently.

For prospective COR candidates, my advice is to join us! COR has a positive and fun work culture, and you will make a significant impact on people’s everyday lives. There are many layers of support at COR, and you will never feel alone in your work.

Fun Facts about me:

When I am not working, I love to celebrate all things! I enjoy crafting, party planning, and attending concerts. I also love to cheer on my three kids and husband at all of their events, and I love to travel. Recently, I had an amazing vacation in France to see our oldest son. We toured Paris and Dunkirk and even saw a little bit of Belgium. It was fantastic to see all the Parisian sites! My favourite book is The Ride of a Lifetime by Robert Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company, and my favourite quote is “Struggle and Emerge,” which is from my Alma matter, Athol Murray College of Notre Dame. I hope you enjoyed learning a bit more about me and COR!

Gentle Teaching Stories: “It has opened my mind to an entirely different way of understanding people”

Meet the COR Family: Haley Zora-Boersch

Hi there! I am Haley! I am COR’s registered dietician! I have been a part of the COR family since April 2022! Although I have been at COR for a short amount of time, I have loved being a part of the health team and felt so comfortable and valuable immediately! I first learned about COR from my sister-in-law, Mandy Boersch, who is the Director of Mental Health at COR and coaxed me back from Halifax to work here (and I’m so happy she did!). My favorite part about being at COR has been rapport-building and getting to know the people we serve. Everyone is so unique and wonderful in their own way. My proudest moments are after the Friday cooking classes when people try food that they’ve made themselves and realize they like it- especially when they were sure they wouldn’t. Also, their excitement and when they’re proud in themselves, make me feel really accomplished.

My advice for prospective COR candidates is to always be learning and growing because education and knowledge are so valuable. This doesn’t necessarily mean formal education, but life experience and always being curious will help immensely!

Fun facts about me!

  • My favorite book right now is “Field Guide to the Haunted Forest”
  • Random facts about me – I’m a cancer survivor (lymphoma), I ride motorcycles, and I have a collection of framed animal bones/ bugs, some of which I’ve found on hikes.
  • I’m quite active in my free time and have made a point of trying new things lately. I’ve played ringette for many years, we have a group of us that recently started CrossFit, I’ve been trying pole fitness, and very recently started rugby pre-season training.

An Empathetic Approach to Workplace Wellbeing: Our Interview with Creative Options Regina

An Empathetic Approach to Workplace Wellbeing: Our Interview with Creative Options Regina

Updated: May 1

CMHA Mental Health Week is all about sharing stories. At Headway, we love sharing stories of how others are making strides to improve mental health in the workplace. Throughout the week, we will be sharing best practises from interviews with experts and leaders working to champion mental health in their organizations. We hope it inspires your team to take action!

In our latest blog, we sat down with Casey Sakires from Creative Options Regina (COR) to learn more about their mental health initiatives and how they are creating a culture of balance and wellness by leading with empathy.

 

Founded in 2009, Creative Options Regina (COR) is a for-impact, charitable organization that develops personalized support services for people experiencing disabilities. They recognize the unique and often emotionally draining circumstances their employees can work under when caring for vulnerable populations day-to-day, leading them to a “care for the caregiver” approach to employee well-being.

We became familiar with COR as a fellow recipient of a Canadian Workplace Wellness Award for excellence in mental health and wellness initiatives. Through our own Headway initiative, we look to shine a spotlight on businesses championing mental health and share best practices to inspire other leaders to take action. We sat down with Casey Sakires, Employee Experience Advisor with COR, to learn more about his company’s balanced approach to wellness and why open, honest dialogue is key to creating a mentally safe environment.

According to Casey, these are some of the initiatives they’ve seen success with:

Judgment-free debriefs.

If someone has had a challenging day, a judgment-free conversation will help them make peace with the emotions inside. Casey mentioned that team members can debrief with anyone they desire from the CEO to directors to coordinators, all judgment-free. This enables a strong support system so employees will not have to suffer in silence and bottle up their emotions which we know can put a strain on our physical and mental health.

Collaboration with community professionals.

COR understands that stress can come from anywhere and prioritizes caring for the caregiver so that they can provide the best care possible for those they serve. This inspired COR to consult with experts in various areas to focus on the holistic health of their supports. For example, finance experts from CPA Saskatchewan, RBC, CIBC, and Leipert Financial conducted sessions to help ease the financial stress that employees were burdened with. It better equipped the teams with financial know-how, and people made real community connections that lived on beyond the sessions, enabling more trust and rapport.

Enabling personal initiatives.

COR takes it upon itself to facilitate well-being in the workplace and enable employees to fulfill their well-being journeys outside of work. To round out the body element of their holistic approach, COR offers employee discounts on gym memberships, yoga classes, and spin classes in collaboration with local businesses. These are done as a fitness bursary everyone can take advantage of to improve their physical health which we know can help ease mental health struggles as well.

When it comes to new learnings, Casey says the shift from in-person to virtual was a learning experience for their team:

When the pandemic hit and the world became unfamiliar, COR learned to rely on its central purpose to guide them. Their central purpose is to ensure people experience connectedness, companionship, and community. They acted through intentional listening and learning directly from employees to better understand their needs and the needs of their loved ones. Knowing what was uniquely important to each member allowed them to respond meaningfully to best support COR employees as they continued to endure the pandemic. During the pandemic and still today, success to COR is knowing that their workforce feels safe and valued, making psychological safety paramount. And while COR managed to stay connected during the pandemic, their employees are glad to be back to interacting more in-person today, as this improves the impact of their wellbeing initiatives that much more.

We want to thank Casey and Creative Options Regina for sharing the ups and downs of their well-being journey. We hope these learnings will inspire your company to consider new ways of working and create a mentally healthier workplace.

Read the full article here.

Designed to inspire action, our Headway Program helps business leaders take the next step toward creating mentally healthy workplaces. Navigating this complex topic can be tough. Our team can help with resources, tools, and a tailored plan based on your unique needs. Email us at headway@sklarwilton.com.

Meet the COR Family: Landon Gordon

Hi there! I am Landon! I am the Youth Experience Advisor at COR! I have been at COR for 12 years now and first started as a support which eventually led me to become a key support, and team leader, and then to the position I am in today! Believe it or not, I actually found out about COR through Kijiji! One of my favorite projects is helping start new teams! It is so amazing to watch the progress of the people we support as well as watch the progress of their teams! One of my favorite parts of COR is just being there! It is such a great organization and supports people in the best way possible! If I had any advice for anyone who is thinking about joining COR, it’s that COR is a great place filled with even better people.

Fun facts about me! 

  • My favorite book is S. by Doug Dorst
  • My favorite quote is “Happiness is a journey, not a destination.”

  • In my spare time, I like to visit with friends and family.

Gentle Teaching Stories: “There is no need for force when someone just wants to be understood and heard.”

Meet Our COR Family: Shannon Wiebe

Hello!!  My name is Shannon. I am one of the mentors and have been with COR for the past five years. I also facilitate Coaching and Gentle Teaching Training, as well as complete Personal Outcomes.  My days are filled with many different and meaningful opportunities to connect with others. From spending time with those we support and their families to all of you! Prior to COR, I was the Coordinator with Regina Residential Services Co-management Committee.  For 18 years, I had the privilege of planning with families.

I always look forward to the summer BBQ’s when I visit with families who share with me how happy they are that their son or daughter is living a purposeful, meaningful, and loving life. A few of my favorite memories over the years have been 100 Acts of Kindness, cardboard box sledding, and chats I have with families.  I also am inspired when someone says to me –

“Guess what I did?”

This could be someone we are supporting who tried something new,  just got a job, met up for coffee with someone, or learned how to garden. It could also be someone I’m mentoring who conquered one of their own personal goals. I’m cheering for all of you!!

Fun Facts about me!

  • My favorite book is my Bible!

One of my favorite quotes is –“Humility is the most beautiful virtue that we can develop”- Joyce Myer.

  • Something people are surprised to learn about me is that I have my motorbike license.   My husband and I enjoy taking trips on the bike together. The farthest we have gone is Monterey Bay, California. In my free time I enjoy walking our dogs, Murphy and Mochaccino, reading,  journaling and spending time with my grandkids (and the rest of my family too) 😉

Meet Our COR Family: Alexa Kupchyk

Hi, I’m Alexa! I am a support worker for individuals who experience intellectual disabilities. I have been at COR for about 5 years now and first learned about it through a friend after hearing about how much he enjoyed his work at COR! I am currently a part-time support since I am in school at the moment! I have completed my Bachelor of Arts in psychology and sociology, and currently in my third year of a bachelor’s in social work! I am very interested in pursuing a Masters in social work with a focus on counseling so I can become a counselor for people with disabilities one day! Another aspect of COR I am a part of is being the creative encourager! I also teach a dance class during the spring and summer! I have been teaching my dance class for a couple of years now and I really enjoy getting to meet and teach different individuals! Often times I end up learning new dance moves from the people who come to the class which is always a blast!

My proudest moment at COR was when I supported an individual during a difficult evening, and just my presence and the relationship I had built with them leading up to that moment allowed the individual to be very vulnerable and honest with me about their feelings. I felt proud that they felt comfortable enough with me to open up, and also that they were able to express how they felt in a healthy way which is something we had been working on for a long time. My relationship with that individual has only continued to grow since then and even though I am no longer on their team, I still see them as much as possible and I consider them a true lifelong friend. My advice for prospective COR candidates is to go in with an open mind and learn as much as you can! COR offers so many incredible training courses that help make us not only better supports, but better people too. I’ve found myself using lots of what I learned in training and through support in my daily life.

Fun facts about me!
-My favourite quote is “failure means you tried”. Trying new things and getting creative is one of my favorite things to do as a support and a creative encourager. Even if things don’t go as planned, I know I tried which is always better than doing nothing. We can always learn from failure, but we can’t learn from doing nothing.
-In my free time I enjoy going to the gym, kickboxing, and spending time with friends and family. I am truly blessed to have so many incredible people in my life and I love being able to spend as much time with them as possible.
-A fun fact about me is that I love adventures and anything that gets my adrenaline pumping! I have been skydiving twice now, and my next big adventure will hopefully be swimming with sharks!