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Exploring our Vision, Mission and Values Statements

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In celebrating our fifth anniversary, COR’s Board of Director’s and Management Team took time to reflect on our efforts to forge out meaningful opportunities for people experiencing disability in Regina, SK. If you have ever wondered what COR’s Vision, Mission and Values Statements are, look no further!

Vision Statement

COR will foster a culture of gentleness by nurturing authentic relationships, embracing diversity and supporting people to live the life they choose.

Mission Statement

COR develops innovative support that facilitates opportunities for personally meaningful growth and interdependent relationships where people feel safe and valued.

Mandate Statements

  • COR will provide support in accordance with the contractual obligations of its funders within the framework of Gentle Teaching and Person Centeredness.
  • Support through COR is tailored to reflect the individuality of people.
  • COR is a culture of continuous learning that puts people’s dignity and respect as its foundational principle.

Values Statements

  • COR respects the value and individuality of all people.
  • COR values interdependence and recognizes the strengths of all.
  • COR values the opportunity of full participation for every citizen.
  • COR fosters a culture of ongoing reflection and continuous learning.
  • COR respects the autonomy of every individual.
  • COR seeks to empower individuals to live the life they choose.

Goals

  • To develop and facilitate flexible, personalized supports for individuals experiencing disability.
  • To support an individual regardless of their abilities when appropriate resources are available.
  • To ensure support is designed to meet what matters most to the individuals we serve.
  • To collaborate with an individual’s personal and professional network to promote success.
  • To welcome, encourage and support the involvement of families and personal networks in the lives of the individuals and all aspects of the organization.
  • To develop partnerships with community organizations who share a common vision.
  • To maintain a fiscally responsible organization.

Watch out Gordon Ramsey… COR is in the Kitchen

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Over the course of my time supporting at COR, I noticed that with different supports came different quality of  foods being prepared.  I know, I know this is a strange thing to notice. But for a foodie like me (one who loves to eat and cook!) it raised a few questions.  I knew that we were supporting our individuals and friends relationally  and emotionally, but I continued to question whether or not we were  physically equipping them with healthy options for meals and snacks. Perhaps though a greater question was looming in my mind: Do all the supports know the basic’s of cooking?

After a couple conversations with Michael Lavis and a few months of pondering how to get started, I threw caution to the wind and hosted a night of food and fun at my house. It began with my team! There were six of us in attendance and the meal plan was set!

It was my goal to create a four course meal, that could easily be transformed into several different meals by making slight adjustments in cooking techniques.

 

APPETIZER: Guacamole & Chips

We picked this as a healthy snack alternative. This 5 ingredient dip is not only simple to make but a healthy alternative to a store bought dip. The dip also pumps a person full of nutirents and helps fill you up more than a traditional cream based dip.

 

SALADS: Coleslaw and Potatoe Salad

These are two salads that are staples to any summer picnic. I picked these salads to make as a healtier alternative to store bought dressings and premade salads. It was a  great way to show supports that both salads have the same ingredients but by adding relish, the coleslaw dressing is transformed into a dressing that defines  potatoe salad.

 

MAIN COURSE: Chicken Shishkabobs and Rice

Using the ingredients for chicken shishkabobs I was able to explain how cooking them in a different way (on the stove top) you could easily make a stirfry. The marinade then becomes a sauce when boiled over the stove.

 

DESSERT: Chocolate Brownie with icing

My mama told me that dessert is for when friends come over: case and point!

 

We had a  blast! It was fun to learn together, laugh together and make mistakes together. Cooking doesn’t have to be scary and when done with friends it lends itself to be more than a meal, it becomes a memory.

If you are interested in participating in another COR Support cooking class, watch for emails and updates on the COR Facebook page and from your Team Leaders. This is a great way to get connected within COR and get a free meal out of it as well!

Ben, COR Support

Family is not just a thing, it is everything!

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In 500 words or less what makes me love working at COR…well how about in one word, “Family”. I am a very casual employee at COR. On average, since I started in August 2011, I have worked nine hours a week with Jarrod. But since August 2011 those nine hours a week have provided some of my most cherished memories. What’s more, those nine hours a week have helped me stay connected to a community, and friends that are dear to me.

So in five hundred words, well actually a lot less; I love working at COR because the individual I support makes me feel like I am making a difference, like I am important to him and like our bond has developed organically beyond the roles of support and supported. I compliment the COR philosophy of Gentle Teaching, for my aforementioned feelings, because it reminds me that we can all thrive as individuals, in any situation, if we have autonomy and the freedom to choose.

Mike J. Fox said, “Family is not just a thing, it is everything!” I echo these words about my own Family: my wife and son; my mom, brother and sister; my amazing friends and colleagues; and my main hombre, homie and friend for life – Jarrod, who all mean the world to me.

Said differently, an understanding that family is everything, by working very hard to make you a member of its family and instilling a model of support that creates the feeling of family, is what makes COR different.

Troy, COR Support

 

COR is not like any other job that I have had in the past!

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I heart my job at CORWhen joining the team at Creative Options Regina (COR) I had no idea what I was getting involved in.

Everything I knew about COR consisted of knowing I would be working with individuals with intellectual disabilities, that I would be there to help improve their quality of life and to help these individuals through their day as a support person. After six months at COR I have realized that this kind of work goes well beyond what I initially believed I would be getting into. As stated by COR itself, we as support workers follow two ideals: “first, giving each person a sense of feeling safe and loved with their caregivers as companions, and second, helping individuals to express love to others, both in the COR community and in the greater community.”

COR is not like any other job that I have had in the past.

Working other jobs, such as retail or customer service, I was able to distance myself as an individual after I left work; with COR this is not the case. The individuals I support in COR have taken on a role in my life, as well as I have theirs. When I am not supporting the individuals I am usually with, I often find myself wondering what they are doing that day, how their day is going and even missing spending time with them. This kind of relationship goes far beyond that of a working relationship. It becomes a friendship. As with any kind of friend you want to see them lead a good life, make good choices, and improve as an individual; these are all qualities closely related to the ideals followed by Gentle Teaching.

It is because of the friendship I have developed with the individuals I support that I believe I maintain a culture of gentleness. I treat the individuals I support the same way I would treat anyone in my life; with patience, tolerance, compassion and happiness. I am able to joke around and have fun with the individuals I support the same way I interact with my friends outside of COR. This is a special relationship that helps us create a healthy environment for these individuals to thrive and grow. Being able to view the individuals within COR in this light is what makes us different from other organizations that use physical restraints, consequences, and the use of reward and punishment for behavioural interventions.   If we used these traditional practices it would hamper the kind of friendship that develops over time with the practice of Gentle Teaching and I would not be a capable support person or friend to the individuals I spend time with. It is because of the Gentle Teaching philosophy that I have come to love my time with COR and look forward to the time I spend with the people I support.

Kelly, COR Support

COR Featured in the Warehouse District Newsletter!

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Well maybe featured is a bit much, but COR had a wonderful writeup published in the City of Regina’s Warehouse District Newsletter – Summer Edition!

The best part was a quote from Brenda Rossow-Kimball, PhD, President of the Board of Directors:

“We support people not clients; we facilitate rather than dictate; we hope to craft companions not employees; and we embrace authentic selves that tell a story of who a person truly is, rather than a fictional self and story created by others that tells the world who you should be.”

Regina's Delightful Warehouse District

 

 

Being Awesome On An iPad – COR Ventures To RDACL!

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Sharing Your Awesome Online from Creative Options Regina (COR) on Vimeo.

This Summer COR has the pleasure of collaborating with the fine, friendly folks at the Regina and District Association for Community Living (RDACL). RDACL has been hosting workshops on how to use an iPad for several months now for folks with intellectual disabilities in the Regina area. So far the feedback has been very positive! They’re helping to enhance one’s quality of life by giving people the tools and knowledge of how to use state of the art technology.

“When you first turn it on or play music for the first time, you get to experience this moment of pure bliss in their eyes. When you see someone’s face light up by seeing something for the first time, it’s truly a magical experience.”

Not only does the workshop cover online privacy, what you can and can’t share, how to download apps, use the calendar, set alarms, take notes, save contacts, research information, change the time, draw a picture, play music, play a video, and even download several bowling games.COR goes to RDACL

When we learn, it’s never about the one teacher who’s the be all and end all, it’s about all the peers sitting beside peers. It’s the conversations in between lessons, it’s students being students. People understanding how other people tick.

A good teacher isn’t the focal point of the classroom, a good teacher facilitates the conversation where people can learn from each other, where they can teach each other, and where they can find comfort in one another. Yes there’s a lot of learning going on, but the social benefits are arguably more beneficial in the long run.

We love the Being Awesome on an iPad workshops at RDACL!

COR’s 5th Anniversary BBQ Bash on Willow Island: June 22, 2014

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COR Summer BBQ

Looking to have an adventurous Summer? Well look no further, we found the BBQ for you! On Sunday, June 22nd COR is hosting a BBQ, and your family and friends are invited! Please RSVP by Friday, June 20th if you are planning to attend. We sure don’t want to run out of hotdogs like we did two years ago!  Ha!

I hope you can make it. If not, we still encourage you to have an adventurous Summer!

Love,

COR

Person Centred Thinking Skills: May 29-30th, 2014

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hsa

For people being supported by services it is not person-centred planning that matters as much as the pervasive presence of person-centred thinking.

If people who use services are to have positive control over their lives, if they are to have self-directed lives within their own communities then those who are around the person, especially those who do the day to day work, need to have person centred thinking skills.  Only a small percentage of people need to know how to write good person centred plans, but everyone involved needs to have good skills in person centred thinking; in the value based skills that underlie the planning.

In an effort to strengthen the person centred thinking skills of our supports and leadership team, COR has partnered with HSA Canada to further mentor our organization in deepening our person-centred culture. With this unique partnership, Julie Malette (HSA Canada) is mentoring both COR, and our partner SAI (Saskatoon), to establish provincial trainers/mentors in Person Centered Thinking Skills. Together we are striving for Person Centred change!

 

Person-Centred-Thinking-Flyer-May-2014-HSA-Canada

Welcome To COR!

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COR You ChooseIn an effort to support our government’s goal to make Saskatchewan the best place for people with disabilities to live, COR continues to develop personalized supports for our provinces most marginalized citizens, while collaborating with community partners to forge out new opportunities for our sector at large.

COR strives to be on the cutting edge of our sector in exploring growth and development opportunities for individuals supported, while too offering a unique work environment for our employees. By investing in professional development and enhanced training opportunities, COR’s aim is to develop a cadre of knowledgeable and deeply skilled mentors committed to the vision of our dear friend John: a systematic change toward a culture of gentleness.

Thank you to all the fellow community organizations, local businesses, community members and the Ministry of Social Services, Community Living Service Delivery for their continued support in allowing us to develop unique opportunities personalized to the people we serve; we are truly blessed to be in a community that recognizes the need for compassion in serving those most marginalized. A special thank you to all the families, support personnel, board members and individuals of COR for making each and every day truly special – you all continue to be our source of inspiration!

Michael Lavis,
Executive Director, COR