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Festive Cheer! COR Christmas Dinner 2015
Holiday cheer was alive at the COR Christmas Dinner held at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel in Regina on December 18th. COR families, friends, employees and individuals served gathered for an evening of festivities. A scrumptious holiday feast, along with music by our favorite east coast band, Jakey’s Gin, and a rockin’ Photo Booth by the guys at Strategy Lab made the evening that much more spectacular! The smiles, joy and laughter shared by everyone made for such a memorable night! THANK YOU!
From the Board of Directors and Leadership Team at COR, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season!
Angie and Richie Lookin’ Amazing!
We’re not quite sure which one’s more naughty? HeHe!
Ben and Larissa rockin’ the Santa gear!
We have an Elf, a Reindeer and Ms. Claus…. Happy Holidays!
Andrew and the ladies!
Who has the biggest beard? Jeph or Patrick?
And a HoHoHo to you! 🙂
What a beautiful group of people!!
The dance floor was on fire!
Two handsome fellas!
Elise, Dave, Roger and Lill spreading some Christmas Cheer!
HoHoHo! Sean (Mr. Coca Cola) and Jonathon!
Happy Holidays from the gals on Bronwyn and Gillian’s Support Team!
Dylan and Andrew making some holiday magic!
A beautiful photo of John and his mom, Voula.
Brother and Sister, Jarrod and Caleigh.
Stylin!
Couples Pic! Looking Great Lexi, Michaela, Andrew and Jordan!
Jesse and the ladies!
Lexi and Jordan.
Angie and her AWESOME Support Team!
Ho!Ho!Ho!
What a stylish group!
Naughty or Nice? hehe
Some Christmas Fright!
Jessie and Jesse!
Spreading the holiday cheer!
Lisa and Diandra spreading the cheer!
Brooklyn and her family!
John and his family.
Who’s that peeking over Santa?
Brenda and Marc spreading the holiday love!
Holiday Door Prize by: Jason Robin’s Artwork
Holiday Carvers, the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Regina.
East Coast music by: Jakey’s Gin
What Makes COR Different?
I began supporting with COR in April 2014. Being close to completing my Social Work degree and having years of previous experience in working with those with different abilities, I thought I had a good expectation and understanding of what this job would entail. Little did I realize that being a support for COR would not only change how I viewed working in this field, but also shape who I am as a human being.
I love working at COR because those we support are given so many opportunities to achieve, succeed, and feel proud of themselves in many areas of their life and community. Often people with exceptionalities have limits placed on them given their physical state or cognitive functioning, but rather than focusing on a ‘disability’, COR focus on the abilities that a person has and realizes their potential for achievement and fulfillment. I love that we are not ‘working with people with disabilities’, we are being a friend and extending support.
Working at COR has been very rewarding, but there have also been challenging moments. However, these challenging moments have always turned out to be entirely beneficial in the end because they have taught me more about myself then I could have ever imagined. COR is different than any other place I have worked because the philosophy is not centered around changing those we support – it is about accepting and loving them for who they are, and instead changing ourselves to better understand and care for those we support. Supporting at COR has taught me that although a person may be shaped by their past and their history, expressing unconditional kindness and acceptance has the potential to turn a person’s day and even their life around. The lessons I have learned at COR have transferred into my personal life, my professional perspective, and my overall understanding of human interaction.
Those I have met through COR and the philosophy and culture of gentleness that I have learned to practice will stay with me forever. Through supporting at COR I have learned what it truly means to be a friend, a caring professional, and part of the community.
Kasey, COR Support
It’s the little things that make the biggest difference in all relationships
Throughout my nearly three years as a Support Person with COR I have had the pleasure of supporting several individuals with varying interests, strengths, challenges, and needs. The one thing that has always remained constant is that each and every person I have supported has needed to feel safe and loved unconditionally. I am fortunate in that I have been able to support a few individuals for the entirety or better half of my employment at COR and have been able to build amazing relationships with them.
Every Support Person will have a different relationship with the same individual, and every Support Person will approach building that relationship in slightly different ways. While at first I found it challenging to build relationships, by choosing to be myself and treat the individuals I support like my close friends and family members I found things flowed as naturally as any other relationship would and true friendships were born. People can sense when you are not being genuine towards them and they will withdraw from you because they do not feel safe. Just because somebody has an intellectual disability does not mean they deserve to be treated as less of a person or talked to differently than anybody else you interact with in your day.
Throughout my employment at COR I have considered the people I support to be real-life friends and I have really tried to show them that I value their friendship and truly believe we are all equals. I know that a lot of the individuals COR supports still call their Supports their “Workers” because their entire lives they have known that most of the people in their lives are paid to be there. While I am employed by COR I do my best to tell them through my words, actions, and body language that we are friends first and foremost and nothing they can do or say will make me not want to be their friend. Friendships may have ups and downs, but unconditional love doesn’t falter.
I also truly believe that it’s the little things that make the biggest difference in all relationships. Introducing the people I support as “my friend” instead of “the person I work with”. Offering hugs and not shying away from them after a challenging day. Actively listening to how they are telling me they feel in that moment instead of dismissing it. Not altering my voice to sound like I’m talking to a small child. These are all little things I make a conscious effort to do to help grow my relationships and over time I have seen the people I support reciprocate my offerings of friendship and love.
Allison, COR Support
Watch out Gordon Ramsey… COR is in the Kitchen
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!
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