The new home was named Jordan house after past board chair, Deb Jordan. Deb served as the board chair from 2009 to 2011. Since the Ranch first opened 46 years ago, Ranch founder the late Dr. Geoff Pawson had established the tradition of naming facilities after people who have played a significant role in the history of the Ranch.

Current board chair, Jim Kenyon welcomed everybody to the grand opening of the home. The Honourable June Draude, Minister of Social Services also spoke, thanking Jordan for her dedication to the Ranch Ehrlo Society and the agency for its commitment to developing unique and innovative programs to assist children, youth, families and communities.

“As a government we can always count on you (Ranch Ehrlo).” Draude added that the addition of Jordan house to the Pilot Butte campus is a moment that all volunteers, staff, and youth can take pride in accomplishing and she was honoured to be a part of the event . “I feel proud to be in this room today.”

The Honourable Don McMorris, Minister of Health, also attended the event to personally recognize the dedication and commitment of Jordan in her professional career as the Executive Director Acute and Emergency Services at the Ministry of Health, as well as her contribution to assisting in the direction of programs and services for youth and their families at the Ranch Ehrlo Society.

Deb Jordan

“Who better to name a Ranch Ehrlo group home after, other than someone who lives, breaths, and models the Ranch Ehrlo values of caring, respect, and responsibility”, stated Ranch President and CEO Marion MacIver.

MacIver also listed the many accomplishments Jordan had oversight of as the board chair, including:

• expansion of the Ranch’s family programs to include the Family Preservation Program
• construction of a state-of-the-art riding arena on the Buckland campus
• amalgamation of Ranch Ehrlo Society with Ehrlo Community Services
• representing Ranch Ehrlo at several international child welfare forums

inside Jordan house

The speeches ended with a round of thanks from the guest of honour. Jordan thanked the people in attendance, including the current and former board members, her family and friends, Barb Pawson and the late Ranch founder Geoff Pawson, and the Ranch staff.

“You amaze me all the time with what you do every day. It’s such an honour to assist you in any way.” Jordan added that Jordan house is more than just a residential unit, “The youth find a home here and they are very well supported through our education programs, recreation programs. We help support them and realize their full potential.”

“That’s what the Ranch is about.”

Youth living in the home gave tours to guests following the speeches.

House

Many people look to make a difference when they decided on a career at the Ranch, employees do just that.  Over its 45-year history, Ranch Ehrlo Society has developed unique and innovative programs to assist children, youth, and families. At the Ranch Ehrlo Society, dedicated youth care workers, directors, unit managers, educational and other professionals are making a difference everyday in the lives of hundreds of youth from across Canada

“What makes our programs and services stand above the crowd is our staff,” said vice-president of administration and quality improvement Carole Bryant.

She added, “The quality people we have in positions all over the agency are one of the main reasons we have been recognized for this honour. Everyone should be proud of this title and feel that their effort at the Ranch has been recognized.”

After completing a BA with a major in psychology from the University of Regina, Tera started working at Ranch Ehrlo in 2002. During her career she worked as a casual Youth Care Worker (YCW) at various units in Pilot Butte and Regina and as a Youth Care Leader (YCL) in the Corman Park campus which is located just outside of Saskatoon.

Corman Park campus construction was behind schedule, so Tera ended up working at the Buckland Campus outside of Prince Albert for six weeks until they could move into the Corman Park campus. After a maternity leave, Tera returned to work in May 2009 but this time in a new role – she became the House Mother at May House.

The House Mother is a member of the team “family” within our units and works with everyone to maintain a nurturing, structured, safe and comforting environment. They maintain the household standards for cleanliness, the quality of the food, supplies, and the effective use of the household budget. Tera pointed out that that having her own children has helped immensely in preparing her for this role.

“The youth look to me as the House Mother to help them with things such as mending clothes if needed, taking them shopping with me when they don’t have school, answering health questions and bandaging up their cuts and scrapes when needed. Essentially I am exactly as the role description title says I am the “mother of the house.” I do all of those tasks that a typical mother would do for her child,” explained Tera.

Tera also took on the task of starting up a home economics program with the kids at the Ellen Gunn Education Centre at Corman Park. She has been in charge of that program since September 2009. She also has worked with her unit manager to develop a healthy lifestyles book for the youth that will be part of an educational group project this spring.

During her time working at the Ranch, Tera has seen the growth of the agency. Since she started several new houses including Peterson, Hilsden, and Rever have been built and other satellite programs have been developed.

She has also noticed the agency’s clinical evolution. “This agency has also moved towards improving our understanding of the clients that we work with through training such as Trauma Informed Care, TCI training, ASSIST workshops, and Induction training modules that are regularly done with new staff.”

She added, “I think that the amount of training we have the opportunity to receive is by far the best in this province and I think that shows in being voted as one of the top employers of Saskatchewan for 2012. I believe that these opportunities to grow are a testament to the great work we do here at Ranch Ehrlo.”

Learn more about a career at Ranch Ehrlo.

Corman Park is located just 10 kms outside of Saskatoon, almost in shouting distance of Martinsville. The 80 acre campus is the Ranch’s newest and officially opened for business in September 2007.

It’s located on flat prairie land so you can see the buildings as you drive in. My first stop was the Young administration building where I was welcomed by the lovely Brenda Charles, the HR and office administrator. The next office we passed belonged to Jason Kotyk, director of residential services. Jason originally started his Ranch career in Regina and moved up to Corman Park when the campus opened.

The school is a few steps away from the administrative building and operates two classrooms with a low student to teacher ratio. The building is well lit and cheery. The common area is filled with foosball tables and other games to keep students occupied during class breaks. When we went for the tour students were in the process of turning the beige downstairs rec/gym/all purpose room into a lively gallery by painting murals on the cement walls.

Just behind the school the campus features two residential units, May House and Welke House. Students not enrolled in mainstream classes in Saskatoon, literally only have to take steps from home to get to class. Both buildings feature the open concept that is a standard in the new Ranch residences and have room in the basement for a caseworker office and a family suite that is available for families of the youth to use when they visit. In addition, there is an outdoor hockey rink and basketball court located on campus.

Since I accomplished this goal with some time to spare in 2012 maybe I should work on my next resolution…conquer my fear of bears.

Well maybe that’s best left for 2013.

ESL begins with a kickoff camp in June, the ESL continues through the summer in three locations. Instruction is given by community volunteers. The parks face-off against each other at the season ending tournament.      

This league is available to youth ages 8 to 18.      

Contact us

(p) 306 751-2411 (f) 306 751-2410 (e) sportventure@ranchehrlo.ca

Sponsors:

It is a free drop-in community recreational soccer league offered by the Ranch Ehrlo Society in conjunction with the Metis Local 269.  The league is open to male and female youth 14 and under.  The league will operate  Tuesdays,  beginning April 24, 2012 thru to May 31, 2012.

 Skill development & games:

Skill development and games will be scheduled based on age and number of youth enrolled. The intent is to have one group on youth who are 10 years of age and younger, and a second group of youth who are 11 to 14 years of age.

The league will run on outdoor fields at or near Parkland Hall. The indoor gym at  Parkland Hall will be available if the field is wet or weather conditions are bad.

2012 games schedule

Parkland Hall  3:30 -5 p.m. ( all ages)
 (15th Street & 9th Avenue — Across from Queen Mary School)

For more information call    764-4511

Poster

Guest blogger Jane Powell Showchuk

Part One   

Community involvement: another reason why Ranch Ehrlo Society is one of Saskatchewan’s top employers for 2012  

As I was working on the nomination of Ranch Ehrlo Society as a Top Employer in 2011, I asked for employees to submit information about their community involvement both at the agency level and the group home level. The findings were astonishing! Community involvement among Ranch staff and youth is extremely generous and it is far-reaching. It is hard to believe what we accomplish until you sit back and put the pen to paper and document it all.  

Below are just a few of the ways Ranch Ehrlo Society has been involved in its communities at the agency and program level:  

Agency   

• The Ranch Ehrlo Society has been hosting a community breakfast at St. Paul’s Cathedral for people in need in Regina. Usually, there are 7 to 10 staff and 4 to 5 youth who attend this monthly event, and they are responsible for cooking and providing a breakfast of pancakes, sausages, cereal, porridge, juice, and coffee.  On average, there are about 125 to 175 patrons attending this breakfast on a monthly basis.
• For the past several years, the Ranch Ehrlo Society has volunteered at the Adecco Exhibition BBQ.  There are approximately 10 staff and 4 – 5 youth who participate in this event, and they cook and serve burgers and greet the public. Money raised is used to enhance programs at the agency.
• As part of the agency’s staff rejuvenation program Rick Norick, program director, volunteered with the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families in New York City from February 2010 to June 30 2010.  Rick worked with the host agency to assist in organizing the World Forum 2010 (International Forum for Child Welfare).
• As part of the agency’s Technology Exchange with Argentina, the agency hosted Emiliano Mazziero from Mendoza, Argentina from the period of December 20, 2010 to March 5, 2011.  During Emiliano’s stay in Canada, several staff volunteered their time to ensure that Emiliano was made to feel welcome and have the best experience possible, including Ted Reed and Don Bayerle to name only a few.  Deb Jordan, former Chairperson of the Ranch Ehrlo Society Board of Directors, and her husband David personally hosted Emiliano in their home during his stay. Emiliano participated in many activities including a great deal of sight-seeing, skiing, dinners, and sports team involvement, to name only a few.

Family Treatment Program    

• Staff from the agency’s Family Treatment Program facilitated parenting groups without charge for new Canadians from Africa as part of the “Daughters of Africa” program.
• A staff has taught at the University of Regina and at the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences for several years, and has an absolute passion for providing her students with the opportunity to learn the necessary skills in advocating for marginalized groups in society, particularly families involved in the Child Welfare arena.
• Two staff members are active members and volunteers for the Saskatchewan Association of Social Workers.
• A staff participates in local and national levels of advocacy for persons with crones and colitis.
• A staff provides personal support work for a sibling group with severe cognitive challenges.

Community Vocational Education Program (CVEP)   

• The clients and staff volunteer three to five times per week for two to three hours per day to help sort and build food packages for families in need within the community. Groups usually consist of one job coach and three to four participants; however, the Food Bank has called on numerous occasions to enlist additional help when times are busy. 
• Another volunteer project is with Store/ Habitat for Humanity where one of the CVEP groups work on-site three to four times a week for two to three hours per day.  The CVEP group gains employable skills when working in this real life work setting in the community. 
• CVEP staff and youth are involved with the Regina Family Service Bureau’s “Shopping for Seniors” program. This volunteer program is a joint partnership developed by the Family Service Bureau in an effort to help seniors who have mobility issues and/or still live at home, to be able to have their grocery orders filled and delivered to their homes. This helps these seniors to maintain their quality of life and dignity for as long as possible.  CVEP, along with Winston Knoll and Riffel High School, take turns filling out weekly shopping orders at the Sherwood Coop grocery store. CVEP is currently in its fifth year and this continues to be one of the favorite volunteer programs for the CVEP participants. 
• CVEP staff and youth are involved in “Random Acts of Kindness”.  CVEP has several community contracts at churches, residences, and businesses in the community.  CVEP cleans sidewalks, cuts lawns, does basic landscaping, and shovels snow in the winter. 
• On many occasions, CVEP has stopped the vehicle and gone out to help others who are struggling to finish their shoveling or yard work.   

Accounting  

• One accounting staff did internal fundraising for the Schizophrenia Society of Saskatchewan.
  • Another accounting staff  volunteers with the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada
  • Another staff has the following community involvements:
    • St. Paul’s pancake breakfast every month
    • Ehrlo Golf Classic committee member
    • Breast Cancer Action Saskatchewan volunteer
    • Kinsmen Telemiracle volunteer
    • Kids Help Phone Small Business Christmas party fundraiser volunteer
    • Mosaic (Scottish Pavilion)
    • Regina Highland Games
    • An active member of Beta Sigma Phi, which is an international women’s organization that does various projects each year to raise funds for various charities in the city.

Ehrlo Early Learning Centre   

• EELC participates in the Z99 neo-natal fundraiser on an annual basis. The annual bake sale at W.F. Ready School, which raised $1073.50, has become a tradition at the centre. This year the other four sites supported the cause by setting out empty baby bottles to collect donations from their families, which cumulatively added another $504.07 to the total. Over the past seven years approximately $7200 from the proceeds of these events has been donated to purchase new equipment at the unit!  
• The Ruth Pawson EELC team held a bake sale to fundraise for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.  The EELC Pawson team also participated in the Teles Walk for a Cure.

Ehrlo Counselling   

• The Cognitive Disability Strategy works with various community organizations, including the school systems, the health region, justice, corrections and public safety (youth and adult), social services, etc. community organizations, aboriginal family services, the Regional insectoral coordinator, etc.  The spirit of this strategy is designed to work with families and individuals with a cognitive disability where there is a gap in service within the community.
• The Cognitive Disability Strategy works with numerous community organizations, as the spirit of this strategy is designed to work with families and individuals with a cognitive disability where there is a gap in service within the community. Specifically, the Cognitive Disability Strategy has the following community-based relationships:
  • Regina Fetal Alcohol Support Network
  • Acquired Brain Injury Network Meetings
  • Eleven and Under Initiative (Headed by Regina Police Service)
  • Strong working relationship with the Regina Autism Resource Centre
  • Job Coach Working Group with Saskatchewan Abilities Council
  • Strong working relationship with Partners In Employment
  • FASD Centre – Regina Community Clinic
  • Involvement with the Saskatchewan Complex Needs Protocol Process as required
  • Close working relationship with the Regional Intersectoral Committee Coordinator (RIC)
  • Strong working relationships with the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region, Saskatchewan Ministries of Corrections Public Safety and Policing, Social Services
  • Effective working relationships with property management company’s who provide housing to CDS clients 
• Ehrlo Counseling staff work with many organizations, school, families, EFAP programs, and insurance companies to provide counselling.
• One counsellor is a First Nations and Inuit Mental Health approved therapist.
• Another counsellor volunteers at the Bereavement Center doing counselling and the Kid’s Camp.
• Ehrlo Counselling employees have has also provided communication, bullying, and suicide intervention (ASIST) training to various organizations.
• On an annual basis, Ehrlo Counselling Services provides a tremendous amount of pro bono counselling to individuals who are in need of counselling services, but are without the means to pay for these services. In response, Ehrlo Counselling provides over $110,000.00/year in pro bono counselling services to individuals who require services but cannot afford to pay for it.

1.   The staff provides complementary hairstyles and manicures to:  

• Cosmopolitan learning center
• Sophia house
• Rainbow youth centre
• Wascana Rehab
• Canadian Mental Health Association
• Pioneer Village
• YWCA women’s shelter

2.  The staff also volunteers for a number of fundraisers, including:  

• All Nations Hope Aids Network
• Shave heads to raise money for Neonatal (Z99)
• Collect food for the food bank and donate free haircuts.

Clinical Assessment & Resource Services Office   

1. Volunteer with the Saskatchewan College of Psychologists:  

• Three employees continue to supervise provisional psychologists for their 1500 hours as part of becoming a fully registered psychologist
• Three employees have sat on the oral exam panels for provisional psychologists
• One staff sat on the Professional Conduct Committee for a two-year term
• One staff has been on the Registration Committee since 2005

2. Volunteer Supervision of Practicum Students: University of Regina:  

• Two employees have supervised Masters of Educational Psychology students in their practicum

3. Volunteer Presentations for the Regina Public School System:  

• One staff presented last spring on Self-Harming Behaviour in Adolescents
• Two staff in 2010 and 2011 presented at the Career Fair: Psychology as a Profession

So as you can see by these few examples, Ranch Ehrlo Society’s community involvement is astounding and it certainly attests to the absolute quality and commitment of the staff at Ranch Ehrlo.  

Stay tuned for my second blog — community involvement at the group home level — it is remarkable!  

-          Jane Powell Showchuk, director of special projects