(from left to right) Jen Love, CLBC Integrated Services Manager; Gord Winters, Manager of ACT; Eileen Howells, Executive Director of VDACL; Jane Holland and Dave Babych, CLBC Board Members.
It was a beautiful and sunny day in Vernon for visiting CLBC Board members Dave Babych, Barb Carle-Thiesson and Jane Holland. They were in Vernon at the end of May to meet with local families, individuals, service providers and community council members to learn more about the inclusive programs, services and supports in the area.
The first part of the day had Board members visiting Vernon and District Association for Community Living’s Accessing Community Training (ACT) Program which is designed to assist individuals to develop and maintain their skills, achieve their goals and be as independent as possible.
After visiting ACT, Board members met with local families, service providers and individuals to discuss CLBC and hear about their experiences and insights.
“It’s important for us as a Board to hear directly from local communities and get to see the services and supports that are being provided,” said Jane Holland. “It was a rewarding day for all of us, getting to meet with people first hand, to hear about their experiences and learn about what people are doing to make Vernon an inclusive and welcoming community.”
In between meetings and site visits, Board members and Vernon staff took the opportunity to get to know each other better by having lunch together. Vernon staff stuck to their reputation of providing delicious food while having light-hearted and informative conversation around the work the team does and future goals.
CLBC Board Member Jane Holland visits participants in an art class at ACT.
After lunch, Board members visited Lambton House, a 24-hour staffed residential home for individuals. “It was a pleasure to meet the people living in Lambton House,” said Dave Babych. “It seemed that everyone working there wants to make sure that each person has the best quality of life. You can see this when you meet with the residents and hear their stories.”
The day ended with Board members meeting with the local CLBC community council to discuss the importance of inclusion, acceptance and diversity.
“I really enjoyed our trip to Vernon,” said Barb Carle-Thiesson. “We met great people and learned about the many inclusive activities that are taking place in the interior, including the Inclusive Awards program. I am looking forward to discussing our trip and all the things we heard from the community with the rest of the Board.”
This is the second year where small groups of CLBC’s Board members are visiting local communities across the province to connect directly with service providers, individuals, families and CLBC staff to learn about regional diversity and service delivery.
This year Board members will be visiting Prince George, North Vancouver, Kelowna, Victoria and Richmond. For more information on CLBC’s Board of Directors please click here.
