Non-Profits

AIM (Ability in Me)

Global Gathering Place

The AIM (Ability in Me) program is a provincial non-profit, charitable organization located in Saskatoon offering specialized therapy and innovative programs that support individuals between 0 and 22 years of age with Down syndrome and their families.

Changes in routine are difficult for many AIM learners; therefore, when the pandemic hit with such an abrupt disruption to everyone’s life, it was devasting.

The AIM office was closed on March 18th and staff continue to provide services remotely. The team created a pandemic plan that incorporated transforming the delivery model to online in a week’s time. This also included purchasing cyber insurance with a big learning curve around cyber security features to consider and put in place.

The team has been resourceful and creative in engaging the children online. Families can access online individual speech and literacy sessions, music group programs for the early years, and speech and occupational therapy group programs for teens and young adults. School teams can also observe these sessions virtually.

The team has so far created over 1000 individualized online interactive activities to engage the learners during sessions; 121 videos have been posted on AIM’s YouTube station with a total of 1105 views. Virtual services have allowed out-of-town families to access their child’s programming more frequently. Weekly speech sessions being accessed has increased by 144% and literacy sessions by 110%.

The team and families are missing the inperson connection and we cannot wait till it is safe for us to move back to in person. At the same time, we have had some great learnings and will carry over some of the online services we offer now.

This has been a truly unprecedented year for all non-profits and I am grateful for the continued support in these very difficult times. We value our partnerships with parents, government, schools, healthcare, professionals, community members and businesses. Not only did we have to look at changing our delivery for our program we also had to look at how to move online for our fundraising. www.aimprogram.ca

For 22 years, Global Gathering Place (GGP) has been a bridge connecting refugees and immigrants with the Saskatoon community. We help clients improve their English, make social connections, navigate practical matters, and build key skills for life and work in Canada. Until last March, clients could drop in for settlement support or join one of our many in-person programs. When the pandemic hit, we pivoted overnight to mainly online programming while continuing to connect one-on-one with the most vulnerable and isolated clients. We are proud that the pandemic has neither reduced the quality nor scope of our programs and services and we continue to be a lifeline to our clients.

Recognizing this sprint has become a marathon, we continue to focus on the mental health and wellbeing of clients. We closely monitor and regularly check in with isolated clients, organize grocery and medication drop-offs, and provide tablets so clients can stay engaged with our agency and their own learning. We offer several programs focused on well-being and have cautiously and safely re-introduced some in-person group programming. Going forward, we will continue diversifying the ways newcomers engage with us and strengthening our relationships with local organizations. www.globalgatheringplace.com

Saskatoon Open Door Society

Sask Abilities Council

The Saskatoon Open Door Society’s response to COVID has been two-fold: sanitary and technological. It has involved partnerships with Saskatoon-based video production, IT and broadcast companies and janitorial services.

Many SODS staff members are working from home, offering services and programs via phone, email and online. At the office, wearing a mask is mandatory, and we partner with a janitorial services firm to use their electrostatic disinfection technology.

Leanne May of our Childcare Services Unit explains that, “At our two childcare facilities, we follow strict sanitary guidelines set out by the provincial government and complete daily health assessments for anyone entering the facility.”

Since March 2020, we have held several hundred web classes, webinars and public events on various video-conferencing platforms, one of them custom-designed for our annual virtual job fair. And on January 20-21, 2021, over 963 registrants from across Canada and over 20 countries participated in our online event called Threads: Cultural Conversations.

Finally, participants in our Women's Business Hub created 10,000 cloth face masks, sterilized and packaged by Willows Dental and the U of S College of Dentistry, for distribution to all our employees and to grassroots community organizations throughout Saskatoon. www.sods.sk.ca

For over 70 years, SaskAbilities has worked to enhance the lives of people experiencing disability in Saskatchewan. The global pandemic has challenged us to quickly adapt our programs and services, which are predominantly in person, to accommodate the new reality. Internally, this has meant modified staff schedules, altered workspaces, remote work, and the options for virtual meetings and support services. Across our organization, a willingness to embrace change has enabled the SaskAbilities Training Centre to remain operational. Our Metalwork, Wood Shop, Assembly and Sewing departments have all continued to meeting customer demands. We are extremely proud of our Sewing department, which pivoted operations to manufacture desperately needed PPE early in the pandemic. Double layered cotton face masks were sold to large corporations, civic and provincial agencies, and individual customers province-wide and beyond. Our Partners in Employment services have also continued to connect job seekers facing barriers to employment with employers looking to hire and retain staff. Over the past year, SaskAbilities staff have demonstrated remarkable resiliency, embracing change and developing innovative new ways to virtually deliver services and programs. We will continue to use these innovations postpandemic to build inclusive communities for people of all abilities. www.saskabilities.ca