ESTEVAN - Estevan Diversified Services was able to complete several important renovations, both at their centre on Sixth Street and in their supportive apartment living program.
On June 15, they invited the community to join them for lunch and tour their main facility.
"This community has been amazing to us here at Estevan Diversified Services, and people are always surprised at what we do here, so we thought why not invite everyone and show you what we do," said executive director Trisha Salmers.
"In addition to all of our regular programs that we do here, we have been working on a number of projects to make life easier and better here at EDS. One being a strategic plan that outlines a few of our commitments, such as growth and innovation, programs and services, and community."
With the help of their big supporter – United Way Estevan – EDS recently was able to renovate the women's washroom and courtyard area. The agency also fixed up the laundry room and has done a number of renovations in its supportive apartment living program. Salmers noted that they have fully renovated a number of suites, installed new flooring in the common area and completed several other much-needed updates.
The open house tours took guests around the work and recreation facilities at EDS. Guests had a chance to visit the paper and cardboard shredding depot, activity centre, woodshop and resource area. While the EDS participants also work at the SARCAN bottle and can recycling depot, the tour didn't go in there due to the facility's activity level.
In the paper depot, participants shred paper and cardboard coming from local businesses and individuals. There are usually six people working there during the day, including a direct support professional, who supervises confidential shredding and ensures safety. In this program, EDS participants experience problem-solving, decision-making, working independently or as team players, and using various equipment. They have various styles of shredders and are encouraged to do every job. They also do some stretching, as the work assumes a lot of sitting and standing.
Processed paper and cardboard are put into special balers and come out in 1,500 and 900-pound blocks that are regularly taken to Regina to be recycled. To have their papers confidentially processed, people can call EDS at 306-634-5575 to arrange for service.
In the activity centre, participants enjoy various crafts and activities throughout the day. The staff goes by the client's individual needs and tries to find activities that fit every person the best. In the adjacent courtyard, they are growing vegetables and flowers. Some participants enjoy gardening, while others prefer different activities like colouring, cutting paper, making collages and other crafts.
The staff involves everyone in different aspects of what they are doing throughout the day, gearing towards what each person is capable of doing, and they also dedicate some time to exercising.
The woodshop has some participants building picnic tables, while others are creating boxes for automotive parts. They take orders for various woodwork projects, and under supervision, participants work on projects of different complexities
The resource room is a space to work on each participant's current individual needs. Every participant gets one-on-one time with staff. Some like doing research, others prefer to listen to music, and some want to count and work on some of their skills or develop their own projects. There are computers and other resources available to participants in this area.
EDS, along with Lemon Wedge Marketing, have recently created a series of videos that outline all of their programs, which can be found on the EDS Facebook page.
EDS is a centre that provides various programs, employment and living opportunities to improve the lives of people with intellectual disabilities in Estevan and the surrounding area. For more information on the organization and its programs, visit their website at www.edsinc.org.
