Agency Highlights
Committees
Diversity, Equity and Belonging Committee
Over the last year, our Diversity, Equity and Belonging priorities have been focused on creating a diversity statement (below), staff training, staff surveys, reviewing our website and social media content, reviewing our service intake measures, and actively participating in a community of practice. We are also proud of the Land Acknowledgement statement gifted to us by an Indigenous Elder.
Diversity Statement
We acknowledge that this work is a continual process of reflection and change. Lake Ridge Community Support Services is committed to providing an environment that fosters compassion and creates a community of belonging in which employees and service recipients feel supported and respected. This community of belonging is one in which everyone is treated with dignity and promotes the voices/opinions of people from different cultural, socioeconomic, and developmental backgrounds. We continue to provide an environment free of harassment, discrimination, and violence and continually grow and adapt our knowledge and flexibility. Fostering a community of understanding and belonging promotes our commitment to grow and evolve as one diverse community that is stronger together.
Fundraising Committee
The fundraising committee, just like all other services and committees at LRCSS, has had to pivot and create new opportunities to fundraise in our new socially distant society. The barrier of not hosting public events did not stop the team from raising money for our ABA for All Campaign.
The chart below outlines the committee’s success over the last year:
| EVENT | DATE | AMOUNT RAISED |
|---|---|---|
| Back Pack Raffle | August 21, 2021 | $965.00 |
| Stone Soup | October 22, 2021 | $16,326.95 |
| Domino's Family Pizza Night | November 30, 2021 | $635.00 |
| Give to Gift Raffle | December 15, 2021 | $2,217.00 |
Social Committee
As LRCSS navigated through the various shutdowns and pauses in face-to-face services, the social committee provided some enjoyment and appreciation for our staff. At our summer staff appreciation, they created a Choose Your Own Adventure virtual event, including an hour of trivia competition, yoga, and guided painting and ended with The Famous Durgy, an entertainer and a magician bringing virtual amazement and laughs. For our Holiday Event, the virtual theme continued, and we were fortunate enough to book Meg Sopher to share the “Secret Sauce” of life with us which included some memorable hashtags like #OYOG which translates to “Own Your Own Growth”, and #PTG, meaning “Post Traumatic Growth”, coming out the other side stronger than before!