WEYBURN - Inclusion Weyburn held an annual general meeting held over Zoom on April 18. The mission statement of Inclusion Weyburn is to ensure individuals from Weyburn and area who have intellectual disabilities are valued, supported and included members of the community, and have opportunities and choices in all aspects of life.
“We had a productive, busy year for Inclusion Weyburn in 2023, with many continued and new programs,” said Jackie Wilson, in the submitted annual report. Throughout the fall, winter and spring sessions, activities included the monthly Family/Buddy Swims, Activity Blasts, Sensory Free Visit with Santa, the Halloween Dance Party and Celebration of Inclusion.
New activities were introduced in the community, such as a Paint and Pot time for parents with childcare provided and the Empowerability Teen Program hosted by the Weyburn Public Library.
“We offered the Inclusive Summer Camps again in 2023. Our youth participated in camps at the Weyburn Leisure Centre and Family Place, with the addition of one new partnership at the Spark Centre Camp and a Teen Summer Camp that we organized on our own,” said Wilson. There were 30 intellectually disabled youth, ages three to 18, that attended these camps.
“Other new developments in 2023 included an update of our Policy Handbook, the addition of a Family WhatsApp and the creation of the Spirit of Inclusion Award that is given to local individuals, organizations and businesses that support and practice inclusion in our community that recognize and show appreciation for them,” added Wilson.
Inclusion Weyburn sends out seasonal newsletters to their INWEY families, and also provide other updates using WhatsApp, email and Facebook. Last November, they sent a parent survey out to local families, to help identify the needs of individuals in the community.
A special mention was made to the Legacy Leaders, a group of Grade 6 students from Legacy Park Elementary School, that attend all of the swims and social activities to help make these events more inclusive and fun.
Inclusion Weyburn volunteers Vickie Betker and Bev Grigg represented the organization on the Weyburn Communithon board. As a Community Agency, Inclusion Weyburn received $8,000 from the 2023 Communithon.
“Community individuals and organizations gave our fundraising a big boost in 2023,” said Wilson at the end of the report. “The Yellow Bins continue to be a great fundraiser for us too, as local people support us by donating items to the bins.”
“In April, 2023, we held our own fundraiser, a Spring Clean, where students from Legacy Park School, Assiniboia Park School and the WCS collected items for the yellow bins We appreciate all individuals, groups and organizations who have funded us in 2023.”
