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As the third-largest SARCAN depot in southeast Saskatchewan, the Weyburn Wor-Kin Shop reported many achievements and challenges from the past year of their programs at their annual general meeting, as they work towards Transitioning into the Future.

I believe that we have been transitioning into the future' in quite a few exciting ways, said Wor-Kin Shop president Gary Cooney, during his report. As part of our future planning and development, the Wor-Kin Shop partnered with the Weyburn Group Homes Society to host Community Consultation Sessions. The sessions gave us back valuable dialogue with parents, families, businesses and other community organizations.

A challenge was brought forward, during the Community Consultation Sessions, regarding the current building of the Wor-Kin Shop. Despite a lack of physical space in the facility, a lack of provincial funding will result in a delay to a new building for the Wor-Kin Shop.

Executive director, Andria Brady, said, One of our long-term goals is certainly for a new facility, as we have recognized that our SARCAN depot is fast running out of space as our program continues to expand.

Financially, the Wor-Kin Shop reported a $12,142 deficit, which will be another challenge for the non-profit organization. Areas that contributed to the deficit included the purchase of new equipment, a reduction of sales in the wood shop, and a deficit in the activity centre.

Revenue recorded in the wood shop was $110,645; with expenses reported at $169,492. Revenue recorded in the activity centre was $192,804; with expenses reported at $227,326. Revenue recorded at the SARCAN deport was $301,972; with expenses reported at $265,710. Revenue recorded in leadership was $135,198; with expenses reported at $171,936.

According to Brady, it is not the finances that matter, but rather how much activity was reported. In the last year, the Wor-Kin Shop collected 25 tubskids (or 3,500 litres) of paint; a total of 6,165 units of electronics, which includes computers, laptops, monitors and new electronics introduced through the SWEEP Program; and nearly seven million beverage containers through the depot, an 11 per cent increase from the previous year.

Through the Go Green provincial funding, the Wor-Kin Shop was able to sustain their operations in the activity centre, and even offered expanded hours. There was a lot of positive feedback received from customers to the extended hours, with the depot currently running 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

One area of improvement to the depot was removing the Prodeva Can Crusher and moving the MultiFlattener crusher into the center of the crushing area, allowing staff to crush into totes set up on wheeled stands. They also purchased electronic, air bag controlled docks to the area, to reduce risk of staff injury.

Their weekly cardboard and paper recycling program recycled approximately 250 metric tonnes from local businesses, apartments and schools.

Other achievements included, We were able to expand and improve our community-based programming to our participants with a purchase of a mini-van, said Cooney. A new motivated and energetic staff have been hired and have joined our team.

We also hired a program coordinator, which we shared with the Weyburn Group Homes Society, said Brady. This coordinator allowed us to have the ability to provide in-depth positive programming to those individuals with comprehensive behavior support requirements. We were also able to provide a more seamless transition between the two agencies, which better meets the needs of our clients.

The Wor-Kin Shop had also been one of eight pilot sites for Community Living's new Day Program Funding Standards, with more intense assessment tools that are directly tied to the needs of the individuals. We met with each participant and talked about what they would be interested in doing in the community. This program led to another highlight, leading to roughly 91 per cent of participants reaching their desired goals in the past year.

These include things like the desire to get out into the community more, different work options and opportunities not previously provided, added Brady.

The Wor-Kin Shop is seeking new board members, and interested residents are encouraged to contact Andria Brady or Gary Cooney for more information.