FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – December 12, 2017
SGEU, SEIU-West and CUPE are launching a new website today, profiling Community Service workers and the important care they provide to Saskatchewan people.
Modeled after the popular Humans of New York website, the People Who Care sitefeatures photographs of, and first-person narratives by, workers who provide vital services to some of the most vulnerable people in the province.
“I love helping people,” says Marc, a Special Care Aide featured on the site. “I loved it so much that I quit the oil rig to come back, and I put myself through school to be able to do this.”
Through first-person storytelling and photography, the site highlights the important care that workers in Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) provide. And with the holidays just around the corner, it’s an especially appropriate time to highlight the care that CBO workers provide to people who may not have anyone else to turn to this time of year.
Darla, a cook in a 40-bed facility for people with intellectual disabilities, says she always cooks a turkey dinner for the residents at Christmas. “We have a cafeteria-style kitchen, and while I’m working, the residents come by and talk to us, and we get to know each other,” she says.
The People Who Care site also provides the public with an opportunity to learn more about CBO workers – including why they do this challenging yet rewarding work, and how they make a difference in people’s lives. Many of the workers featured on the site express their love for helping people.
“I love that I get to give kids tools to make their lives a little better,” says Laura, a Children’s Program Coordinator. “I believe that – even though kids have experienced violence, that hasn’t written the rest of their story.”
SGEU President Bob Bymoen says he’s proud of the work that SGEU members in Community Services, and all CBO workers, do to ensure that no one is left behind.
“Many people are not aware of the critical hands-on services that CBO workers provide to people in need,” says Bymoen. “We want to showcase the many ways that CBO workers help people in our communities, and make our province a better place to live.”
SEIU-West President, Barbara Cape agrees.
“CBO workers are on the frontlines, caring for people with mental health and addictions issues, people living with disabilities, those in crisis, at-risk youth and so many others,” she says. “Some of the most vulnerable people in Saskatchewan rely on CBO workers for support – and now the public can visit the People Who Care site to learn more about them and the important services they provide.”
“These workers for the most part don’t do this work for the pay,” says CUPE President Tom Graham. “CBO workers do this work because they feel passionate about caring for their clients. They deserve recognition, and this website will do an amazing job of bringing attention to the workers who will be spending their holidays with their secondary families, their clients.”
SGEU, CUPE and SEIU-West represent CBO workers in nearly 80 agencies across the province, and have been working together for more than a decade to support and promote workers in this sector.
Visit the People Who Care site at: https://www.saskpeoplewhocare.org/
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For more information, contact:
Evie Ruddy
Communications Officer, SGEU 306-775-7877
Christine Miller
Communications Coordinator, SEIU-West
306-652-1011 x8733
Eagleclaw Thom
Temp. Communications Rep., CUPE
306-525-5874
Click here for a printable PDF version of MEDIA RELEASE: Unions Launch People Who Care website.
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