Winder Inclusive Communities Service
WICS in 2022
Customers & Staff serving meals at Edmonton's Hope Mission on December 5, 2022
Working together - inclusively - positively impacts our communities!
The WICS Community Projects Committee was thrilled to create the first ever
WICS Cookbook
... just in time for Christmas!
On October 4, 2022,
Mayor Rod Frank proclaimed
the month of October 2022 as
"Disability Employment Awareness Month"
in Strathcona County.
SUMO IN THE PARK
with WICS and INCLUSIVE CONNECTIVITY
SEPTEMBER 22, 2022
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FASD Awareness Day 2022
This year for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Awareness Day, WICS staff and customers collaborated with the Sherwood Park Crusaders to promote awareness around FASD at their game on Friday, September 9th, 2022. Both adults and kids attending the Crusader's game were able to enter draws to win prizes by answering questions about FASD and playing on WICS' homemade Plinko Board. WICS promoted awareness and educated the public about how alcohol affects the brain of fetuses and the impact that FASD has on the individuals living with it. Shantel (CPC Member)
EARTH DAY - April 22, 2022
Winder Inclusive Communities Service's community spirit was twelve strong at the Jackie Parker Recreation Area in Southeast Edmonton on Earth Day. Eager, enthusiastic, and armed with trash bags and grabbers, several of WICS Stakeholders (customers and employees) mingled with a variety of dogs and their humans in the off-leash area scouring for trash to make the area clean and enjoyable for all. We removed the usual litter of cigarette butts, cans, bottles, and paper along with some unusual items like cotton ear swabs! Laughter and merriment made the adventure pleasant for all and, most importantly, we contributed to honouring our environment by taking action!
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FASD Day 2021
This year for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Day (September 9th, 2021), a group of approximately 25 of WICS stakeholders went on a walk in Sherwood Park to promote awareness for FASD. In support of the FASD red shoes logo, we wore red and held signs promoting facts about FASD. We began the walk at 10:00 AM. We walked down Wye Road approximately 1.5 kilometers and back again. During the walk people engaged with us by honking their horns, waving at us, and stopping to ask us questions about what we were doing. The walk lasted about 2 hours and was enjoyed by all.
- Shantel (CPC Member)
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WICS Scavenger Hunt 2021
This year from August 1st to August 31st, 2021, WICS Community Projects Committee organized a Scavenger Hunt that involved 23 locations throughout Sherwood Park and Strathcona County. A number of WICS Stakeholders, as well as several Sherwood Park Community Members participated in the Hunt. They were tasked to find the locations from gps coordinates and then solve a question and/or take a picture of themselves at the scavenger location. For each location an individual completed, they got their name entered into a draw. At the end of the month, we drew 5 names and each winner got a prize valued between $50-$150.
- Shantel (CPC Member)
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Games Night 2021
In April 2021, WICS donated some prizes to the Inclusive Connectivity Group for their online games night. These prizes were awarded to the winning participants of the various games played. The grand prize was a gift card to a place of the winners choosing.
The Inclusive Connectivity Facebook Group was a customer created group to help people connect virtually during the Covid-19 Pandemic. It was created in December of 2020 and has hosted a meet up every month since its inception.
- Mike (CPC Member)
Easter Cards 2021
At the beginning of April 2021 the Community Projects Committee designed Easter Cards to deliver to residents in retirement communities. A total of 400 cards were delivered to senior residents including; GEF Senior Housing in South Edmonton, Mcconachie Gardens in North Edmonton, Lifestyles Options in Leduc, and Rutherford Heights in South Edmonton. The purpose of creating these cards was to reach out to the aging population with the aim to lift spirits during the Easter holiday due to these isolating times. All the pictures and messages in the cards were designed by WICS customers and staff. We have received positive feedback for this compassionate gesture. We hope to continue to use this form of creativity in the future to reach out and show our humanitarian efforts.
- AJ (CPC Member)
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WICS Annual Blood Drive 2021
WICS sponsored our annual blood drive on February 23, 2021 at Bethel Lutheran Church in Sherwood Park. This is something that we try to do at least once a year, but because of Covid-19, it looked a little different this year. Despite this, we had a number of individuals from the community donate blood including five WICS customers and staff.
- Shantel (CPC Member)
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Edmonton Food Bank’s Stuff-A-Bus Campaign
This year, WICS once again had the opportunity to participate in the Edmonton Food Bank’s Stuff-A-Bus Campaign.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we helped out in a new way by going to the Edmonton Food Bank’s warehouse on Saturday, November 27th, 2021,
where we sorted the donations collected during the campaign. We had fun working together as a group for two hours and giving back to our community.
- Shantel (CPC Member)
On December 10th, 2021, WICS Community Projects Committee organized a donation drive to collect toiletry items and gently used winter clothing items to provide comfort and warmth to those in need during our cold winter months. We collected many mittens, toques, jackets, and other items that filled a big bin and were brought over to the Bissell Thrift Shop in Edmonton. The purpose of this event was to encourage WICS customers, staff, and other community members to participate in this humanitarian involvement to give back to those who are less fortunate. - AJ (CPC Member)
Winder Inclusive Communities Service