SNAPS 2008 Presidents Message
Presented at the AGM, May 2008, Cayley
SNAPS has had a very exciting year as we have now been in our office space for almost two years and have experienced the opportunity of being more involved in the High River community. As president this past year I have seen first hand the impact that SNAPS has had on the many families in the Foothills and Nanton area.
The various events that SNAPS has held through the year have truly highlighted awareness in the communities we support. The Christmas Concert in Okotoks done in collaboration with Donna Kay Music was a tremendous achievement as people attended from across the Foothills, Nanton, and Calgary areas. The evening treated folks to a night full of amazingly talented individuals including our own board member, Sheena Small. The Concert not only was a night filled with music but even more important was the opportunity to bring SNAPS and the work we do to the forefront of people’s mind.
The “Show the Love” Art Gala held in Nanton was very successful with a huge thank you given to Sandy Rhodes, one of our Directors, for all her hard work in organizing the event. It was great to see all the amazing artwork donated by families and friends connected to SNAPS. The auction was run by Bernie Lalonde, a local auctioneer, who donated his time and talents for the evening. This events success has ensured that this will now become an annual event for Foothills SNAPS so keep your date book open.
Foothills SNAPS was granted the opportunity to be the charity of choice for the Safeway We Care Program with the Okotoks Safeway Store for the 2008 fundraising year. It so happens that is also the last year that the We Care Program will run so we are doubly honored to have been chosen. The goal was to raise $10,000.00 for the Foothills SNAPS, we found out that there was only about 9 weeks with which to raise this amount of money. Thanks to the Staff of Safeway and our many volunteers we met that goal and exceeded it. Approximately $10,500.00 was raised in that short time frame. These funds will go a long way to supporting the families and programs of Foothills SNAPS. Thank you goes to the communities of folks who shopped during the months of January, February, and March, without your support we would not have made it. Thank You!
The Little Britches Parade held on the May long weekend and FSNAPS was once again sponsored by Hi-Way Service to enter a float in the parade. The visibility that the entry in this parade makes is very important as SNAPS continues to make visibility of the association a key priority.
Foothills SNAPS continues to host the Coffee Chatter Program in High River and Nanton welcoming folks from other communities to attend these networking opportunities. Food for Thought sessions were provided this based on requests on a certain topic to bring information to our families and other partners we work with in the area.
FSNAPS continues to play an active role on many committees that are linked directly to the Special Needs Area. The committees include: SHIP (Student Health Initiative Program), Foothills SEAC (Foothills Special Education Advisory Committee), Calgary and Area Family Voices (meetings held in Calgary), 4C (Caring Citizens Committed to Healthy Communities) and AACL (Alberta Association of Community Living). We are able to provide input and suggestions at the table of these committees and be a part of the decision making process.
A big event of Foothills SNAPS each year is the Connecting the Dots Conference. The conference is to be held in May this year at Highwood High School in High River. The theme this year is “Putting your Energy into Education and Employment”. The space has once again been generously donated by the High School. There is also an Education Fair for our families to gather information from organizations in the Foothills area.
As I reflect on a personal level this past year, I have become more aware of the importance of our organization and how much families in our area depend on this kind of support. Foothills SNAPS is truly a way to Connect the Dots for many of our families to help them hook up with the right agencies for their family member.
I would like to take a moment to thank the hard work and dedication of our board this past year; Sandy Rhodes, Connie Kjinserdahl, Sheena Small, Deanna Leis, Susan Kirsch, Kathy Reinders, and Carol Hamm. This group of hard working ladies have committed their time and efforts to make SNAPS the best it can be. I would also like to extend a thank you to our dedicated Executive Director, Orvella Small, for all her hard work and commitment to the organization.
“The achievements of an organization are the
results of the combined effort of each individual.” Vince
Lombardi
Respectfully submitted by
Lorraine Forsen
Foothills SNAPS President