POP Celebrates Its 45th Anniversary

Porcupine Opportunities Program (POP) is celebrating its 45th year of operation in 2019. As we reflected on this, we felt it was important to recognize the individuals that helped to make the organization a success over almost five decades of operations.

POP was initially started in 1974 by a group of parents who wished to provide an opportunity for their children who were experiencing disabilities to live and work in or near their homes.

With their own money and donations from the community, the group purchased 27 acres of land on the south side of Porcupine Plain and moved a two room school house to the site. They set up a working area in one room, storage and administration in the second room, and a small woodworking shop in the basement. This formed POP’s infrastructure to start providing services and support to nine individuals.

Initial operations at POP were largely built around income from Canada Manpower grants while other income came from building grain bins for local farmers and the Coop. The beginnings of what would later become the main revenue source for the agency, core box production for mining companies, was also established. However; without a steady operating revenue the organization was starting to falter by the end of the 1970s.

In 1983, Carl Kwiatkowski, POP’s manager, orchestrated the transition from the parent group to a community based Board of Directors, with base operating revenue provided by the Provincial government through the Ministry of Social Services. Over two dozen organizations were represented at the initial meetings with some groups agreeing to sit on the Board, and others offering support.

Over the years, financial circumstances and changes in local organizations gradually reduced the number of organizations involved in the agency. Currently, only the town of Hudson Bay and the RM of Kelvington still appoint Board members, while all other Board members are appointed at large.

From those early beginnings POP continued to grow and expand its programming. Key milestones included:

• Construction of the current day program, workshop and administrative offices on Church Street in the early 1980s.
• The initiation of residential services in 1985, with rental of a three-bedroom home from Saskatchewan Housing to support individuals in semi-independent living.
• Construction of POP’s first group home on 1st Avenue in 1988. Two more group homes were built, the second in 1998 and a third in 2012.
• Building of two independent living residences, the first in 2004 and the second in 2012. These suites housed four and five individuals respectively and were attached to two of the group homes. The agency also purchased a four-bedroom home in 2010 tprovide additional supported living space for participants.
• Additions to the business programing through this time included set up of a laundromat and business offices (1991), purchase of a 4 plex apartment building (1994) and initiation of SARCAN recycling depots in Porcupine Plain (1997) and Hudson Bay (2008).

Today, Porcupine Opportunities Program Inc. has grown to be an integral part of the local communities in Porcupine Plain and Hudson Bay. The agency currently supports approximately 30 participants, supported by 60 full and part-time staff.

Programming for participants continues to evolve and now includes: two day programs (Porcupine Plain and Hudson Bay), a seniors program, and an expanded workshop which produces core boxes for the mining sector, dunnage for the lumber industry, and various outdoor furniture, planters and other wood products for the public. Most recently the agency has expanded its supported employment program with the expansion of service in its laundromat and through a new gift store that features products produced by local and regional artisans.

As the agency celebrates its 45th anniversary, it would like to recognize the individuals that have provided leadership to the agency through POP’s volunteer Board of Directors over the past decades. They have given their time, energy and commitment to help bring the agency to where it is today.

Thank you… to all of you!

Parent Group: Anne and Mike Kuzek, Sophie and Nick Kwiatkowski, Mavis and Mike Belchamber, Audrey and Don Leepart, Elsie and Joe Dobrowski, Mable and Fred Seafoot, Phillipena and Herman Heine, Kathy and James Jamieson, and Marg Kraft.

Porcupine Opportunities Program First Board of Directors: Fred Seafoot, Herman Heine, Anne Kuzek, Mike Kuzek, Nick Kwiatkowski, Jim Jamieson and Kathy Jamieson. Other individuals from the community also contributed to the board. These included: John and Dorothy Gunderson, Merlin and Elaine Olson, and Marie Szydlowski.

Board Representatives from Community Organizations

* Current Board Members

• Town of Hudson Bay: *Doreen Saugmyhr
• RM of Hudson Bay/Hudson Bay SAMR: Ted Dielschneider
• Hudson Bay School Division: Glen Holmwood (now a member at large), Cheryl Thacker, Elaine Ashdown, Looi Bourgonje.
• Town of Porcupine Plain: Vernon Armitage, Bill Sclater, Alex Blosi, Gayle Graham
• RM of Porcupine Plain: Ed Ponatowski, Lorne Banks, Fred Kwasney, Doug Fettis, David Darmokid, Steve Bohachweski
• Porcupine Plain School Board: Elaine Hill
• Porcupine Carragana Hospital Board: Mike Moroz
• RM of Kelvington: Doreen Crawford, Marlene Norton, *Agnes Ewen
• RM Bjorkdale: Carl Schneider, Wayne Dmytriw, Jim Bergh, Larry Ruether, Brian Hart, Sam Yager, Brian Darmokid, Trudy Mahussier
• Kinsmen Club: Roy Listol, John Dutcheson, Gerald Johnston, Darrell Zenuk
• Lions Club: Les Merriman, Larry Lozinski
• Mental Health: Gary Gress
• Members at Large: Gloria Dueck-Farber, Dr. Y. Bahna, Leslie Knutt-Mielke, Roger Pederson, Connie Stianson, *Tony Lau, *Tracy Slobodian, Donna Logan, *Pat Morvik

“May what we accomplished together provide a lasting thank you!”