Learning about and using traditional medicines has been a crucial part of my journey to connecting with my Indigenous identity and Plains Cree culture. I grew up in an urban space, which resulted in a disconnect from traditional knowledge and practices. In recent years, I have been exploring and accepting what being Indigenous means to me. Finding aspects of my culture has created this sense of…
We are excited to announce our vice-president of clinical services, David Rivers. David Rivers David has a long history at the agency, spending over 20 years in various Ranch programs and roles, most recently as the Director of Performance and Quality Improvement. “David has a strong commitment to program excellence, data-informed decision making, effective work processes, and…
The seacan storage unit at Ehrlo Sport Venture will soon have a super twist. Participants from several Ranch programs, both youth, and participants in the programs for persons with developmental disabilities, have lent a hand on the ongoing project, a Marvel comics mural. Dustin Ritter, who works part-time at the art-based therapy program that works out of Sport Venture and part time as a…
Success can be achieved in many ways, and for participants in the residential side of our Programs for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD), it starts at home. PDD participants are often long-term Ranch Ehrlo residents – some have been here for decades. So, when we’re looking at how to help them best achieve success, moving them to a space that best suits their needs, is a…
Relationships are an important part of what we do at Ranch Ehrlo. A relationship between two housemothers recently led to a learning opportunity for youth at MacKay House. MacKay House housemother Krista-Leigh Hill got her pickling recipe from former Hilsden House housemom Sandra Drayton. “She had pickles in one of the bake sales and they were the most delicious pickles I’d ever…
Ranch Ehrlo Society CEO Andrea Brittin has announced her plans to retire. Andrea Brittin Effective December 31, 2020, Andrea will be stepping away from her position, which assumed in July 2014. “The past six years with Ranch Ehrlo Society have been incredible - some of the most fulfilling years of my entire career. I will truly miss the amazing team here at the Ranch. Their…
Youth at Kruzeniski House recently were real-life superheroes to an injured gopher. Staff and youth were out for an evening walk when a staff nearly stepped on a baby animal on the sidewalk. “Without hesitation, the youth we were with got down and immediately tried to help the baby animal,” recalled youth care worker Katelyn Crawford, who was one of the staff on the walk. The…
While many of our group homes have the end goal of reunifying a youth with their family at the conclusion of treatment, Matheson House, located in Prince Albert, is geared toward helping older youth transition to independent living. Trent* is one of those participants. Trent, 18, made the brave choice to stay in care and work toward his goals – one of which was recently achieved when he…
Ranch Ehrlo Society’s annual powwow, typically slated for the end of August, will not be going ahead for the 2020 year. Due to rules around gathering sizes and the rapidly changing situation with COVID-19, we have decided it is in our best interest to hold off on hosting the event this year. We are saddened as it has become an event that we look forward to each year, but the safety of our…
At Ranch Ehrlo, we are continuously searching for ways to improve. Our Quality Improvement team is always looking at participant experience through surveys and statistics related to the effectiveness of our programs. This year, with the implementation of Children And Residential Experience (CARE), we have added a new layer of accountability. In the fall of 2019, each of our programs set…
A connection to culture helps create resilience. While everyone has their own reasons for needing to develop resilience, the COVID-19 pandemic has thrust us all into similar territory. It could be argued that clinical caseworker Julie Francella’s cultural work with agency youth is more important than ever. Julie ( pictured above with her art hanging at Schaller) …
When gatherings over 10 people became impossible, we knew we couldn’t hold our annual 3-mile race – at least not in the way we have been for over 50 years now. But the spirit of our agency – putting participants first - shone through as we came together to find a way to adapt the event to ensure our youth could still experience it. Jewison House training Started over 50…
While many of us are tucked safely in our own homes, staff at Ranch Ehrlo’s Family Treatment Program (FTP) and Intensive Family Preservation Services (IFPS) continue to serve those in need. For some of the families in the programs, this means Skype or Facetime check-ins, or therapists coming by and talking over the phone from outside a window. These are the families who are at lower…
When things in her house started to seem “a little sad” during the COVID-19 lockdown, 9-year-old Taylor decided to take matters into her own hands and cheer up her family with a surprise party. She summed up her event very simply. “Well, I got donuts for my family and put balloons up that had kind messages in them.” Ordering and paying for donuts for her entire family,…
Waiting can be hard. When youth first arrive at Ranch Ehrlo and begin the treatment process, progress can be slow. Goals can seem so unattainable, and home can seem so far away. With the current state of society, all of us are being forced into a stage of waiting; waiting to see loved ones again, waiting to frequent our favourite shops, gyms, or hairdresser. Although it is…
