My first story involves the caring and compassion shown by Semiahmoo House Society staff outside of “normal working hours.”  An example of this is Sylvia Hoeree and the Acquired Brain Injury Services (ABIS) staff organizing and hosting a garage sale on their own time, and using some of the proceeds to do something that the people using their services really wanted to do.  In this case, it was a pirate ship adventure on a Saturday — again a time outside of “normal working hours.”  The pirate cruise was a big endeavour and the ABIS staff and volunteers supported the people who use their services to have a great weekend adventure.  Staff going above and beyond the call of duty is one of the big reasons why Semiahmoo House Society is the organization that it is.

My second story is about the person-centered relationships our community has with each other.  I have seen numerous examples of staff and people we support interacting with each other in much more than a “worker-client” manner.  Some examples of this would include Lise having a person who uses our services and whom she has known for a long time come over to her house to spend time with her family; Stephanie inviting a couple of people who use our services to baseball games in Seattle and hockey games in Surrey; Michelle and her husband going out for coffee with a person we support; and many other examples of the leadership team seeing people in the world in a “different roles, equal value” way.

Semiahmoo House Society, a non-profit organization located in Surrey/White Rock, exists to provide quality services and supports to people with disabilities and their families in the community. 

The Semiahmoo Foundation, located in Surrey/White Rock, exists to fund, support and enhance the programs and services delivered by Semiahmoo House Society.

By Doug Tennant, Semiahmoo House Society