HIGH ROAD Services Society will be celebrating a decade in the Smithers community at Bovill Square next month.
They offer support services for those with developmental disabilities across the Bulkley Valley including residential homes and home share.
Chief Executive Officer Dana Gorbahn, who’s been with HIGH ROAD since the beginning, says they also provide a number of social enterprises.
“Like the IKitchen and Alpine Peaks for individuals to be gainfully employed,” says Gorbahn.
He says they currently have up to 25 individuals employed throughout the community. The society also employs over 60 staff serving 60 individuals.
The IKitchen generates money through frozen meals sold throughout the community. The money is used to pay fair wages to the Alpine Peak Water Company and IKitchen staff as well as programming.
Gorbahn says over the last decade HIGH ROAD has grown immensely.
“We’ve been able to create 13 affordable and appropriate housing units since we started.”
The history of HIGH ROAD started after a group of parents came together in 2005 to help make a difference in the Smithers area. They then created the society officially in 2007.
As a result, they were awarded service contracts for five programs including Smithers Self Help, Self Help Houston, Supported Employment, Semi-Independent Living and Adult Residential.
Gorbahn says their ambitions for the future are to make sure everyone in the community feels like they’re a valued member.
“And that they’re respected and appreciated for their unique characteristics…that they have opportunities to be able to live in a secure, nurturing environment.”
The celebration will be held at Bovill Square on Saturday, June 3rd from 12 to 4 p.m.
There will be live music, BBQ for sale, face painting and games by donation, prizes to be won all day, a 50/50 draw and fun for all ages.