SPIRIT AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Winners of the first annual Spirit Award for Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) were announced today.

"Saskatchewan's community-based organizations do tremendous work throughout our province, and the sheer number of nominees shows the pride and appreciation our communities have for their work," Community Resources Minister Buckley Belanger said.

This year's winners are:

- Early Learning and Child Care – Stepping Stones Child Care, Regina
- People with Disabilities – Gary Tinker Federation for the Disabled, La Ronge
- Children, Youth and Families – Oasis Community Centre Cooperative Ltd., Nipawin
- Career and Employment – Construction Careers, Saskatoon
- Housing – Quint Development Corporation, Saskatoon

Winners were selected based on their ability to make a difference in people's lives and their demonstrated success in areas such as building inclusive families and communities, good governance, accountability and linkages with other groups.

Selection committee members included Perry Bellegarde of Regina (chair), Millie Goulet of La Ronge, George Lafond of Saskatoon, Patricia Leson of Prince Albert, Dr. Michael MacLean of Regina, Geraldine Peppler of Yorkton and Judy Samuelson of Regina.

"We were incredibly impressed with the volume and quality of the nominations," Selection Committee Chair Perry Bellegarde said. "It was exciting to be part of something brand new and to learn more about the powerful impact human service organizations are having on the people and communities they serve."

The award was created to honour the human service CBOs that deliver programs and services on behalf of Community Resources, helping tackle some of the province's most pressing social issues in local communities. CBOs that received funding in the last one to two years from Community Resources or the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation, which is an agency of Community Resources, to provide programs or services in one of the five award categories were eligible.

Awards will be presented to winners at ceremonies in their local communities in the fall.

As a way to encourage sharing of best practices, a listing of nominees with a short description of their work is available on the Community Resources web site at www.cr.gov.sk.ca.

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For More Information, Contact:

Janet Miller Community Resources Regina Phone: (306) 787-0531