At the Okanagan Business Referral Group we support two local charities, Access to Employment/People in Motion and Soles 4 Soles Canada with the proceeds from our semi-annual events. Here is some information on these two great organizations.
Access to Employment/People In Motion
Operating with the support of Ministry of Housing and
Social Development, Access To Employment educates and assists employers and people with disabilities secure competitive employment for close to 200 people annually.
To be eligible for our program, individuals identify themselves as having a permanent physical, mental, cognitive or sensory disability which is a barrier to entering or re-entering the workforce, but who are otherwise ready for work. In addition, participants in Access To Employment are currently unemployed (working less than 20 hours per week) and are legally entitled to work in Canada.
Access To Employment services are available regardless of an individual’s funding source or status. For example, clients may be on Employment Insurance, have Reach-Back status, or no EI eligibility. They may be receiving disability benefits through the Province, the Canada Pension Plan, private insurance, or not at all.
Our services are free for eligible individuals, and are funded by the Ministry of Housing and Social Development.
Services offered by Access To Employment include:
- Job Search Techniques
- Resource Centre: computers, fax, telephone, newspapers, etc.
- Providing Labour Market Information and employment leads
- Job Development / Job Coaching
- Career Counselling
- Educational Counselling
- Vocational Assessments
- Assistance with acquiring educational funding
- Assistance with acquiring funding for work accommodations
- Assistance accessing wage subsidies
- Communication Facilitation / Interpreting Services
The Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities is maintained by the Government of Canada to assist persons with disabilities who are not eligible for Employment Insurance benefits to acquire and develop skills and experience. In the Central and North Okanagan, the Opportunities Fund is administered by Access To Employment by contract with the Ministry of Housing and Social Development.
Activities supported by the Opportunities Fund include:
Encouraging employers to provide training and employment opportunities by subsidizing wages, education and workplace accommodations
Facilitating the acquisition of new skills for individuals by funding education and training
Providing individualized services and supports at the workplace to support integration and success in employment
Check out their website http://www.pimbc.ca/employ.html
Soles 4 Souls Canada
ROY’S Shoes Kelowna, a leader in quality and comfort family footwear, is proud to announce a partnership with Soles4Souls, the international shoe charity. From February 24th through March 20th 2010, participating sponsors across the Okanagan will be collecting gently worn shoes as part of the 25,000 Shoes in 25 Days campaign. Our goal is to collect 25,000 pairs of Shoes in 25 days.
Local Okanagan social agencies as example: The Food Bank Store, Kelowna Gospel Mission, Now Canada, and Kelowna’s Women’s Shelter and others will all be offered footwear for their clients and the remaining shoes will be shipped to the Soles4Souls distribution Centre in Nevada where they will be sorted and shipped to where needed.
Presently Soles4Souls have committed over 1 million pairs to Haiti and supports 125 other countries. “Soles4Souls makes such a difference in the lives of so many and has really helped us to ensure we stay true to our core values. Health and wellness is important not only for our feet and body but also for our environment. By helping to collect and distribute gently worn shoes we can continue to spread the message that healthy comfortable footwear leads to happiness and wellbeing.” said Jim (aka Roy) Belshaw.
Check Roy’s Soles4Souls Canada blog here.
About Soles4Souls® - Soles4Souls is a Nashville-based charity that collects shoes from warehouses of footwear companies and the closets of people like you. We distribute these shoes, free of charge, to people in need around the world. Since 2005, Soles4Souls has given away over 7 million pairs of new and gently worn shoes (currently distributing one pair every 9 seconds). The shoes have been distributed in 125 countries, including Haiti, Kenya, Nepal and the United States. Visit www.giveshoes.org for more information.
About ROY’S SHOES - For 37 years Roy’s Shoes Boot and Repair has offered great service, quality comfort shoes and shoe repair in Kelowna’s downtown core. Jim Belshaw bought Roy’s Shoes three years ago and is committed to his community and is a proud Rotarian. He is a huge supporter of Downtown Kelowna becoming a viable mixed use community that supports live, work and play opportunities for both residents and visitors. Jim donates through Roy’s Shoes a $1.00 of every shoe repair to his local and international community. Last year his donations topped $7000.00.
