Porcupine Opportunities Program Inc. Celebrating a Half Century!!

by Porcupine Opportunities Program Inc.

Porcupine Opportunities Program Inc. (POP) is celebrating its 50th year of operation in 2024. As we reflected on this, we felt it was important to recognize the individuals that helped to make the organization a success over the last 5 decades and to recognize some of the key milestones over the years.

POP was initially started in 1974 by a group of parents who wish to provide an opportunity for their children, who were experiencing disabilities, to live and work in or near their homes. With their own money and donations from community, the group purchased 27 acres of land on the South side of Porcupine Plain and moved a two-room schoolhouse to the site. They set up a working area in one room, storage and an admin office in the second room and a small woodworking shop in the basement. This formed POP’s infrastructure to start providing services and to support 9 individuals.

Initial operations at POP were largely built around income from Canada manpower grants, while other income came from building grain bids for local farmers and the Co-op. The new beginnings of what would later become the main revenue source for the agency, core box production for mining companies, was also established. However, without a steady operating revenue the organization was starting to falter by the end of the 1970’s.

In 1983, Karl KWIATKOWSKI, POP’s manager, orchestrated the transition from the parent group to a community-based board of directors. Base operating revenue was provided by the provincial government through the Ministry of Social Services. Over two dozen organizations were represented at the initial meetings with some groups agreeing to sit on the board and others offering support.

Over the years financial circumstances and changes in local organizations gradually reduced the number of organizations involved in the agency. Currently, only the Town of Hudson Bay and RM of Kelvington still appoint board members, while other board members are appointed at large.

From the early beginnings, POP continued to grow and expand its programming. Key milestones included:

• Construction of current day program, workshop and administrative office on Church St. in the early 1980s
• The initiation of residential services in 1985 with the rental of a three-bedroom home from Saskatchewan housing to support individuals in semi-independent living
• Construction of POP’s first group home on 1st Ave. in 1988 (Playtondale) with two more group homes being added in 1998 on Cooper St. (ABM) and in 2012 on Katherine Ave. (Glenwood)
• Building of two independent living residences with the first in 2004 and the second in 2012. These suites house four and five individuals respectively and were attached to two of the group homes. The agency also purchased a four-bedroom home in 2010 to provide additional supported living spaces for participants additions to the business programming. Through this time, POP also included set up of a laundromat and business offices in 1991, the purchase of a four-plex apartment building in 1994 and the addition of SARCAN recycling depots in Porcupine Plain in 1997 and Hudson Bay in 2008.
• 2018 addition of dunnage line for Weyerhaeuser.
• 2022 construction begins on the 3500 square foot expansion to the workshop.

Today, Porcupine Opportunities Program Inc. has grown to be an integral part of the local communities in Porcupine Plain and Hudson Bay. The agency currently supports approximately 30 participants supported by 60 full and part time staff. Programming for participants continues to evolve and now includes 2 day programs (Porcupine Plain and Hudson Bay), a senior’s program and an expanded workshop which produces core boxes for the mining sector, dunnage for the lumber industry, various outdoor furniture, planters and other wood products for the public. Most recently the agency has expanded its supported employment program with the expansion of service in its laundromat. A gift store that features products produced by local and regional artisan, a selection of Filipino Food and POP Day Program produced crafts was opened in 2019. In 2023 Tid Bits, another supported employment endeavour, began creating individual frozen entrees and desserts in our inspected kitchen to sell at the store, Bits ‘n Pieces.

THANK YOU!

Founding Parent Group: Anne and Mike Kuzek; Sophie and Nick Kwiatkowski; Mavis and Mike Belchamber: Audrey and Don Leepart; Elsie and Joe Dobrowski; Mabel and Fred Seafoot; Phillipena and Herman Heine; Kathy and James Jamieson: and Marg Kraft

Founding Board of Directors: Fred Seafoot, Herman Heine, Anne Kuzek, Mike Kuzek, Nick Kwiatkowski, Jim Jamieson, Kathy Jamieson.  Other community contributors include John and Dorothy Gunderson, Merlin and Elaine Olson, and Marie Szylowski.

Current Board of Directors: Tracy Slobodian, Tony Lau, Pat Morvik, Mary Ryhorski, Bonnie Hoffus, Mark Orendi (Town or Hudson Bay appointee), Agnes Ewen (R.M. Kelvington appointee). (If you are interested in becoming a director on the board, please reach out to one of our current directors)

Porcupine Opportunities Program Inc. wants to thank all former and current staff for their dedication and support to all who have called or call Porcupine Opportunities Program Inc. their home over the last 50 years.