Last week staff, community members and board members gathered at the Gaynor Family Regional Library to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Selkirk Community Renewal Corporation (SCRC).
The meeting began with a grant. Jacqueline Bercier, Lord Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School Cultural Proficiency Lead Teacher on behalf of the Promoting Aboriginal Student Success program at the school accepted a $5000 cheque for the program from SCRC.
SCRC’s Executive Director Ashley Monkman then welcomed everyone to the event.
“On December 5, 2023, the Selkirk Community Renewal Corporation had been in existence for 15 years. What an amazing 15 years it has been. We’ve had the privilege of working with so many great people over the years who have served on our board and have been a part of our staff team. We also have had many amazing partnerships with various organizations, businesses, community groups and funders through the past 15 years,” she said.
Monkman has been with the SCRC since 2013. Though she has taken on various roles in the organization over the years she has been executive director since 2015 following original executive director Darlene Swiderski.
Swiderski said that the first few years of getting the organization off of the ground was a huge learning curve.
“Trying to put this organization together, coming up with the mission statement, our vision and our mandate, and trying to find a board of directors, it was a lot of work,” said Swiderski.
At the very beginning, the SCRC started as one of seven communities that received funding from the provincial government to be created.
“It was started real small. We had a couple of grants and programs that were very popular, they still have the small grants program for small organizations. They had housing grants that we used to give out and it was so popular,” said Swiderski.
She says that she’s very proud of SCRC’s current staff and everything that’s been accomplished over the years.
Over the years SCRC’s services have changed but they continue to enhance community development and revitalization as well as improve the quality of life for Selkirk residents by fostering community spirit and building the capacity of community organizations.
They have many programs that help our community including Selkirk Employment Services, Hop, Skip, Saturday which is a literacy program that parents can do with their children, the Girl’s Wellness After School Program, and a free income tax program that helps people file their taxes under specific circumstances. They also host community events like their World Suicide Prevention Day Walk and Community Clean Ups.
Monkman attributes the organization’s success to the people who’ve worked hard to make it happen and the many partnerships that they’ve established with local organizations.
“I think the staff and board that we have are so dedicated to their community to be able to offer these services. We try to fill the gap as much as we can,” said Monkman.
She wishes that more people in our community knew about the SCRC and how it can help.
“I think, just through COVID, I think that contact has kind of been missed so we’re just trying to get back out into our community,” said Monkman.
She thanks everyone from our community who has been involved with the SCRC over the past 15 years.
“I would like to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for being a part of our organization through the years and for your continued support of the work that we do. Thank you for being here today and helping us celebrate our 15th anniversary and I look forward to many, many more years to come,” said Monkman.
Record Photos by Katelyn Boulanger
