An Unprecedented Year in Review
Each year, we look back at the one past with that sense of wonder over how quickly time seems to have gone by, mixed with the anticipation and hope for the one to come. As we look back to the beginning of the 2020-2021 fiscal, we were just in the first weeks in what would quickly become ‘a new normal’ of social distancing, mask-wearing and ever-changing health regulations. Our world was changing daily and we had no idea of the full extent of the challenges and impact that COVID would present. We most certainly did not think we would still be dealing with it a year later – but deal with it we did. With the seemingly constant state of turmoil, we focused on the three core objectives of our strategic plan: Expand our Impact across Ontario, Share Knowledge and Amplify Our Community’s Voice.
Our community was vulnerable not just to the virus but also some of the policies and measures put in place to deal with it. We needed to act, support, and bring our community together. This incredible group includes our clients, family members, staff, volunteers, donors, activists, clinicians and our corporate, community and government partners.
At SCIO our priorities continued to shift and change to meet each new obstacle; from expanding our Virtual Peer Connections, making them more accessible across the Province; working to support over 500 clients to access much needed equipment; developing and launching a new community generated content stream in the form of CortreeTV; working with local and Provincial government and community partners to advocate for better access and the prioritization of COVID vaccines for individuals with disabilities; and ensuring that we were able to provide supports for virtual and mental health services for our clients, community and staff.
Our corporate and clinical partners continued to demonstrate why they are industry leaders – ensuring that our vision and mission to deliver and champion excellence in service, support and advocacy for and with people with spinal cord injury would continue to thrive.
As we continue to navigate through this pandemic, we are seeing light at the end of the COVID tunnel; a quote from Winter Olympic fan favourite – and British sporting icon – Eddie the Eagle, speaks to how our community has come together during these challenging times, “Resilience can go an awful long way. Resilience is defined as “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.” As individuals, we all have resiliency banks that, like batteries, get depleted over time and need to be recharged. There has been little opportunity for any of us to recharge our resilience banks over the last 15 months, so what we have been able to achieve together is a true testament to the extraordinary power of this community.
On behalf of Bob and the Board of Directors, I thank all our staff, volunteers, donors, corporate partners, and community members who have shown incredible, perseverance, resourcefulness, and resilience – we are so grateful.
Bob Nigol (top photo)
Chair of the Board of Directors
Dr. Stuart Howe
CEO