Twenty-five years have passed since Humboldt and District Community Services opened its doors to provide support services for those with disabilities. On Thursday night, HDCS began a summer’s worth of 25th anniversary celebrations with a spectacular inclusive dance featuring the astonishing vocals of Colby Nargang, performing live in the St. Augustine Parish Hall.
In an interview prior to the dance celebration, Director of HDCS Juanine Korte reflected on the past 25 years while looking forward to a bright future for the organization.
“I was here 25 years ago, and I’ve been part of that journey – so I’ve seen it grow from a very small group focused on making the community a better place for people with disabilities to live. So, I think over that time, we've definitely done that.”
From a small work shadowing program as a predecessor to the current agency to its multi-pronged approach to personal support and community advocacy, the staff, board and clients have laid a remarkable groundwork for inclusion. Korte says the motto has always been “we’re not going to build something just to build it – it we want to have purpose.”
From the initial shadowing came supported employment, a job search resource centre, a community inclusion support services program, right up to supported independent living programs with the Hilda Home.
Their celebration includes keeping the community informed about programs and events through its “Tidbit Tuesday” social media campaign. By following the Humboldt & District Community Service Facebook page, you’ll keep up to speed on the latest and also learn more about its evolution and history.
As mentioned, the kickoff to the summer long celebration was Thursday night’s inclusive dance. Revellers from Cudworth, Wynyard and Wadena joined local folks from the program and Futuristic Industries to rock to the sounds of Regina entertainer Colby Nargang. Colby has become a well-known representative for those with disabilities as he was born with a rare condition called Williams Syndrome.
Colby’s break came with school choirs and vocal competitions that led to appearances on Telemiracle. His wheelhouse is classic rock and roll, leaning heavily into the extensive catalogs of Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison.
“I’ve been singing Roy Orbison songs since I was about three and a half years old,” said Nargang who chatted after an inspiring first set. “I was doing school talent shows at Davin School in Regina. At age 13, they thought I was lip-syncing at a talent contest at Lumsden Elementary (which he was not), and in 2003, I auditioned for Telemiracle.”
Now the gifted vocalist and energetic performer has release CDs and performs full time professionally as he has for the past 22 years.”
Dancers enjoyed a slice of anniversary cake as part of the Festivities.
There’s more to come over the next few months as part of the anniversary, says Juanine.
“In August, we’re celebrating the 25th anniversary of our summer program. We've created an event. It's with a magician, and it's for all the past families, staff and participants that we've had over the last 25 years. We've tried really hard to invite everybody from the past that we can. So, we're pretty excited to have a bit of a reunion that day.”
Plans are also under way for an October celebration of their supported employment program to coincide with Disability Employment Awareness Month. They’ll be capping off the festivities with a celebration of the board and staff, many of whom have been involved with the programs for a lengthy term.
“They really are the heartbeat of the organization.” Korte says. “We've had a lot of long-term staff and board members, and they're here because of the mission of our organization, which is really about ensuring that all people have meaningful connections to the community.
I've seen a lot of changes in the community. I would like to say that we've had some impact with that change, and we've helped to create some change within the community as far as inclusion and accessibility goes.”
Watch for updates and check into “Tidbit Tuesday” for details on upcoming events as Humboldt and District Community Services clocks a hallmark year.