The Lakes District Community Services Society (LDCSS) played host to a packed house of happy revellers last Friday for their 40 anniversary celebration.
Patrons along with LDCSS staff, board members and volunteers gathered to play some fun games, enjoy a cupcake and juice box and welcome the important non-profit agency into its fourth decade of providing needed social supports to improve the quality of life of residents of the Lakes District.
Kelly Turford, executive director of the LDCSS, said the 40 anniversary celebration gave them an opportunity to honour those who give up their time and energy to help people that ask for the agency's support. She said their staff, board of directors and volunteers are not only strengthening the agency but also growing and broadening its horizons.
Turford said the LDCSS started out in 1974 as an employment agency and has grown from there to now provide three strains of programming including child and youth services, developmentally disabled adult services and seniors help.
She said the agency is also starting a few new things on their 40 anniversary such as the Lakes District Community Response Network that is a network of individuals and agencies that work together to prevent abuse, neglect and self-neglect of vulnerable adults as well as an autism support service that is designed to promote understanding, acceptance and community inclusion for people with autism and their families.
The LDCSS community inclusion group is currently full and serves 14 developmentally disabled adults. Their child and youth mental heath program serves anywhere from 70 to 150 kids at any given time and there are two full-time clinicians on staff.
The senior support program's bus service picks up around 20 to 30 people each Tuesday and Thursday to take them to places such as the post office, grocery store and health appointments. The growing LDCSS Meals on Wheels appointments currently has eight recipients.
Turford said the LDCSS truly became a community service eight years ago when they ensured there was additional programming that was more reflective of their community base. She said the 40th anniversary gives them a chance to build on that by launching their new website, www.lakesdistrictcommunityservices.ca, along with celebrating the people that have made the agency into what it is today.