On Friday, May 10, the People and Culture Department at York Region CAS held its annual Wellness Day event at the Agency’s Head Office in Newmarket. Over 100 people attended including York Region CAS staff, volunteers, and foster parents.
Wellness Day is a chance for our Agency to recognize overall wellbeing in relation to the stressfulness of everyday lives and work. This year’s Wellness Day emphasized #MakingYourselfAPriority and focused on the physical and mental aspects of wellness as continued progress rather than perfection.
The day kicked off with a morning smudge courtesy of ODEIWIN and allowed participants to learn more about the significance of smudging to the Indigenous Peoples. This was quickly followed by a jam-packed list of optional activities for everyone to enjoy including an improv workshop hosted by You Amaze You, a physical movement experience hosted by AFRIKCORE, a peaceful meditative workshop hosted by Buddhist Monk, Bhante Saranapala, and a chance to pet our furry therapy dog friends from St. John’s Ambulance.
Homewood Health, the Agency’s Employee Family Assistance Program provider, also hosted a variety of sessions focused on physical and mental wellbeing that was available both in-person and virtually.
In addition, delicious food, including a bake sale held by the Youth Events Committee was open for everyone to enjoy. Participants also had the chance to win fantastic raffle prizes courtesy of our donors: In Harmony Dance and Wellness, Bullseye Axe Throwing, Modo Yoga, Market Candle Company, Robin’s Nest Soap, Heart Pottery, Leigh-Ann Scott Snow, Tara Kilroy and iDance Studio.
On behalf of York Region CAS, we would like to sincerely thank all our event sponsors for their generous donations as our Agency continues to honour all our staff, volunteers, and foster parents for their ongoing commitment to centering the children, youth, and families that we serve.
A special thanks to all our internal committees and employee resource groups who took the time to set up booths and display their ongoing work within the Agency. This included: Overarching Health and Safety, Pride at Work Council, Asian Heritage, Black Staff Advisory Council, Equity and Inclusion Advisory, Mental Health and Abilities, Social Committee, Signs of Safety Committee, York Region Children’s Fund, Resource Parent Wellness, Peer Support Team, Anti-Sex Trafficking Committee, and the Quality Team.
Thank you to our external partners who also had booths to share vital information pertaining to their organizations. This included: Venngo Workperks, Co-Operators, Lift, Sunlife, OMERS, ODEIWIN, and Homewood Health.
Thank you to all who participated in the year’s Wellness Day! We hope to see you all again next year!
