ST. PAUL – The St. Paul Abilities Network (SPAN), created in 1964, celebrated its 60th year of service on July 30.
Anthony opden Dries, executive director of SPAN, said the non-profit was created by a group of volunteers and families who wanted to raise their children with disabilities to have the same educational opportunities as everybody else.
“They wanted their children to actually be able to have jobs in the future and be able to live on their own,” said opden Dries. “That’s really the bare bones of how [SPAN] came to be.”
Since then, SPAN has come a long way, he said, expanding to other branches of community service and other initiatives.
“[SPAN] is really about empowering people... about trying to achieve excellence for everyone... about helping individuals be able to live their lives to the best abilities that the can.”
The organization faced hurdles in the past, including some fiscal challenges, but has since gone back to the core mission and vision of what it was originally created for, according to opden Dries, which is about serving people.
As part of its 60th anniversary, individuals and staff at SPAN plan to identify opportunities in the community where they can volunteer. He said those opportunities could be volunteering for community and social organizations or supporting a neighbour who may need support like shovelling their walk, for example.
“It’s really about giving back to the community.”
Future
Looking ahead, opden Dries said SPAN will continue to build on and enhance on its current programs and continue “renewing and refreshing SPAN’s presence in the community,” he said.
“That’s engaging with individuals, families, community partners, enhancing fund development opportunities, etcetera,” he explained. “It really is about re-energizing and striving for that empowerment and excellence in providing those personalized supports to individuals and helping them achieve their dreams and aspirations.”
This involves continuing to work with government partners to provide additional programs and supports, such as the expansion of programs dealing with developmental disabilities; addictions and mental health; continuing its social enterprises like its DAC Catering; as well as potentially offering more affordable housing in the future.
“Obviously, there would have to be a lot of planning and engagement.”
SPAN continues to work with employees in town to help individuals gain meaningful employment, he added.
He is proud to be a part of a large organization that has continued to serve people with disabilities and diverse abilities through the support of families, individuals, and the community.
“It’s a huge milestone for [SPAN],” but also a milestone in the field of community services, said opden Dries, “because we’ve been able to demonstrate inclusion.”
“We’ve been able to demonstrate how individuals are very valued members of society. I think it’s amazing to see people pushing this forward.”
