Celebrating half a century

BARRHEAD - The Blue Heron Support Services Association (BHSAA) is celebrating a milestone and is turning 50.

To mark the occasion, on Friday, Sept. 8, the organization is hosting a night of celebration from 7 to 10 p.m. at its Barrhead office.

Some of the activities slated are presentations about Blue Heron's current programming. There will also be a concert by Allan Bain, a country and rock and roll artist and fixture on Barrhead's music scene. Refreshments will also be served.

The BHSSA is a not-for-profit organization that helps individuals with developmental, physical, sensory and brain injuries. BHSSA also provides adult continuing education opportunities and programs to support caregivers of those who suffer from the above conditions, primarily by providing respite. Although the association offers programs in Whitecourt, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Grimshaw, High Prairie, Edson, Hinton, Jasper and Slave Lake, most of its work is in the Barrhead region.

At first, the organization, was named the North Central Association For the Mentally and Related Handicapped (NCAMRH), and it was run by an organizational board, said BHSAA program director Tim Griffin, who has been charged with gathering historical information for the evening of celebration.

"It started with the parents and guardians of the people we support," said Tim Griffin.

He added that the push to form the organization came from the parents and guardians of people with developmental disabilities who wanted a different option.

He noted that in the 1970s, there were few options other than institutionalized care. 

About three years later, in 1976, the NCAMRH grew to the point of hiring its first executive director, Eleanor Boughman.

"At the time, she was doing a lot of advocacy for several provincial groups," Griffin said, adding the board tasked her with creating more specialized services to serve their clients better.

Throughout the next few years, Boughman spent much of her efforts creating the framework to allow NCAMRH to open the Blue Heron Vocational Training Centre.

Farrel Palmer was hired to oversee the centre, and it basically operated as its own entity.

The centre was designed to help people with developmental disabilities and brain injuries build relative skills to find meaningful employment. 

"The Vocational Training Centre did a lot of different things at the time," he said. "They did woodworking and trophy making; construction of beekeeping supplies, most notably bee boxes, was something they did for 15 years."

Griffin noted that the centre offered two programming streams: a vocational program to teach people a trade and a pre-employment program for lower-functioning individuals.

Those in the vocational program received at least minimum wage, while those in the pre-employment stream received a lower sheltered workshop or training wage.

In the mid-90s, the school would move across from what is now Parsons Auction on 52nd Avenue as the industrial park was too far from many of its clientele.

In 1987, the NCAMRH rebranded, changing its name to the Barrhead Association for Community Living (BACL).

"(The board) changed its name as they were no longer the only organization in the north-central region, and the "mentally and related handicapped" terms had a negative connotation and stigma attached to them," he said.

It is worth noting that after the merger of the groups, a group of individuals decided to continue to work under the BACL banner. Their last project was the Together Talk counselling program they instituted in Barrhead, Westlock and Athabasca through funding under Alberta Health's Mental Health and Addiction COVID-19 Community Funding program.

Roughly three years later, he said the vocational centre and the BACL essentially merged under the Blue Heron Support Services Association banner. 

Griffin said they also had a hand in the opening of the since-defunct School of New Hope for children with developmental disabilities.

"And at the same time, we opened a children's residence. The children would stay at the residence during the week and go home to their families on the weekends," he said, noting long-time Barrhead resident Anna Swan was one of the "house parents" in the residence.

"(Swan) still works for us today as a team leader," Griffin said, adding Swan has been part of Blue Heron in some capacity for 46 years.

He also noted that in the early 1980s, the BHSSA opened its adult residential complex, allowing adults with disabilities to build more independence.

Griffin added they are also proud to have been able to help similar organizations launch in Athabasca (Blue Heron Vocational Centre) and Whitecourt (ECHO) get off the ground.

"We've come a long way in 50 years," he said. "We want to celebrate our achievements with the community."

Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com