Back in 1968 a group of Yorkton clergy decided to form the Society for the Involvement of Good Neighbours, a pioneering ecumenical community initiative that was ahead of its time.
Father Paul St. Pierre of St. Gerard’s Roman Catholic parish, Rev. Jack Jones of St. Andrew’s United Church, Rev. Roland Wood of Holy Trinity Anglican Church and Rev. William Shank of Westview United spearheaded the establishment of an organization whose purpose was to reach the community in a way that was beyond what individual churches could do.
SIGN became a reality May 1, 1969. As stated in one of the first SIGN newsletters that year, “SIGN hopes to produce the product called Community Unity - a community in which people care about people. So we promote co-operation between churches, service organizations and other agencies throughout the community.”
Little could they have known that the organization would not only fulfill that mission, but would continue to innovate and grow, and would celebrate half a century of service this year.
SIGN will mark its 50th anniversary with a dinner and celebration on May 10 at St. Mary’s Cultural Centre. Tickets at $25 per person are available from SIGN on North Street, or online at www.signyorkton.ca.
Today, SIGN provides more than two dozen important community and social services to children and adults in Yorkton and east-central Saskatchewan.
It derives its funding from service contracts with government departments, private donations, fund-raising projects, business donations, the city of Yorkton, and service clubs. But in the early years, it was Yorkton churches and several national religious organizations that made possible the work of SIGN.
To truly make SIGN an organization of “community unity”, the first board of directors involved the Yorkton business community. Father St. Pierre was the managing director, assisted by Kathy Derworiz, whose husband was a local dentist. The first board of directors consisted of Father Len Ratushniak of St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic parish, banker Bryan Smith, photographer and business owner Mike Keaschuk, businessman Al Porter, Rev. Ray Glen of Knox Presbyterial Church, accountant Ernie Quine, Rev. Jones and Rev. Wood.
SIGN initiated and pioneered many programs in its early years, notably SIGN Daycare, which was operated by a board of parents, and the first comprehensive homecare service in Yorkton.
When SIGN opened its doors in 1969, it provided counselling services, the start of the homemaker program, information and referral services, a radio call-in program on CJGX, and it advocated for the development of kindergarten classes in Yorkton.
The next year SIGN opened a thrift shop, started a leathercraft project, and opened a drop-in lounge.
In 1971 the first daycare centre was opened, followed by a senior citizen lounge in 1972, among the first in the province. It also took the lead in efforts to establish crosswalks for pedestrians.
In 1973 SIGN assisted with the creation of the Parkland Legal Assistance Society, and the following year, rounding out its first five years, it started Meals on Wheels and set up a consumer help office.
This is the first of a number of articles provided by SIGN, exploring its history over the past 50 years. Questions and comments may be directed to [email protected].
