Best Family Program: Marguerite Riel Centre

When your family needs support, the Marguerite Riel Centre in Melfort can be one of the best choices you make.

The Family Support Program at the centre offers a variety of programming including a family support worker, one-on-one services, group programs and childcare. Their services led them to being awarded the 2023 Best of the Best (BOB) Award winner for ‘Best Family Program’ in the northeast.

“It’s an honour just to be nominated. There are so many other great organizations in the category, and it’s very special for us to be voted one of the best by the community and other organizations because staff do work really hard to provide the best programming they can provide,” said director of operations Joanne Yakowec.

“To us, ‘Best Family Program’ means programs that are open to everybody and are free, and that offer a good, safe, secure, culturally sensitive setting which are important or informative, interactive and fun.”

The Marguerite Riel Centre has parenting groups that focus on basic childcare and traditional parenting, but they also offer programs that deal with clean and sober parenting, parenting after separation and they offer a class for parents to help understand that nobody’s perfect. The centre helps families deal with domestic violence and offers a community kitchen.

Also included is programming for infants and children up to the age of 6. They promote prenatal care, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) awareness, child development, child mental health and well-being support, and nutrition support. Plus, there is childcare made available for those taking part in the groups.

“The Family Support Program is meant to enhance parenting skills, bonding, child development, personal development, and healing for parents, while at the same time giving our children the maximum chance at a well-balanced start in life.”

The programs are interactive and educational which enables both parents and children to learn, play and grow.

“We try and gear some of our programs to the needs of the family at the time, so programs will change throughout the year as needs change in the community or with families,” added Yakowec.

“Mental health development affects all age groups, so it’s always one of the top things we look at with programming.”

The services don’t stop there. There is help for the homeless, resolution health support work for residential school survivors and trauma-informed care programs that support those affected by Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls tragedies.

“We don’t turn anybody away when it comes to programming. The focus is always the Melfort area, but we do have people that come into programming from other towns or surrounding rural areas as well, so we try and be open to everybody,” Yakowec explained.

“Our staff put a lot of research and effort into their planning, they’re really down to earth, and they are able to create a good bond with the participants that they work with. They’re also very active in the community, which allows them to know what’s happening in our community, and makes them able to do projects that give back to the community as well.”

The Marguerite Riel Centre is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Thursday, and 9 a.m. to     4 p.m. on Friday. If they get calls after hours or on weekends, they do their best to still provide support.

All the information about their programs can be found on their Facebook page, or they can be reached by phone at 306-752-4950. Anyone can also visit the office at any time, or a home visit can be arranged.