Moose Jaw Families for Change (MJFFC) is an organization offering various supports to local people with disabilities.  

The organization will soon be able to provide First Aid and CPR training for their staff and volunteers in-house, thanks to funding provided through the Government of Canada’s Community Services Recovery Fund. 

The Fund was a $400 million investment, aimed at non-profit organizations in Canada looking to address issues their organizations faced in adapting to their needs post-pandemic.  

Mike Bachiu, program coordinator with Moose Jaw Families for Change, is one of two staff members who have become certified to train others through the funding. “We found that when we had new staff coming in, especially during COVID, sometimes it was hard to gain access to different training opportunities because of limited capacity with different training facilities.” 

The funding was used to certify two in-house CPR trainers and purchase training supplies including booklets, CPR mannequins, and training AEDs and EpiPens. They’re also buying functional AEDs for the Kinsmen Cafe, Kinsmen Inclusion Centre, and their group homes, to have in case of an emergency.  

All equipment is ready to go for training, and the organization is waiting for application approval as a training license partner before they offer the training to staff and volunteers.  

“This is incredible for us. Now we don’t have to have our staff waiting around, or organizing training through other training partners or anything. We can take that into our hands and make sure our staff are getting the very best training for the situations they might face on the job.” 

MJFFC received $18320.60 from the Community Services Recovery Fund.