Just two years into the rebranding and reconstruction of Saskatchewan Prairie Sky Recovery, an addictions treatment centre located at Leipzig, and two years of membership in the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, management and staff have been recognized with a Better Business Bureau Torch Award.
The awards were presented at a BBB event in Saskatoon May 2.
Joanne DeWolfe, managing director at Prairie Sky Recovery, and Jaqueline Hoffman, CEO, accepted their plaques as the Northern Saskatchewan Small Business Award winners.
Kristen Benn, marketing and communication co-ordinator for the Better Business Bureau told Hoffman after the award ceremony the judges were moved by Prairie Sky Recovery's origin story. She said they felt it was unique and said the organization provides a much-needed service within the province of Saskatchewan.
According to the Saskatchewan BBB website: “The BBB Torch Awards for Ethics Program seeks to elevate and celebrate the commitment made by for-profit and non-profit enterprises to the highest standards of leadership, character, ethics and ethical enterprising. These awards bring attention to the practices that these organizations employ, to generate a high level of trust among their employees, customers and their communities.”
History of Prairie Sky Recovery
Leipzig was founded as a town in 1905.
Four sisters from the School Sisters of Notre Dame, the Canadian Motherhouse out of Hamilton, Ont. arrived in Leipzig on Aug. 26, 1926. A small house served as temporary living quarters, until a larger convent could be built the following year. Volunteers constructed the convent/boarding school.
The convent could accommodate 20 girls and boys from the Leipzig area. It eventually became a residence for high school girls and an elementary school for local girls and boys during the day.
Originally named Leipzig Convent, it was later named Notre Dame Convent and Boarding School.
When the nuns knew the school was shutting down, one of their last prayers in the chapel was to one day bring the facility back as a place of education.
In 2008, after many years of sitting empty and various owners, the facility reopened.
Leipzig Serenity Retreat was born that year spearheaded by Ardyth Wilson, a women on a mission to help people who were addicted to drugs and alcohol by helping them to overcome the underlying issues behind addictions.
When the sisters learned about the revamping of the building, they wrote a letter to Wilson giving her their blessing, as their prayers of returning the site back to a place of education were answered.
During Leipzig Serenity Retreat's 10 years of operation they treated 800 people.
In a process of restructuring and the rebranding in 2016, the name was changed to Prairie Sky Recovery.
Award Signals Acceptance
Wilson was sitting in the audience when the award was presented. She was seeing her “baby” being recognized, while handing the reins to her “baby” (Hoffman is Ardyth Wilson's daughter). It was a proud moment to see her dream being accepted in the business community.
“My entire job really is to make sure we are always honouring Ardyth and the foundation she has laid for us,” Hoffman said.
“With no Ardyth, there would be no Prairie Sky Recovery. We will continue to stay on the path that she set us on.”
The future, Hoffman said, includes achieving accreditation to ensure the organization is meeting standards set forth for addictions services.
“Working hard to finalize our accreditation is our top priority.”
Prairie Sky Recovery launched a Family Care Enhancement Program last year and has also added a few more services including an After Treatment Care Program and a 90-day program for those who need more than a five weeks.
Prairie Sky Recovery’s 18 staff members say they are committed to providing not just care and treatment, but returning the lost and the wounded to productive lives while treating them with compassion, respect and dignity.
