The power in a name

This month marks a new beginning for our organization. We have been working for several months now with the staff at the city of Medicine Hat to transition the operation of Meals on Wheels, Strathcona Centre and Veiner Centre to the team at Kerby. I said “Kerby” on purpose, not Kerby Centre.

Our board and management have become prone, during the pandemic to say “ Kerby Centre” is no longer a place, it is a group of people, it is a community and sometimes nowadays it is online or on zoom. Our partnership with the City of Medicine Hat will mean that together we can support more older adults in Alberta.

On Aug. 3, as you may have read on social media, the Kerby team with start the transition to operation the Centre’s and programs. I would like to introduce the Kerby News readers and members to Cori Fisher. Cori was born and raised in Medicine Hat and will be taking on the role as Site Director for our programs in the Hat.

Cori has 20 years of experience as the Executive Director of the Canadian Mental Health Association Southeast Region. Additionally, she spent four years working for the Provincial Government in Claresholm and Brooks as a Child Welfare Worker. Cori holds an Early Childhood Development Diploma from Medicine Hat College as well as a Bachelor and a Master of Social Work from the University of Calgary.

We are very excited to introduce Cori and welcome her as a member of the Kerby team. Please drop into Veiner and say hello to Cori.  I suppose this brings us to another point, as an organization, we absolutely have to stop referring to ourselves as Kerby Centre, the building on the West end of downtown in Calgary will always likely be called Kerby Centre, but when you think of it — it Kerby is not a building anymore.

It is many programs and services, three seniors centres, Meals On Wheels, Food Security, an Elder Abuse shelter and much more. Over the next few months, you will continue to see an evolution of our brand and the look and feel of our digital and print materials. If you have some feedback, positive or negative: drop me an email (larrym@kerbycentre.com).

If you have a great idea for our new name —I’d love to hear that too.

We will not be changing the names of our buildings -there wouldn’t be a lot of value in that. With that being said the community you have helped us build is much bigger than one building.