Risk & Business Magazine Lloyd Sadd Insurance Brokers Fall 2015 | Page 25

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Community Feature: Excel Society
Enriching Lives by Enabling Potential

“Excel Society is dedicated to
enabling people to develop
their full potential”.

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ince 1964, Excel has always been
focused on one thing, helping people
with mental illness, developmental
delay, and brain injury to get the most
out of life. They do that through well
trained staff, working in productive
environments, and achieving positive
results. This is their story.
With its early beginnings, the
organization has experienced a variety of
changes over the past five decades. Excel
began as a community project run in the
basement of Robertson Wesley United
Church. With the support of a psychiatric
nurse and an administrative person, 15
clients from Alberta Hospital Edmonton
reintegrated into the community and
began participating in a personal and
employment skills building program.
“In 1968, the Sheltered Workshop was
incorporated as a not-for-profit society
focused on teaching employment skills
and building children’s furniture and
patio furniture as a small business,” says
Sharon Read, President/ CEO. “Growth
began in 1995 with the acquisition of
eight homes from the Inner-city Crisis
Services Centre and a change in name
to Excel Resources Society also known
as Excel Society. Excel Society never
looked back and presently serves over
500 clients of all ages with various
di