It has been my personal and professional pleasure to have been a
Director of CHIRS since 2012 and the Chair of the Board of Directors
since 2017. Speaking on behalf of the Board as a whole, we are so
honoured to be associated with such an outstanding and progressive
organization, led and supported by a dedicated team of professionals.
While the pandemic has had a
profound impact on CHIRS' staff and clients, the early actions
taken by the staff, and the ability of the organization to be
proactive in its response to the pandemic has been nothing short of
impressive. CHIRS has, time and again, risen to the many challenges
posed by the pandemic, and our dedicated team continues to persevere
to ensure that CHIRS' clients receive the exemplary services for
which we have come to be known. As a modest token of the Board's
appreciation for all of the hard work that the staff has put forth
this year, it was the Board's absolute pleasure to provide a
catered Christmas Day Feast for CHIRS residential clients and staff;
we hope everyone enjoyed it.
Supporting CHIRS in addressing
COVID-19 has been at the forefront of the Board's mandate this
year, but we have also achieved other notable accomplishments; please
review The
Community Head Injury Resource Service Impact Report 2019
for more detail.
Part of
supporting CHIRS involves the Board providing strategic direction to
the organization. With the engagement of an external consultant in
November 2019, the CHIRS management team and the Board revisited and
revised our Strategic Plan. The Board has been monitoring progress
and steadfast in its efforts to ensure compliance with the Strategic
Plan. For an "At-a-Glance" look at our 2020-2025 Strategic Plan. In that same spirit, the Board has also been
attentive to the CHIRS Governance Policies, which the Board regularly
reviews and updates as necessary.
A strength of
the Board is our ability to work collaboratively to tackle whatever
issues appear before us. To evaluate those efforts, among others,
Board members complete an annual Board Evaluation Survey plus a
Self-Assessment Survey. The results of these surveys help the Board
evaluate contributions and progress against measurable deliverables.
In 2020 we introduced a 3600 Peer Feedback Survey, which
facilitated constructive feedback on individual performance, with the
objective of enhancing overall Board performance. I am pleased to
report that we continue to see validating feedback and creative
ideas.
It has been my pleasure to serve on
the Board of an organization that continues to strive for and deliver
excellence, from the top down. The Board is committed to continuing
to support the organization's mission to
improve the quality of life for persons living with the effects of
acquired brain injury and to be leading-edge in the provision of
evidence-based community and client-centred services in the field of
Acquired Brian Injury.
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