Dr. Geoffrey Pawson
With profound sadness we announce the passing of Dr. Geoffrey Pawson on January 30, 2012. Husband to Barbara for 50 years; Father to Jane (David) Loblaw, Gord (Lori) Pawson, David Pawson, and Kate (Scott) Langen. He was an extremely proud Granddad to Rachel, Sydney and Chloe Langen and Demira and Darian Pawson. Brother to David (Doreen) Pawson and Lloyd (Angie) Pawson; brother-in-law to Roger & Vicki Hardage and Ann & Jim Stevens; and their families. Geoff is the founder of the Ranch Ehrlo Society and former Ehrlo Community Services. He was only 27 years of age when he opened the first group home with 6 youth. The agency has grown to currently serving 250 youth and families across Saskatchewan and Canada. There have been thousands of graduates of the program, many of whom continued to maintain contact. He received many honours throughout his career such as the Order of Canada in 2000, the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 2001, the Family Service Canada Award in 2003, and an Honourary Doctorate of Law from the University of Regina in 2005. Geoff was an inspirational leader who had a tremendous impact at the local, provincial, national and international level for his unwavering commitment to youth. He had a gifted ability to create change, overcome obstacles, and challenge the status quo. He was a master problem-solver and visionary who was respected by his colleagues, employees, community, friends and family. Although Geoff will be profoundly missed, he has left a remarkable legacy. His mission and vision will live on at Ranch Ehrlo, as he laid a solid foundation to continue to improve upon meeting the needs and filling gaps for the most vulnerable members of our society. He truly left the world a better place. Donations can be made in Geoff's honor to the Dr. Geoffrey Pawson Education Scholarship. The purpose of this scholarship is to enable present and/or former residents of the Ranch Ehrlo Society and other deserving individuals to continue with Post-secondary and apprenticeship training. The focus is to improve the likelihood of long-term and continuous employment in the future of the recipients. A Memorial will be held on Friday February 17, 2012 at 7 pm at the Radisson Plaza Hotel Saskatchewan in the Grand Ballroom. An online book of condolences can be accessed at www.Ehrlo.com, as well as www.Facebook.com/RanchEhrlo. This is a wonderful way for the family to stay connected as they have yet to be able to return from Tucson AZ.

Other

Aboriginal Healing Foundation - mission is to encourage and support Aboriginal people in building and reinforcing sustainable healing processes that address the legacy of Physical Abuse and Sexual Abuse in the Residential School system, including intergenerational impacts.

Adoption Institute (US) - mission is to provide leadership that improves adoption laws, policies and practices - through sound research, education and advocacy - in order to better the lives of everyone touched by adoption.

Adoption Council of Canada – the umbrella organization for adoption in Canada; raises public awareness of adoption, promotes placement of waiting children and stresses the importance of post-adoption services.

Balmoral Farm – Resources for child and adolescent behaviour.

CANADEM - a non-profit agency dedicated to advancing international peace and security through the recruitment, screening, promotion and rapid mobilization of Canadian expertise.

Canadian Health Network – Health info for every body; includes sections on children and youth. Sponsored by the Government of Canada and major health organizations.

Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness - for the prevention of child abuse and adult victimization; established to assist Canadians affected by the life-long trauma of abuse—and to educate the public about the detrimental role abuse plays in our society.

Canadian Child Care Federation - is committed to excellence in early learning and child care (ELCC). The CCCF focuses on improving the quality of ELCC in Canada – whether in family child care, centrebased settings or school-aged care - and continually works to address the needs and issues of children and families.

Child and Family Canada - Fifty Canadian non-profit organizations have come together under the banner of Child & Family Canada to provide quality, credible resources on children and families on an easy-to-navigate website. The managing partner of the consortium is the Canadian Child Care Federation.

Canadian Association of Social Workers – As a federation of nine provincial and one territorial social work organizations, the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) provides a national leadership role in strengthening and advancing the social work profession in Canada.

Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development - Their mission is to improve the knowledge of the social and emotional development of young children.

Centre of Excellence for Children and Adolescents with Special Needs - committed to ensuring that young people with special needs living in rural and northern communities receive the best services Canada has to offer.

Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement - finds, describes and builds models of effective strategies for engaging youth in meaningful participation and making healthy decisions for healthy living.

Council of Canadian Child and Youth Care Associations - The Council is the national networking organization representing the profession in Canada.

Dalhousie University -  School of Social Work – The School offers BSW and MSW degrees, both accredited by the Canadian Association of Schools of Social Work. The School also offers a diversified Continuing Education program. The School launched a National Distance Delivery Mode effective September 2001, for both the BSW and MSW degrees.

Foster Adopt Winning Kids - The intent of this web site is to encourage people in Eastern Ontario, Canada to join a team of one thousand (1000) foster parents in fostering the children and youth in care in our region. This web site also hopes to attract interest in adopting children in Eastern Ontario who need permanent, adoptive homes.

Foster Parent Community - Training; share information between foster, adoptive families, and all other professions working with abused and neglected children.

Human Rights Internet - dedicated to the empowerment of human rights activists and organizations, and to the education of governmental and intergovernmental agencies and officials and other actors in the public and private sphere, on human rights issues and the role of civil society.

Invest in Kids - dedicated to helping parents become the parents they want and need to be. By translating the science of parenting and child development into engaging, easy-to-understand, relevant resources for parents and professionals, Invest in Kids aims to strengthen the parenting knowledge, skills and confidence of all those who touch the lives of our youngest children to ensure the healthy social, emotional and intellectual development of children from birth to age five.

Memorial University’s School of Social Work – Located in Newfoundland

Open Minds - Our mission is to provide behavioural health & social service payers, consumer associations, & service providers, with the management knowledge needed to improve their efficiency & effectiveness in order to better serve consumers.

OPTIONS: Services to Communities Society - committed to empowering individuals, supporting families and promoting community health through a wide variety of programs and projects. These consist of Family and Child Services; Youth Services; Women's Services; Housing and Shelter Services; Mental Health Services; Multicultural Services and Child Care Services.

Renison College School of Social Work (University of Waterloo) - prepares generalist social work practitioners through an accessible and inclusive baccalaureate curriculum in a learning environment that fosters caring and competent social work practice within regional, national and international contexts and embraces principles of justice, equality and respect for diversity.

Social Union Website - umbrella under which governments will concentrate their efforts to renew and modernize Canadian social policy; focuses on the pan-Canadian dimension of health and social policy systems, the linkages between the social and economic unions, and the recognition that reform is best achieved in partnership among provinces, territories and the Government of Canada. The primary objective of the social union initiative is to reform and renew Canada's system of social services and to reassure Canadians that their pan-Canadian social programs are strong and secure.

United Nations Association in Canada - Our mandate is to engage the Canadian public in the work of the United Nations and the critical international issues which affect us all. CWLC is a member.

World Women's Summit Foundation (WWSF) - a humanitarian, non-governmental and international, non-confessional and non-profit organization with United Nations consultative status (ECOSOC, UNFPA and DPI), works for a new development paradigm with and for women and children.

Youth Privacy - Because young Canadians are among the most wired in the world. Many  think that the Net is private – that people like family members and teachers can’t see what is being done. Check out this web site to learn about how people can capture information that’s online and use it for their own purposes. You can also learn how to protect your information so it can’t be used without you knowing about it. (Privcacy Commissioner of Canada)