The new executive director of the Cariboo Chilcotin Partners for Literacy Society says she has some big shoes to fill.
Sarah Jackman has taken over the role from longtime director Shelly Joyner, who was with organization since its inception in 1997. It has been a steep learning curve, but one she is enjoying so far, she said.
“It’s a lot to learn, walking into an already well-established organization. I’m definitely diving into the deep end,” Jackman, a longtime Williams Lake resident, said. “Shelly has done such a fantastic job for so many years and I’m really looking forward to carrying on with this team.”
Jackman is the former executive director of the Punky Lake Wilderness Camp Society, a non-profit that provides restorative justice and peacemaking services to the First Nations’ communities in Central BC, though the Tsilhqot’in Restorative Justice Program.
She has recently worked as a private consultant providing assistance with grant funding applications for community organizations and non-profits.
“Working with non-profits is very rewarding,” Jackman said. “You know immediately that you’re doing something that is going to be helping others.”
CCPL currently has a staff of 20 between two offices located in Williams Lake and 100 Mile House, and offers free programs aimed at fostering life-long learning and improved mental, physical and economic health in the communities it serves.
Jackman encourages community members and service partners to reach out to her or stop by one of CCPL’s offices to find out more about what the non-profit has to offer. For more info, visit www.caribooliteracy.com.