President's Message

2008 is half over and warm weather has finally arrived.

Since Christmas we have had several great professional development sessions, an outstanding CHRP and Volunteer recognition event, and an extremely popular and insightful presentation by our own Director of Professional Development, JoAnne Trotter, about the role of on-line networking in today’s work environment.

The golf tournament that we hold with THRPA sold out and in addition to a great day and prizes for everyone we had a fabulous networking event that also contributed some significant dollars to our charity of choice, The Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness. As advertised the event was NOT about golf, but about networking and fun.

Our HRPYR budget has been set for the next 12 months and we are hoping to hold the line on membership fees for another year.

The Board said au revoir to Abby Cheung who is embarking on life’s great adventure, parenthood and in her place as Director of Volunteers we welcomed Sharon Flanagan. Sharon wants you to know that whether you are interested in being on the Board, want to work on a Committee, or are interested in being a Mentor, we have spots open for you.

If you are a Mentor, or a Mentee, or are interested in learning more about this program, the kickoff of the next group will be in September.

Take a look on this site for more details.

Have a great summer and I hope to see you at one of our fall events.

Ian J. Turnbull
BA, MBA, CHRP
 

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HRPYR Birthday Message

Here’s a story you may have heard before…

Not so many years ago, there was a small group called the Markham Human Resources Association. The members met regularly, to discuss HR and the issues their companies were facing. In early 1997, we began discussions with HRPAO about creating a NEW CHAPTER, built from the local HRPAO and MHRA memberships, to represent HR professionals in York Region.

And so, on June 17, 1997, members of MHRA and York Region HRPAO members met with representatives from HRPAO to discuss, vote on and ratify the creation of the 28th Chapter of HRPAO ~ the Human Resources Professionals of York Region, and to elect the first group of Chapter Executive. By the end of the day, we had a new Chapter, with 40 (yes forty – four zero) signed up members. Now what?

Well, we got busy! We got organized and worked hard. By the end of our first year, we had grown to over 200 members. Celebration! We continue to hit membership milestones quickly, and today, we have over 1200 members, making us the third largest Chapter in the Province.

So, Happy Birthday indeed! “And many more” to come.

HRPYR is an active Chapter. We continue to work hard to provide you with timely and interesting information and events; networking opportunities; to represent your interests at HRPA; and to provide you with the tools you need to be effective in your profession and for your companies.

We are very grateful to our volunteers, for their commitment of time and energy in helping us to deliver great programs, events and services to our members. We would not be where we are today, with a reputation as an exciting and fun Chapter, without the active participation of our membership, or the help and support of our great volunteers.

We can’t do it without you. Thank you!

Bridget Carter

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During the months of April and May 2008, we had a total of 25 new members join our chapter and 19 existing HRPAO members transfer into our chapter. Welcome Everyone!!

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On Thursday May 22nd, we held our
“Evening to Celebrate HR Excellence”, where
we recognized and celebrated our Chapter members who achieved their CHRP in 2007
as well as our volunteers who work extremely hard to create an exceptional chapter. Congratulations again to everyone who obtained their CHRP and a huge thank you to our wonderful Chapter volunteers!

Click on the thumbnails for larger images.

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Be our HR Professional of the Year!

Nominations for the 2008 HR Professional of the Year will start in the fall this year, with the Award to be presented at our Awards Gala in 2009.

So put your thinking caps on! We’re looking for the person who represents the best of HR in our Region. Is that you? Is that someone you know?

Watch for details about award criteria and nomination information coming soon!

Questions? Please contact Bridget Carter at marketing@hrpyr.org.
 

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“Congrats on a very successful event….Everything was great - from the cart gift bags to the free snacks to the prizes - your team did an amazing job… Registration was smooth; the pictures were excellent quality and a great touch; and the silent auction added a nice new component to the proceedings.”

“It was a great day” “A wonderful day” “I indeed enjoyed myself”

This was our fourth year of partnering with the Toronto Human Resources Professionals Association and of supporting the Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness. New this year, CCAA came on board as a full partner of the event as well. This three way partnership was ideal and we are very pleased to say our results were outstanding! In total, we raised over $7,500 for CCAA. Ellen Campbell, Executive Director of CCAA, had this to say:

On behalf of the Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness I want to personally thank all the members of the HRPYR and THRPA, volunteers and everyone who participated in the golf tournament on June 25 at Diamondback. We are so grateful for your willingness to partner with us in providing assistance to families affected by abuse. In addition your support allows us to continue lobbying for legislative reform to make Canada a safer place for our children.

I look forward to seeing each and every one of you again next year. Thank you again.

Author I.J. Schecter attended the event and gave us a brief reading from his latest book, Slices: Observations from the Wrong Side of the Fairway. For you golfers out there - if you haven’t already picked up a copy of the book I.J. will make the book available to HRPYR & THRPA members at the 20% off price ($20) until August 1st. You can contact IJ directly to purchase at ij@ijschecter.com.

This year’s success was also due, in part, to the generous donations made by our tournament sponsors. There are too many to mention here, but we want to especially thank our major sponsors:

WORKDAY
WORKOPOLIS
NORTHGATE ARINSO
BAREFOOT WINE MARKET SPECIALIST ONTARIO “Footloose”
DLGL
JOHNSON INSURANCE INC.
ACTIVE GREEN & ROSS
ELGIN MILLS CEMETERY

For a full listing of tournament sponsors and gift and prize donors, please visit www.hrpyr.org.

If you missed this year’s tournament, now’s the time to start thinking about 2009! If you are interested in playing, sponsoring, or volunteering for the 2009 HRPYR/THRPA/CCAA tournament, please contact me at marketing@hrpyr.org or call 416 283 4070.

Last but not least, a resounding THANK YOU to my Golf Committee:

And to all of the volunteers who gave up their day on the 25th to help us with the event. We could not have done it without you!

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Can’t get enough Golf? Want more?

Here’s another opportunity to play and support a great organization at the same time:

The Q107 Charity Classic Corporate Challenge in support of the CCAA is being held at Angus Glen on Friday, August 15, 2008. It includes an exclusive “Breakfast with Derringer” live broadcast, 18 holes, BBQ lunch and more!

Check out the attached flyer for more information on golfing or sponsorship opportunities, visit www.hrpyr.org, www.abusehurts.com, or call 1 800 379 8858 ext. 231.

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Want to grow YOUR business? Contact Bridget Carter, Director of Marketing at marketing@hrpyr.org or call 416-483-2070 if you are interested in partnership or sponsorship opportunities with HRPYR. We have opportunities available for Chapter and special event sponsorship, including Monthly Chapter sessions, Networking events, the Annual Golf Tournament and the Annual Excellence in Human Resources York Region Gala Event.

It’s a great way to get your company in front of over 1300 HR professionals in York Region & the GTA.

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So here we are in the sunny month of July, as we wind down the Spring professional development sessions and begin to look at the line-up for the Fall. This year we’ve had some dynamic speakers such as Jamie Broughton – Leadership, Randall Craig – Worklife Balance, Lionel Laroche - Diversity and Colleen Clarke – Networking.

Our members come forward with suggested speakers and have offered their employers support such as Jodi Ziglestein-Yip with the Employers’ Choice: Training ROI, Work Life Balance and Innovative Policies and Practices. Thanks to Greg Vertelman who suggested Sandra Boyd and Kirsten Stanger, from Knightsbridge to support our learning with respect to Generational Differences.

Wow, as I look back at the list, there are still many more including lawyers, motivators and investigators.

The speakers have been well received and the majority received very positive feedback. In exchange they have appreciated the opportunity to share and interact with all of you, giving them more insight into what their topic means to us as Human Resource professionals.

This spring I very much appreciated the assistance of a volunteer committee including Dora Clark, Cassie Stein and Lisa Data, who helped pull these sessions off including contacting the venue and/or speakers, consolidating feedback forms, and taking pictures. If you are available to help out with any aspects of the coordination of the Professional Development events, please let us know by contacting Sharon Flanagan, Director of Volunteer Management at volunteer@hrpyr.org.

I am currently in the process of seeking out speakers for next Fall and Winter and would welcome any ideas and suggestions for speakers.

There are new formats I am currently exploring as potential options as we move forward. As an addition to our breakfast and dinner events we would like to look into using Webinars as a potential format. This might open up our ability to attract speakers who are more geographically distant as well as enable those who can’t drive or reach our live sessions as easily.

I would just like to close by thanking all of you who participate in our professional development sessions as the interaction and exchange with our peers is what makes our development, growth and network even stronger. As always I welcome your suggestions and insights and can be reached through our intranet at Email: prof_develop@hrpyr.org

“Ability is what you're capable of doing.
Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it.”
- Lou Holtz -
 

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HRPYR e-Connections is published quarterly via member e-blast. Questions about articles in this issue can be sent to the feature contributor. To make general comments, queries or suggestions for or submissions of future articles please e-mail: management@hrpyr.org

Volunteering in your HRPYR chapter is alive and well. We were thrilled to be able to recognize twenty four volunteers for their particular contributions at this year’s Gala event on the evening of May 22nd. This event also included recognition for our colleagues who earned CHRP certification this year. It was wonderful to celebrate achieving and contributing in the same special evening.

HRPYR is a very active Chapter and relies on the efforts and commitment of a sizable group of volunteers. The majority of the Chapter functional areas have volunteers involved in ad hoc and ongoing activities such as:

• Supporting our Professional Development meetings by identifying topics, booking speakers, helping with door prizes, thanking speakers, photographing sessions, assisting with room set up, sponsorships, collecting and tracking feedback
  
   
• Organizing and coordinating tremendously successful events such as the (sold out) Golf Tournament and the popular Holiday Lunch
  
   
• Representing our Chapter at local Chambers of Commerce
  
   
• Mentoring
  
   
• Contacting sponsors and advertisers, coordinating sponsor agreements, attending external functions on behalf of the Chapter, building and sustaining relationships
  
   
• Helping with the paperwork and bookkeeping and lots of other important “little” things

Volunteering is an excellent way to extend your network, meet new people and make new friends, learn new things, contribute and have fun. We all lead busy lives and we appreciate whatever contribution volunteers are able to offer. Jobs change, life circumstances change, people come and go and as a result, opportunities continue to pop up. Every little bit helps and is welcome. Many hands make light work!

To learn more:

• Review the information on our web site– www.hrpyr.org - click on “Activities” and then on “Volunteer”
  
  
• Contact Sharon Flanagan, Director of Volunteer Management at volunteer@hrpyr.org

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