Alberta's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 30
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ALBERTA’S TOP EMPLOYERS
At The Bethany Group, community service mixes with fun
“W
hen
people
ask me
about
my job,
I tell them I get paid for doing
fun stuff,” declares Shinji Cowan,
a therapy aide for The Bethany
Group (TBG), where she works in
the day program for seniors living
at home. “We play trivia games
and do some exercises, we bake
cookies and learn stuff, I play
songs by Johnny Cash and Alan
Jackson,” she says.
“Recently, there was a
gentleman who never participates
in anything. When I pulled out
my guitar, he burst into this great
big smile, and then he was crying.
He was a musician and has two
guitars at home. Moments like
that make me so happy.”
Our team is very strong,
so we have good relationships, we help each
other. When personal
things come up, we
are there for our colleagues.
— Shinji Cowan
Therapy Aide
The Bethany Group, a nonprofit based in Camrose, provides
continuing care, seniors’ lodges
and housing services to more
than 2,600 households in 30
communities throughout central
Alberta. Its mission is what
galvanizes employees.
“Our overall mission is caring
Carla Beck, CEO at The Bethany Group.
for people,” says CEO Carla Beck.
“That’s how TBG really started
over 100 years ago in this tiny little
community because the local
church saw a need at that time
for folks that didn’t have anyone
to care for them as they aged.
We have been able to grow and
develop, and of course there are
new ways of doing things now, but
we still care for people and that
is the basic premise of everything
that we do.”
At the same time, TBG really
looks after the employees who
perform that role. Its “mYsoul@
work” program aims to help
employees understand how
important they are, says Beck.
“So, we developed these things
like teaching about emotional
intelligence, so that staff members
can be self-aware of what is
going on internally and how that
might be demonstrated across
the organization. It is intended
to support their work with
our clients but also to support
their working together and that
teamwork concept, to make them
feel they make a difference and
matter in the organization.”
TBG also has strong
psychological health and safety
and wellness programs. “We
provide a number of those
programs ourselves,” say Beck,
“but we also have a very good
benefits provider who has really
listened to the needs of the
organization, so providing a lot of
employee-assistance programs to
support that psychological health
and safety as well.
“Also, we provide an annual
