Pivot Point Celebrates 15 Years

September 1st marks Pivot Point’s 15 year anniversary. We are thrilled to have spent the past decade and a half helping families and individuals with diverse abilities. It has been a pleasure getting to know our client families – from those that have been with us since the beginning to those that have recently joined us!

When asked for his main message to client families throughout the past 15 years, Pivot Point’s Executive Director Steve Cunningham said, “I want to say thank you for having faith in us. Thank you for believing that if you let us try, we would invest everything we could into making a positive difference in your lives.”

Looking back to the start

Although we are officially celebrating 15 years, the concept of Pivot Point dates back to 20-25 years ago. Our Executive Director was completing his Masters in Counselling Psychology and he knew even back then that he wanted to create a unique kind of company that would make a huge difference in people’s lives.

“Back then, I knew I wanted to create a business that would specialize in serving families with diverse abilities in a unique way. However, it wasn’t until the autism funding program expanded throughout B.C. 15 years ago that we realized it was the right time to officially launch Pivot Point.”

The first year was all about learning for us. Learning the guidelines of the autism funding, learning how to build our Pivot Point staff, and learning to refine the model of how our services could work together. Before we knew it we had settled into a groove and really started to recognize what families needed and how we could adapt to best serve each one of them.

Looking back at the past 15 years, there are many moments that we could point out as one of our greatest accomplishments. When we were 8 years old, all our staff pulled together to help us get ready for our first accreditation survey. It was a huge achievement to meet those thousands of international standards, but we did it. Then our team continued to raise our standards and pass each one of our re-survey evaluations since then!

These moments are great to look back on, but I don’t believe they are our proudest moments, Steve reflects:

“Our staff share a passion for creating meaningful change in the lives of the people we serve, and when we can make that happen, even in little ways, we each beam with joy. Whether it’s a staff member who has just taught a child a new skill, or a parent who sighs in relief knowing that we’ll stay by their side through thick and thin, these are the moments that we are most proud of. They are the moments when we see the true spirit of Pivot Point shine through, whether it’s a staff member excited about their career opportunities here, or schools and ministries pleased to partner with us… experiencing that “turning point” towards something better, with another human being, creates our proudest moments because they confirm that we’re still following our passion and purpose.”

What’s next for Pivot Point?

What can you expect from Pivot Point in the years to come? Steve is optimistic about our future and believes we are about to see many significant stages of growth.

“We are developing much better systems for creating meaningful change for our clients, faster, and for enhancing the quality of training and positive experiences for our staff. We’re also seeing a powerful synergy growing here, where behavioural sciences are being blended with mental health and educational approaches; and that is really starting to transform families on a very deep and permanent level.”

At Pivot Point, we envision a day when all families with diverse abilities throughout British Columbia can have quick and easy access to the supports they need to help them thrive. This is a goal we have been working towards for the past 15 years, and will continue to work towards as a united and inspired organization.

To all our amazing staff members and client families, we thank you for letting Pivot Point serve you as you strive for something better!