After five years of heading Westlock and District Family and Community Support Services (FCSS), executive director Cindy Olchowy is calling it a career.
“There comes a time in life when you have to think about your priorities and mine have come to a point where I think it’s time to retire,” said Olchowy.
Previous to that she worked for FCSS in Thorhild County and has worked in or alongside municipal government for the entirety of her 40-year career.
“One of the big reasons for my decision is that we are very happy to have a new grandson in our family. He’s our first, and new. Little Tucker has only been with us for a couple months and I’m very excited to spend more time with him,” she said.
“I guess it has been a long time coming. My husband and I are both healthy, we have a big farm, we have a big garden and we love to travel and we want to spend time with our families. I like to golf and I want to do more of that and I want to tackle many projects at home I have put on hold.”
She will miss her work though, especially the people.
“I have felt so fortunate to work with such a great complement of people over the last five years. I would just like to say I’m so very grateful for the opportunity to work for Westlock and District FCSS.
“I worked with an excellent team. The staff are dedicated and they care about the people and the great services we deliver through the program.”
She’s also had the opportunity to work with all three municipal councils and they are supportive of the program, she said. She was also privileged to work with many residents on various agencies.
“Sometimes I don’t know if you really understand what having a healthy community is and I can honestly say that I truly believe Westlock is a very healthy, safe and caring community. We have an abundance of services and programs that people can access.”
Olchowy sees nothing but boundless potential in the future for FCSS.
“When you have a program that is supported by your municipal councils, when it is recognized as a viable and valuable program in your community, I think there’s potential and again, FCSS is so unique in that it allows you to provide preventative programs as you see necessary in your community. Having the resources at your fingertips, the possibilities are endless.”
