It’s a Thursday night in late March and I am surrounded by people in orange shirts and sweaters, as well as people who are working hard to earn the right to wear these orange shirts and sweaters, in an old Fire Hall near Aden Bowman Collegiate. 

Specifically, I’m in a meeting room where large maps are spread out on tables and new Saskatoon Search and Rescue trainees are learning how to read these maps.

It’s training day for new recruits of Saskatoon Search and Rescue. It’s an intense process. Whether you are a trainee or a veteran member of the team, you are put through scenarios and taught skills that will empower you to help find people when they go missing in all types of situations.

It really does amaze me that these people commit so much of their time and energy to this group. Since 2019, Saskatoon Search and Rescue have responded to 86 missing person’s activations, mostly at the request of the Saskatoon Police Service. 

Searches can take place in neighbourhoods throughout Saskatoon, along the South Saskatchewan, or in thick forests of northern Saskatchewan. 

As you will hear in this episode, Saskatoon Search and Rescue work closely as a team in order to do their job. 

Sheri Denis and Carla Egan are the two featured guests in this episode. Carla is the Communications Director with the group and is training to be a Saskatoon Search and Rescue Manager. 

Sheri Denis is a volunteer searcher who is also the Director of Project Lifesaver. This unique program protects people who are at risk of wandering in our community. Participants wear personalized wristbands that emit a radio-frequency tracking signal. If a person with a wristband becomes lost, Saskatoon Search and Rescue can use this tracking signal to locate them.

The program started thanks to a very generous donation from the Saskatoon Police Service and the Saskatoon Police Service Foundation, and has grown thanks to the generosity of the community. 

Sheri, who works as an Educational Assistant, puts her heart into this work and I think that comes through in our conversation. She even demonstrates how her sophisticated equipment works! 

By day, Carla Egan works in a long-term care home here in Saskatoon as a recreation coordinator. Tonight, she is proudly wearing an orange Saskatoon Search and Rescue shirt and jacket. 

Carla worked really hard to earn her place on the team. 

In the fall of 2020, she saw a social media post from Saskatoon Search and Rescue looking for new members. Her kids were becoming more independent and her background of working with people with dementia gave her the confidence to think she could help. 

Nearly four years later, Carla says she has grown in so many ways thanks to her training and made friends with people from all walks of life.

Carla shares some very powerful stories in our conversation and how her colleagues are always there to support each-other when the job gets difficult.

I want to mention that Saskatoon Search and Rescue is a non-profit organization and relies on donations and grants for its funding. The organization’s biggest fundraising event takes place on Monday, April 22nd at the Broadway Theatre. It is hosting the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival which is made up of some amazing films celebrating unique outdoor films. 

Tickets are 20 dollars each and you can purchase them on the Broadway Theatre’s website or at the door. I have my tickets and hope to see you there!Thank you so much for listening to this episode and for continuing to support a local, independent podcast here in Saskatoon. Don't forget to leave a 5-star review if you like what you hear and please share this episode and the podcast with your friends!

Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com

Hello, I'm Eric Anderson and welcome to YXE Underground. If you are a long time listener of the podcast, thank you!

If this is your first time listening, welcome. YXE Underground is a local, independent podcast here in Saskatoon that shines a light on people who are doing incredible things but are flying under the radar. 

I am so excited that this season, we will have the wonderful Lisa Greig on every month for Walking With Lisa episodes. 

In the past few seasons, we've done several episodes focusing on mental health and they have become some of the most listened to episodes in the six seasons of the podcast. It got me thinking that it would be great if we could do a quick mental health check in every month and luckily Lisa said yes to the pitch. 

Lisa Greig is a mother of two young children, a social worker who is a few months into a new role with Saskatoon's Rock and Bloom, the author of a best selling children's book entitled 'Scream! Shout! Let's Feel Our Grief Out' and a trusted mental health advocate within our community.

She has a true gift of explaining mental health issues and sharing insights in a clear, honest and compassionate way and I am thrilled that she will be sharing her wisdom with us this season. 

The premise of these Walking With Lisa episodes is simple. Lisa and I will go for a walk and I will start our conversation with this question: "What's on your mind, Lisa?"

In this episode, Lisa discusses the idea of indifference and how it's not the worst thing in the world if there are people who feel indifferent about you. The people pleaser in me was fascinated by this and I know you will be as well!

These Walking With Lisa episodes drop every month wherever you find your favourite podcast including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can Follow YXE Underground on your favourite podcast app so that you won't miss a single Lisa episode and feel free to leave a 5-star review if you like what you hear. 

Thanks so much for listening and don't forget that a new episode of YXE Underground drops April 11th.

Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com

Music plays so many roles in our lives. 

It brings us together through live concerts…

It can help us change our mood or amplify how we are feeling in a certain moment…

And as you will hear in this episode, music has the power to form meaningful relationships and spark joy in people with physical and cognitive challenges. 

Candace Ukrainetz shares her passion for forming those relationships in this episode of YXE Underground. She is the music therapist at Sherbrooke Community Centre, a long term care home in Saskatoon. 

Full disclosure...I work at Sherbrooke as its Communications Leader and I have had the privilege of watching Candace for the past eight years create well-being in the lives of residents in her role. 

Candace grew up playing all sorts of instruments. She took piano and cello lessons as a kid and today can often be seen sitting next to a resident with her guitar or auto-harp in her hands. 

What Candace really loves to do, however, is sing. She would sing as a kid all through her house and says that singing gets out all of her emotions. 

Her love of music led down the path of music therapy and the 263 residents at Sherbrooke are the beneficiaries of her gifts.

One of the many things I love about this episode is that not only are we shining a light on Candace’s work at Sherbrooke but also the role music therapists can play in other settings such as hospitals.

It turns out March is Music Therapy month.

I wish I could say I planned it this way to share Candace’s story this month, but I am not that organized. However, I am hopeful this episode will spark a conversation in our Saskatoon community about the benefits music therapy has on people. 

I met with Candace in Sherbrooke’s greenhouse a few days after Valentine’s Day. She brought a cart full of musical instruments with her and you’ll hear a few during our conversation. You’ll also hear some powerful stories when it comes to music making a difference in the lives of people with physical and cognitive challenges and of course why this work means so much to Candace.

Thank you so much for listening and supporting a local, independent podcast. Please leave a 5-star review if you like what you hear and don't forget to follow YXE Underground wherever you find your podcasts. 

Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com

For the past 48 years, the Kinsmen Foundation and Telemiracle has been raising money to improve the quality of life and independence of Saskatchewan residents. Their generosity is huge and the province rallies every year to support the Telemiracle fundraising event on television, but you might not know about all the work that goes on behind the scenes, all year round, to connect the Kinsmen Foundation with people in need. 

We learn about this incredible work in this episode of YXE Underground. 

I can vividly remember being 8 years-old, sitting on the living room floor next to my sister, in our home in Swift Current, eagerly waiting for our names to slowly scroll across the bottom screen during Telemiracle. I’m sure I am not the only one who has a memory like this.

I think Telemiracle is one of those Saskatchewan institutions that just seems to bring people together. The fact that this two day annual fundraiser raises millions of dollars to help people in need, whether it’s a piece of medical equipment or to help cover the costs of travel for a medical procedure, is worth celebrating.

However, it’s only been in the past few years that I’ve learned about all the work that happens year round by a passionate group of volunteers that connects people in need with the Kinsmen Foundation. These volunteers are from across Saskatchewan and often meet at the Kinsmen Foundation headquarters in Saskatoon.

I wanted to learn more about these Kinsmen and Telemiracle volunteers and how they work with people and organizations across Saskatchewan, and I was lucky enough to meet Raelynn Nicholson and Tyler Hall.

Raelynn is the Kinsmen Foundation Board Chair and lives in Assiniboine, Saskatchewan. Tyler Hall is this year’s Telemiracle Chair and he lives in Mortlach, Saskatchewan. They are volunteers who love making a difference in the lives of people, and as you will hear, their roots run deep with it comes to Kinsmen and Telemiracle.

I was lucky to catch them both in Saskatoon last month and we met for coffee at the Broadway Roastery on 8th Street. We cover a lot of ground in just over a half-hour...like how the volunteer board decides where to spend its money and what it’s like getting to really know families in need. 

We also discuss why this work means so much to Raelynn and Tyler, and as you’ll hear, they have a lot of fun working together.A big thank you to Rob Rongve and his team at RBC Dominion Securities in North Battleford for supporting this episode. If you are looking for someone to manage your money and give you thoughtful advice on investments, you should really speak with Rob Rongve. 

Thank you so much for listening and supporting a local, independent podcast. Don't forget to leave a 5-star review if you like what you hear and follow YXE Underground on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com

Hello, I'm Eric Anderson and welcome to YXE Underground. If you are a long time listener of the podcast, thank you!If this is your first time listening, welcome. YXE Underground is a local, independent podcast here in Saskatoon that shines a light on people who are doing incredible things but are flying under the radar. I am so excited that this season, we will have the wonderful Lisa Greig on every month for Walking with Lisa episodes. 

In the past few seasons, we've done several episodes focusing on mental health and they have become some of the most listened to episodes in the six seasons of the podcast. It got me thinking that it would be great if we could do a quick mental health check in every month and luckily Lisa said yes to the pitch. 

Lisa Greig is a mother of two young children, a social worker who is about to begin a new role with Saskatoon's Rock and Bloom, the author of a best selling children's book entitled 'Scream! Shout! Let's Feel Our Grief Out' and a trusted mental health advocate within our community.

She has a true gift of explaining mental health issues and sharing insights in a clear, honest and compassionate way and I am thrilled that she will be sharing her wisdom with us this season. 

The premise of these Walking with Lisa episodes is simple. Lisa and I will go for a walk and I will start our conversation with this question: "What's on your mind, Lisa?"

In this episode, Lisa shares her insights into the thoughts and feelings that go into making a major pivot in one's life. Lisa comes at this topic from a very honest place as she is in the midst of a significant pivot in her professional life. Thank you for always being so honest and authentic with listeners, Lisa! 

These Walking with Lisa episodes drop every month wherever you find your favourite podcast including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can Follow YXE Underground on your favourite podcast app so that you won't miss a single Lisa episode and feel free to leave a 5-star review if you like what you hear. 

Thanks so much for listening and don't forget that a new episode of YXE Underground drops February 15th.Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com

The final days and moments of a person’s life can be uncomfortable subjects for people to think about, let alone discuss with others. But what I discovered by spending a morning at the Hospice at Glengarda, Saskatchewan’s first stand-alone hospice, is that there is so much room for light, laughter and gratitude when the end is near. 

What I also discovered is how much work it takes from very dedicated and caring staff to ensure those streams of light make their way into the hospice. 

You are about to meet some of those people as we take you inside the Hospice at Glengarda.

In January of 2021, the Hospice at Glengarda opened on a quiet residential street in Saskatoon’s exhibition neighbourhood. The hospice has 15 private rooms and is designed for patients requiring end-of-life care. 

The story of how the Hospice went from idea to reality is really amazing and one we covered a few weeks ago in a bonus episode of the podcast featuring Lecina Hicke, CEO of the St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation. I strongly encourage you to give it a listen if you haven’t done so already as Lecina tells the story so well. 

Now, I must admit that before I stepped foot in the Hospice at Glengarda, in my mind, this was going a very serious and perhaps solemn interview because we were going to be talking about death and dying. Well, that quickly changed when I met Robin Stahl, Kristin Hubic and Monique Blom. As I mentioned earlier, there is so much light and energy and laughter in this space and I feel so grateful to have spoken with Robin, Kristin and Monique together as they have amazing chemistry.

They gave my photographer and friend, Molly Schikosky, and I a tour of the Hospice and made us feel so welcomed. 

I maybe asked five or six questions over the span of our two hours together which is wonderful because, as you are about to hear, they fed off of each-other’s energy and traded stories with one-another that illustrate the importance and significance of their work. 

The tour they gave us was very unique. They wanted to place us in the shoes of a person who was arriving into the Hospice, which is why Monique asked if I would lay down on the floor of the back entrance. That’s because when a person arrives to the Hospice, they enter on a stretcher through the back door. As you will hear, this back entrance is a very unique space. 

From there, we visit one of the spa rooms, the main floor kitchen and the smudge room. We weren’t able to go inside of the patient rooms as they were all full but we do talk about what the rooms look like and why paying attention to the little things in so important to patients and families. A big thank you to Robin, Kristin, Monique and the entire team at the Hospice at Glengarda for making time for us and making us feel so welcomed in their space. I know you will enjoy this episode. Please feel free to leave a 5-star review if you like what you hear!

A big thank you Rob Rongve and his team at RBC Dominion Securities in North Battleford for supporting this episode. Thank you for continuing to support a local, independent podcast!Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com

Hello and welcome to a special bonus episode of YXE Underground. I’m your host, Eric Anderson. Happy New Year to all of you and I hope you had a wonderful holiday season.

I am really excited to begin 2024 with a bonus episode featuring a really kind and passionate person in our community. Her name is Lecina Hicke and she is the CEO of the St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation.

The reason I reached out to Lecina is I wanted to do an episode focusing on the Hospice at Glengarda. As you will hear in our conversation, Lecina has a very strong connection to the Hospice and worked extremely hard for years to ensure its construction and its mission of providing compassionate and meaningful End-of-Life care would be successful.

The Hospice at Glengarda is a 15-bed Hospice located on Hilliard Street East and Melrose Avenue in Saskatoon’s Exhibition neighbourhood. My wife and I used to live on Ash Street and would walk by the construction three times day because our dog Fred loved his walks, and it was really something to see this beautiful building going up in a quiet, old neighbourhood in the city.

The Hospice is governed by Emmanual Health, owned by St. Paul’s Hospital and was Saskatchewan’s first stand-alone hospice.

I feel very lucky to have spent an afternoon with Lecina in her office at St. Paul’s Hospital learning about the work that went into fundraising for the Hospice, why educating the general public was so important, and the impact a gentleman named Gord Engel had on her and the Close to Home fundraising campaign.

Now, the plan is to do an episode where we take you inside the Hospice at Glengarda and speak with staff about the work they are doing. We are just working on finding a time that works for everyone. Hopefully that episode will come out in the next few weeks, but I really think knowing the background behind the creation will of the Hospice will make you appreciate the work it is doing for patients and families in Saskatoon even more.

Thank you so much for listening to this bonus episode and don't forget to share it and leave a 5-star review if you like what you hear!Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com

Finding your voice as a young artist can be challenging, especially if you can't find the right space to express yourself creatively. Luckily for young people in Saskatoon, Jody Lerat and her team of students have created a safe and inviting space where young artists are free and encouraged to discover their voice. It's called Future Artistic Minds and you are about to visit this collective here on YXE Underground.

I was able to spend a Tuesday night in late November at the Core Neighbourhood Youth Co-op in Saskatoon's Riversdale neighbourhood. The building is broken up into several different spaces. There's a recording studio down the hall from the kitchen, a silk screening press in the basement, and in the kitchin and dining room area, a group of high school and early 20 something artists are sitting around a long, wide table making art out of felt. 

All of this falls under the umbrella of the Future Artistic Minds collective, also known as FAM. This evening is a drop-in session meaning people can come in and create alongside other artists. 

This is where Jody Lerat spends a lot of her free time. She teaches art at Mount Royal Collegiate here in Saskatoon and is an artist herself. She knows everyone in the room and whenever she enters a different space in the building, young artists light up and say, "hi Jody!" 

It's clear after five minutes that everyone here looks up to Jody.

There's a lot happening at FAM and it's all under the caring and encouraging eye of Jody Lerat. For almost two years, I've been trying to get Jody on the podcast as I think she's a wonderful leader in our community who deserves to be celebrated, so I am excited to feature her and the collective on the podcast. 

Jody is from Cowessess First Nation in Treaty 4 territory but grew up in Saskatoon for most of her life. She talks openly in our conversation about the joy she experiences when she sees young artists collaborating and why encouraging today's youth to pursue careers in the arts is so important. She also talks about the deeply personal role art has played in her life and why it fuels her passion to be the best art teacher she can be.

I also want to give a big thanks to FAM member Sofiya Zhukova who stepped up at the last minute when I couldn't find a photographer for this episode and totally rocked it! Sofiya took incredible photos and was so much fun to work with. She is just starting her own photography and graphic design career and let me tell you, she is good! Thanks so much for all of your help, Sofiya.Please feel free to give the podcast a 5-star review and tell your friends if you like what you hear. Doing both really does help the podcast reach more listeners so thank you!

I hope you have a safe and wonderful holiday season and can't wait to talk with you in 2024.Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com

Hello, I'm Eric Anderson and welcome to YXE Underground. If you are a long time listener of the podcast, thank you!If this is your first time listening, welcome. YXE Underground is a local, independent podcast here in Saskatoon that shines a light on people who are doing incredible things but are flying under the radar. I am so excited that this season, we will have the wonderful Lisa Greig on every month for "Walking with Lisa" episodes. 

In the past few seasons, we've done several episodes focusing on mental health and they have become some of the most listened to episodes in the six seasons of the podcast. It got me thinking that it would be great if we could do a quick mental health check in every month and luckily Lisa said yes to the pitch. 

Lisa Greig is a mother of two young children, a social worker who today works at the University of Saskatchewan, the author of a best selling children's book entitled 'Scream! Shout! Let's Feel Our Grief Out' and a trusted mental health advocate within our community.

She has a true gift of explaining mental health issues and sharing insights in a clear, honest and compassionate way and I am thrilled that she will be sharing her wisdom with us this season. 

The premise of these "Walking with Lisa" episodes is simple. Lisa and I will go for a walk and I will start our conversation with this question: "What's on your mind, Lisa?"

In this episode, Lisa dives into the challenges we face when it comes to the holiday season. Whether it's pressure to attend work functions or feeling the need to buy the perfect, most extravagant toy for your child, the holidays bring out many unique challenges. Lisa shares her insights on this time of year and how we can keep our minds healthy during such a hectic time. 

These "Walking with Lisa" episodes drop on the last Thursday of every month wherever you find your favourite podcast including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can Follow YXE Underground on your favourite podcast app so that you won't miss a single Lisa episode and feel free to leave a 5-star review if you like what you hear. 

Thanks so much for listening and don't forget that a new episode of YXE Underground drops December 14th!Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com

For more than 20 years, Kim Fisher has worked at the Saskatoon YWCA helping women and their families receive the supports they need and doing it with kindness and compassion. 

The YWCA is many things to many people in our community. There is an employment and learning centre that helps people learn the skills to reach their employment goals. The childhood development centre provides daycare to kids from across Saskatoon. And of course there is the gym that many years ago I frequented when I was a university student living a block away from YWCA. 

For this episode, we focus on the YWCA’s Emergency Crisis Shelter, the long term residents and the programming it provides to women and their families in need of help. 

Kim Fisher is the Director of Residential Programs at the YWCA and is a very busy person. She oversees several different support programs, which she talks about in our conversation, and has been helping with the organization’s efforts to expand their capacity through their Hope Lives Here campaign. 

The need for safe housing is high in Saskatoon.

In 2022, the YWCA Crisis Shelter and Residence turned away more than 4000 women, youth and children looking for a safe place to stay in our community. 

Kim shares the wonderful news of the campaign’s success and the expansion happening right now at the YWCA in our conversation. She also explains why it takes so much courage for women to seek out the help and services offered at the YWCA and why this work means so much to her.

Thank you so much for listening and supporting a local, independent podcast. Please leave a 5-star review if you like what you hear and feel free to tell a friend about YXE Underground!Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com