Yorkton Counsellor wins the Angus Campbell Award for Excellence in the Field of Addictions

A Yorkton youth addictions counsellor is the 2014 co-recipient of the Angus Campbell Award for Excellence in the Field of Addictions.

Will Woods has been a youth addictions counsellor in Yorkton for 31 years. In  October, the Addictions Professionals Association of Saskatchewan (APASK) honoured Woods and Dr. Peter Butt with its top prize named after Campbell, Saskatchewan’s pioneer in the field.

“It feels really good,” Will said. “It’s a huge deal.”

Ruth White, APASK treasurer, said the award was well deserved for Will’s long-term dedication and development of innovative programs, but most importantly his commitment to the kids.

“It takes a very special person with great patience, understanding and passion to stick with them,” she said.

It is the third time in the award’s 14 year history that someone from Yorkton has won it.

Michael Woods, Will’s brother and the 2010 Angus Campbell recipient, said it is a tribute to the Yorkton Addictions Services Youth Team that three of its members have taken home the prize.

The first was Lenore Neis, who chaired the original volunteer organization that preceded the health region’s formal involvement. Will gives a lot of credit to those early roots for building such a strong program here.

“I think what it started with


was the Parkland Alcoholism Society and it turned into the Parkland Drug and Alcohol Abuse Society,” he said.

“What they had back in the ‘70s and into the ‘80s was a five-part school program; we used to go and we really promoted that.

“As far as I know, within Saskatchewan, we were probably the only ones doing that then. There was a lot of community involvement, so it wasn’t just sitting in the office waiting for people with an addiction to come staggering in through the doors.”

Will started as a volunteer drawing on his own background and within a couple of years was asked to take a job in the outpatient clinic. It was not an easy decision.

“I worked for the City of Yorkton as a labourer back then and to take the job at the outpatient clinic was less money,” he said.

“It was a little bit scary because we had two kids so we really had to sit down and think about this.”

Ultimately, his wife supported the move and, he said it was well worth it in the long run.

“I just love the work; I love doing it,” he said.

Will believes it was the work he did developing Yorkton’s Alcohol and Drug Chemical Awareness Diversion Program that netted him the Angus Campbell.

This program developed in conjunction with the Good Spirit School Division and municipal RCMP takes kids who are caught under the influence or in possession of alcohol or drugs out of the court system and directly into assessment and treatment for addictions issues. Addictions services, police, school administration, parents and the youth all work together.

Will said the results have been excellent.

Angus Campbell was the first counsellor in the Saskatchewan Bureau Alcoholism in 1953. His contributions to the field of addictions earned him membership in both the Saskatchewan Order of Merit and the Order of Canada.

Having known Campbell himself made winning the award all the more special for Will.

“He was an amazing man,” Will said. “He was right on the ground floor with addictions in Saskatchewan, right from the infancy, before treatment centres or anything.

“I have the award sitting on my desk, looking right at me so when things get really rough, I can just look at Angus and think, what would Angus do; what would Angus tell me?”