Honouring the Environment
At Orthoquest one of our key values is to be eco-friendly. Our work environment reflects this by being paperless. All of our client files are in a safe electronic software as well as our scheduler, accounting, forms and even our music. We try to reduce the amount of paper production from our office. We also have a recycling program for cardboard, glass, plastic, etc. We believe in reducing waste, reusing when possible or recycling. Replacing paper cups at our water cooler with glass ware, replacing paper towel in the washroom with hand towels that are washable and using cloth reusable shopping bags in place of plastic are some of our policies. We use environmentally friendly cleaning products and soaps. We used reclaimed building materials in our clinic and use glues in our manufacturing process that are toluene and MEK free. We also promote active transportation. Many of our staff bicycle to work most days or use a Smart car! In fact, the inspiration for the colors and design of our Richter Street office was Lise’s cargo commuter bike, the Yuba Boda Boda.
Inititives
Shoe Bank Canada
We are very happy to be an official drop-off location for Shoe Bank Canada for the Kelowna area! Donations of your gently-used or new footwear help Canadians across and remaining shoes are also shipped to the less-fortunate overseas. It is such a great cause to help someone have clean and comfortable footwear and have the chance to experience a better quality of life as well as more opportunities!
ReCork
We are also a drop-off location to help support ReCork. This program recycles and re-purposes cork with a large network of recycling partners like the SOLE products we carry in-store. This program helps support the use of cork instead of environmentally harmful, petroleum-based materials in consumer products. If you have any natural corks laying around, come bring them to us and we will make sure the are recycled properly!
Our Love and Respect of Animals
The Orthoquest Team have a great love and respect of animals. We proudly support the BCSPCA and the World Society for the Protection of Animals as well as Paws it Forward Rescue. We feel animals have so much to offer. Often they provide us with more than we can provide to them. Our team looks forward to the unconditional love they receive from our greeter dog, Millie. She enthusiastically greets our clients and provides a great deal of joy at work. Millie’s job entails more than greeting clients. She often gets to go on walks throughout the day as part of the active rehabilitation process for some clients. The simple act of requesting pets and presenting her duck to clients emits a sense of therapy in itself. Millie teaches us all how to be present and take a moment to breathe and enjoy the moment.
Spreading the Message of Health
It has been a priority for our company to provide up to date and valuable information on many aspects of health to the community. We realize that we do not have all the answers and are fortunate to know many experts in other avenues of health care in Kelowna, BC, Canada as well as internationally. We offer 4-6 times per year educational lectures on various health related topics which are presented by experts in the area. These lectures are offered by donation to the presenters charity of choice. Topics can range from nutrition, pregnancy, running injuries, stretching, common orthopaedic injuries/conditions, chronic pain, etc. Some local presenters have been Corinne Wade (Kare Physiotherapy), Krista Goncalves (Refresh Nutrition), Amanda Stevens (Valeo Chiropractic), Sean MacMillan (Orthoquest), Sarah Patterson (The Woman’s Place Fitness) and Selena Devries (Health Bean Nutrition).
We are also very proud sponsors of the BC SPCA. Every year we help sponsor the Annual BC SPCA Gala in support of animals in need. Just some of the organizations we have raised money for include the Canadian Mental Health Association, BC SPCA, Okanagan Valley Pregnancy Care Centre, The Arthritis Society, and YMCA Okanagan.
Giving Back to the Community
Orthoquest is delighted to support some local organizations such as the BCSPCA, Kelowna Arthritis Society, Balance Point Racing, Canadian Diabetes Association, Parkinson Society, Kelowna Running Club, Basketball Kelowna, Canadian Muscular Dystrophy Association, among others. Ultimately, our companies mandate is to promote healthy active living. This may entail supporting a young athlete, provide resources/funding for education or offer support for those living with chronic conditions.
Focus On Education
Education is one of our top values at Orthoquest. We support our team in their educational pursuits and have very specific objectives annually to stay current in our field. Our team has experience in delivering continuing education workshops and courses in various parts of the country throughout the years. Locally we have provided continuing education lectures at Okanagan College Kelowna Campus for fitness instructors, personal trainers and physiotherapy assistant students. We were honoured to be chosen by the University of Western Ontario to be a teaching facility for their post graduate pedorthic program. It is through this program that we were fortunate to meet and work with our most recent Pedorthist, Stephanie. We were able to provide the three required placements of Clinical, Technical and Footwear. Through the year long teaching experience, our company changed direction with a stronger emphasis on our orthotic friendly footwear. This is an aspect of the company that is continuing to grow and evolve. For more specifics on some of our personal and unique educational histories you can refer to the Our Staff section of our website.
Our Partners
Throughout our journey as Orthoquest, we have developed many special relationships and partnerships. Our most remote office is located in Yellowknife, NWT where by referral we offer Pedorthic services from Stanton Territorial Hospital's Occupational Therapy Department. We are proud to be a part of their Diabetic Program that services the entire North West Territories and Nunavut.
More than just Shoes
Our own Sean MacMillan has a special passion for custom making footwear. This is a craft that he continues to work on and perfect. At Orthoquest’s orthotic friendly footwear store, we have the ability to customize your footwear when necessary. We can alter your footwear to suit your needs whether it be to have a more durable sole for slippery winter conditions, accommodate a painful bunion, or simply last longer. Having the knowledge and experience in hand making shoes has been invaluable to providing a shoe shopping experience unlike no other.