After more than two decades as general manager at Blue Sky Opportunities in Altona, Richard Neufeld is ready to mount his motorcycle and ride into retirement.

“My time will be occupied. you know I'm not going to be sitting on the mall bench somewhere. I'm super excited about it. But on the second hand, it's also coming to a realization that 45 years in the workforce and I'll wake up without that responsibility.”

Neufeld admits, he’s curious how that's going to feel.

“You know, it'll probably take a while for it to sink in. And I wouldn't be feeling as comfortable or confident if we weren't able to find a strong replacement. Our orientation has been going very, very well.”

Starting on Monday, Ryan Potter will take over the role.

Looking back on his career at Blue Sky, he remembers one of his first tasks as a young manager was to help set up the organization’s cluster living program, which at the time, consisted of only two homes.

“We were up to 10 at one point, now we have eight. It was very very cool because the cluster living apartments were designed for people that had an interest in living independently at some point. A number of the people that were in that program, they've all gone off and moved on their own. As a matter of fact, some people have even become homeowners. It's just been so exciting to see these people grow and learn and blossom.”

While housing growth tailed off in 2011, Neufeld points out that independent living services have continued to evolve. The Supported Independent Living (SIL) office in the Altona Mall provides a central location for people who need to talk, have meetings, make phone calls or use a computer.

Neufeld suggests the legacy of past and present general managers at the organization is how they worked closely with the community.

“One of the most exciting campaigns that I was able to be involved with was the fundraising campaign for the recycle shop. It just shows the support that's been there since 1954 for this agency. We wouldn't be here without this community. They've been behind and supportive of Blue Sky since its inception. The business and the individual support … amazing. To raise $1.4 million in less than a year, just blew me away.”

The outgoing GM says working with the people they support has changed his outlook on life.

“[They] are so endearing … to get to know them, just the positive dispositions. I’ve always felt that it’s a better world with these folks being a part of it. [They] are so supportive – if something goes wrong, it’s like, don’t worry about it - tomorrow’s a new day. I’ve learned so much from the people we support. You learn not to sweat the small stuff. Look at the big picture instead.”

One of the Altona-based organization’s ongoing challenges is advocating for a living wage for staff.

“We've been chronically underfunded. The wages that we pay are not in line with the responsibility that the staff have. They’re professionals, they provide the most personalized support that you can. We feel that they should at least be in line with a health care aid. Our staff have a higher sense of responsibility in some sense. We battle and fight for increased funding so that we can increase their wages.”

In a sector that has not seen a cost-of-living increase since 2011, Neufeld says the latest provincial budget provided only a small measure of support since it needs to be divided between one-hundred-four provincial agencies.

After shutting the door to his office for the last time, Neufeld wants to climb on his motorcycle and ride as much as humanly possible, including a trip to the west coast this summer.