|
Doug Letson, Chair
Doug is a retired academic and is the Past President of St. Jerome’s University. He has been active on a number of university and community boards and committees. In addition to his position at the KidsAbility Foundation, his more recent community activities at the board level include his service as Past Chair of the Board at St. Mary’s General Hospital, Past President and Chair of the Board of the Walter Bean Grand River Community Trails Foundation, member of the Board of the Grand River Conservation Foundation, and Past Chair of the Grants Committee and past member of the Board at the Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation. Doug is widely published and he is the recipient of several honours and distinctions.
Ray Pedersen, Vice Chair
Earning his Bachelor of Science degree from Laurentian University followed by his MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University, Ray had served as the Executive Vice President of Purolator Ltd. Now retired, Ray brings a wealth of knowledge from his past experience as Chairman of the Board for Purolator USA, a member of the Board of Governors for the National Quality Institute (Toronto), and a member of the Board of Directors for the Sports Celebrities Festival. Ray has provided leadership and development training which has included his roles as the Chairman for the Purolator Pension Committee and the Purolator National Health and Safety Committee and is the founder of the Purolator Leadership Institute. Ray and his wife Gwen make their home in Kitchener.
Sue Hallman, Past Chair
Sue, along with her husband Jim, own Aberdeen Homes Limited. Having retired five years ago, Sue now has more time to devote to her volunteer work, her two children and four grandchildren. Sue has been a member of the YWCA Board, Chair of the Faith Communities Committee for the YWCA, and Co-chaired the YWCA $2.5 million capital campaign. Sue is also a member of the Leadership Advisory Council with Leadership Waterloo, as well as a facilitator for the senior group at her church. Sue is looking forward to returning as a volunteer in a KidsAbility classroom this year.
Bryan Stewart, Treasurer
Bryan is a Chartered Accountant and a retired partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers. He is also a Past President of the United Way of Kitchener-Waterloo and Area, the K-W Chapter of the Canadian Red Cross Society and Kitchener Minor Baseball Association.
Ron Weiler, Secretary/Rotary Clubs Relations
Ron is a retired dentist and passionate Waterloo Rotarian, who actively fundraises in our community. Ron’s experiences as past president of the Waterloo Wellington Dental Association and Intercounty Dental Study Club and as past Governor of the Ontario Dental Association serve him well at his current role as a dental consultant for Equitable Life. Ron and his wife have three grown children.
Elly Yach, Chair, Annual Campaign
Elly is a retired Registered Dietician who worked in pediatrics at Grand River Hospital and Chedoke McMaster Children’s Hospital. She is a volunteer on the Bluevale Collegiate Institute school council and has been a volunteer on the school councils at Lexington and Margaret Avenue Public Schools and with the Strong Start program. She enjoys fitness, skiing, golfing and teaching Sunday School. Elly is the mother of two previous KidsAbility clients.
Elaine Ormston, Chair, Endowment Campaign
Elaine’s passion for volunteering was sparked when she began working as a candy striper in K-W Hospital’s pediatric ward at the age of 12. Since then, she’s been involved in numerous charities, including the United Way of K-W and Area, the Waterloo Region Lung Association and two local hospital foundation boards. Over the past 15 years, she’s devoted thousands of hours to KidsAbility, serving on both the Centre and Foundation boards in various roles. She’s also volunteered in classrooms here. Elaine has given generously of her time and talents, and has worked passionately for the betterment of KidsAbility and the families it serves.
Cindy Bridge, Vice Chair, Endowment Campaign
Cindy is a retired respiratory care practitioner who had been employed by the Grand-River Hospital for thirty years. She is the mother of a past client of KidsAbility and has been a KidsAbility volunteer for 15 years. Cindy volunteers in the KidsAbility classroom every week. She has volunteered with the Track Three Skiing program for five years and is a past Director of KidsAbility Centre for Child Development.
Jim Erb, Director-at-Large
Jim has been a licensed funeral director for 43 years. He has owned and operated the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home in Waterloo where he continues to work part time since his brother Mark and Rob Wintonyk have become senior partners. Jim has been a member of the Kitchener Conestoga Rotary Club for 27 years, a former member of the Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation and Waterloo City Council. He has a strong interest in building bridges within the interfaith community and is past president of the Kitchener Waterloo Council of Churches.
Dan Girardi, Director-at-Large
Dan is a Vice-President with KPMG Inc. With over 30 years of experience providing service to individuals and companies in financial difficulty, Dan’s focus is on personal bankruptcy and corporate recovery in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, Stratford, Owen Sound and surrounding areas. A graduate of the University of Western Ontario, Dan is a Chartered Accountant, a licensed Trustee in Bankruptcy, a Chartered Insolvency and Restructuring Professional and a Certified Bankruptcy Counsellor. Dan is a general member of the Canadian Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Professionals; Past President of Waterloo Wellington Chartered Accountants Association and a guest lecturer at University of Waterloo and University of Guelph. Dan was also Campaign Chair for the United Way of Kitchener-Waterloo in 2004/2005 and has been lending his talents to the KidsAbility Foundation Board since 2006.
David Graham, Director-at-Large
David Graham is a Chartered Accountant, who retired from PricewaterhouseCoopers to work with a small group of selected clients to whom he provides advisory services. David is Treasurer and member of the Board of the St. Joseph’s Health System and Past Chair of the Board of St. Mary’s General Hospital. He Co-chaired Leadership Waterloo Region for its first 2 years of operation and is a past member of the Board of the K-W Community Foundation; past president or chair of 1990 Ontario Summer Games, K-W United Way, Rotary Club of Kitchener, Canadian Red Cross (Kitchener-Waterloo Branch), and the Capital Campaign for St. Jerome’s University (Co-Chair).
John Griggs, Director-at-Large
John is a lawyer who graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a degree in Economics and a degree in Law. He has practiced corporate, commercial law in Kitchener-Waterloo for more than 30 years. John has served as President of the Rotary Club of Waterloo and of the Estate Planning Council of Mid Western Ontario, Chairman of the Better Business Bureau of Mid-Western Ontario, and Director of Kitchener Housing Inc., KidsLink Foundation and the Independent Living Centre of Waterloo Region.
Wayne Kemick, Director-at-Large
Wayne graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a BA, University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Education, and Queens with an MBA. He is Senior Vice President and Wealth Advisor with BMO Nesbitt Burns. Wayne has served on numerous boards in our community, including KW United Way, Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery, and the Grand River Hospital Advisory Committee. He also sits on the KW Community Foundation Finance and Grants Committees and is a member of the KW Counselling Services Board of Directors.
Carol Petersen, Director-at-Large
Carol and her husband, Reg, founded Versa Care Homes, which they owned for 30 years. In 1980, they set up a family foundation, which became the Bridgeway Foundation in 2000. Carol presently serves the foundation as President and is on the Board and the Grantmaking Committee. She also serves Bridgeway as Director of Philanthropy for the work they do in the Cambridge Community. Over the years she has volunteered in the community, most recently as a Board Member for 6 years for the Cambridge & North Dumfries Community Foundation, and is presently on the Grants Committee. She was also on the Allocations Committee for the United Way for a number of years. Since 2004 she has been on the Governors Council for Opportunity International, a micro enterprise development organization that gives loans to very poor women in developing countries. Since that time she has travelled to many of those countries, and continues to promote Opportunity International. Carol and Reg have five grown children, who are all married and a total of nine grandchildren.
Al Raftis, Director-at-Large
Al joins the KidsAbility Foundation Board with an extensive background in manufacturing, general management, and strategic planning. Al worked at Westinghouse Canada for 13 years as the Manufacturing Manager, and then spent over 25 years with Hammond Manufacturing and Hammond Power Solutions as Division Manager and President. Al is currently the President of Aloysco Limited. Al has been on the KidsAbility Foundation Governance Committee since 2007. Al has served on the board of directors for St. Josephs Health Centre Guelph, and currently serves on the board of directors for St. Josephs Health System, Hamilton.
Terry Wilson, Board Chair, KidsAbility
Terry graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy. She has worked at St. Joseph Hospital in Hamilton and St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto. She has been on the Parent Council at Mary Johnston Public School and the Operating Committee at St. John’s Christian Nursery School. Terry is also a canvasser for the Canadian Cancer Society. Terry joined the KidsAbility Board in February 2006. |