This is Who We Are!

Get a behind the scenes tour of EFL.

Heart of a Hero

EFL’s cover of Cathy Heller’s Heart of A Hero❤️.

Sing

The Joy of Community!

 
 
In less than a decade, Events for Life has established itself in the community. We’ve seen an outpouring of support through community donations, municipal government funding, and in participation and support of our volunteer efforts. We are grateful for all of our support!Most touching, though, has been our ability to witness the impact of our programs upon the lives of our participants. Their smiles say it all!

 
 
 
 
 Fall 2024 Newsletter

Summer - a time of fun, nature, friendship, performances, plays, exercise, silliness, High Tea, art, science, rest, music relaxation, 5 summer participants to bring more joy and so much more.

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Kevin J. WhyteChair

Before retiring in 2018, Kevin spent his work career managing large teams in the areas of technology and operations at TD and RBC banks and other financial institutions. This has provided him with great experiences that he brings to EFL and has been assisting in the implementation of risk, governance, and policies to a growing organization. His financial background also has been a key contribution to the overall financial management and sustainability of EFL. Kevin also ran the Disability program at TD in their Diversity Leadership Council with a mandate to embed diversity into business plans and drive enterprise wide initiatives which allows that background to help drive these changes in our community. Kevin also has spent over 20 years on not for profit boards where he had many roles including chairing 2 large boards. This experience is also incredibly helpful to EFL as we follow down a similar path starting as a very small organization to one that is growing significantly and the experiences that Kevin brings provides us with a strong base.Kevin is originally from Montreal and then spent over 25 years living in Oakville. He was a weekender at Lora Bay in Thornbury for many years and now he and his wife and son Kyle have lived there full time since 2020. He is an active supporter in his community with several charitable organizations. Kevin’s participation in the not-for-profit community has been inspired by his son Kyle, who has Down syndrome, which led to his committed involvement in the support of individuals with disabilities. He served as board member & President of the HDSA (Halton Down Syndrome Association) in Oakville for 10 years and served for 10 years as a Board member & Chair of the Board of the Canadian Down Syndrome Society (CDSS) before joining the Events For Life Board in 2017. He believes EFL is a unique and critical organization in our community as we not only support individuals in the community with our programs but also creates strong community awareness and supports our families with housing, employment, and many other key areas.

Cathy Butler
Past Chair

Cathy Butler and her family have lived in the Town of Blue Mountains for 14 years. Her son Thomas has been a part of Events for Life since its inception in 2013 with Shelley Higginson. After completing high school in Meaford, the ” bus stopped coming to pick Thomas up for his day” and ” we knew we needed to do something about that”
As the Board Chair, she has helped grow the organization through her many community connections of life long friends in the Thornbury area.
Cathy also volunteers as the Community Coordinator for Special Olympics in the Meaford/ Thornbury region. She coaches golf and skiing within the organization.

Katie Sherk
Secretary

Katie has extensive sales and administrative experience with over 30 years in the hospitality and travel industry and most recently with Independent Schools, where she served as Director of Administration for one of Toronto’s top Independent schools for boys, aged 4 to 14. Her diverse areas of focus include: leadership, community growth, sales, organization and customer service. Her Board experience includes being the Secretary to the Board for 12 years in Toronto, as well as being a board member of the Georgian Peaks Club and Founding Board member of the Georgian Peaks Foundation. Katie has also volunteered for many organizations, including chairing her boys’ public school Parent Council.Katie has been coming to the Collingwood area all her life and recently moved to Clarksburg with her husband to become a valued member of the Town of Blue Mountains and to enjoy all that the area has to offer. Her love of helping others and making a difference is what drove her to join Events For Life in 2020.

Gary Wilson
Treasurer

Gary and his wife purchased a home in Thornbury (Lora Bay) approximately 8 years ago. While they still maintain a home in the Leaside area of Toronto, they are hoping to relocate fulltime to Thornbury in the next few years.Gary’s professional career was spent in the financial services sector working in a variety of roles in different organizations. The latter part of his career was spent largely in risk and governance positions. He retired from full time work in 2017 and currently works as a consultant on a very limited basis.Gary joined the EFL Board approximately 3 years ago to give back and get closer to the community. The experience has been very fulfilling, and he looks forward to many years of involvement as their mandate grows. In Toronto (pre-covid) he volunteered as a driver with the Cancer Society’s “Wheels For Hope” program and also participated as a Crew Member with ‘Habitat For Humanity’.Gary and his wife have two adult children – a daughter, a son, and a beautiful 1 year-old granddaughter.His passions are music (playing poorly and listening) and sports (playing poorly and watching). Travel was also a passion pre-covid.

Melanie Johns
Director

Melanie Johns retired from Georgian Bay Community School, Meaford in 2018. She taught secondary students the subject of Mathematics. She was a staff advisor for Students’ Council, Music Council and Link Crew. She coached various teams over her 30-year teaching career. Melanie also worked for the Ministry of Education creating on-line interactive educational tools for teachers and students. She enjoyed using technology in her classroom as much as possible including the use of a SmartBoard and posted her lessons to a website (even before COVID!). Melanie also had a variety of leadership roles within the school board including coaching other mathematics teachers.Melanie started volunteering with Events for Life (EFL) by assisting in an administrative position. She was a founding member of the Board of EFL and assisted in writing documents to attain charitable status for EFL. Interacting with EFL participants is her favourite activity. Melanie’s “Event for Life” is riding her bike across Canada, raising awareness of the need for programs such as EFL across the country and raising money for EFL. You can see the bike ride by following “Bike Canada Event 4 Life” on Facebook, Instagram or Strava.

Kelly Williams
Director

Kelly Williams is a wife and mother and spent 32 years in education as a classroom teacher and elementary school administrator. She has had many experiences working to support students and their families with diversity.Kelly recognizes the need for opportunities after high school for adults with special abilities to feel included. She is passionate about wellness and development of the whole person.Kelly recently retired and moved full time to her home in The Blue Mountains. She is invested in supporting equity and inclusion opportunities to help ensure all residents can feel like valued community members.Kelly is excited to be a part of the Events For Life team and work to support the participants to assist them in reaching their full potential.

Christine Lasky
Director

Christine Lasky is a retired resident of Thornbury and has been coming up to The Blue Mountains for over 40 years. She graduated from Schulich School of Business with her MBA and was the Gold Medal winner in marketing. She worked at Procter and Gamble out of University, then Nabisco and Weston’s. She moved into Financial Services with National Trust and SunLife Financial at Spectrum Investments. The last 13 years of her career were spent at The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation as the Chief Brand Officer and VP of Strategic Initiatives launching The Ride to Conquer Cancer, building their lottery program and other significant fundraising initiatives. She volunteers in the day program at EFL and joined the Board late in 2022. She also is on the board of the Blue Mountains Bruce Trail Club. She is passionate about using her skills to make a contribution to the community she lives in.

Anna Gordon
Director

Anna and her family have lived in Thornbury for 10 years, where her partner is a local entrepreneur and their 2 children attend Beaver Valley Community School. They love taking advantage of the nature the Blue Mountains has to offer, as Anna is an avid hiker and her children are ski racers and mountain bikers.Currently, Anna is a People Consultants Director for People & Culture at the University Health Network and teaches part-time in the Human Resources Management program at Seneca College. With over a decade of experience in HR at large organizations and in private career coaching, Anna helps companies identify strategic human resources challenges and implement real improvements from the employee to the organizational level. Anna is a Certified Human Resources Leader in Ontario and holds a Master’s degree in Industrial Relations/Human Resources from University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from Saint Mary’s University.Anna is also committed to sustainable development in our region, and was the president of the Harbour West Residents Group for 4 years.

Kathy Dewling
Director

Kathy and her husband have lived in the Town of the Blue Mountains for 10 years. Kathy originally joined the EFL Board in 2015. After taking a break from the Board in 2020 to focus on travel and family, Kathy is excited to be rejoining the EFL board in 2024.Kathy spent many years of her career in the financial services industry, in both retail services and business analysis. She was a senior management consultant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers specializing in strategic management, marketing and customer relationship management prior to her retirement.
Since retiring, Kathy has focused her energy in governance work at several not-for-profit organizations at the municipal, provincial and national levels. She has held executive positions on several Boards including the Neighbour to Neighbour Centre in Hamilton and the Alzheimer Societies of Ontario and Canada.Kathy is extremely proud of the work that EFL does in the community and looks forward to contributing to the continues success of EFL into the future.

Marla Simon
Director

In 2012 Marla and her husband Steve moved with their family to Thornbury where they embarked on a career in Real Estate and Lifestyles North Real Estate was born.Their son Michael was lucky to have had Shelley Higginson as an educational assistant in High School and was one of the “Original 5” participants when Shelley, seeing the need for a day program for individuals with special needs, started EFL during summers at her farm.Marla was born in NY and moved to Los Angeles with her family at an early age and is a graduate of UCLA. Prior to her career in Real Estate, Marla turned an internship at Columbia Records into a 20+ year career, rising to the position of Vice President of International Sales and Marketing for Sony Music in New York City.Marla has spent her entire career in marketing, often touring the world with some of the most recognizable artists in history – Pearl Jam, Rage Against The Machine, Hall & Oates, Michael Jackson, Gloria Estefan, Cyndi Lauper, among many others.
Currently, in addition to selling homes, Marla is in charge of the Lifestyles North Team’s marketing department. She has extensive marketing and management experience and also has experience managing special events.She is looking forward to using her skills to “give back” to EFL which has been such a huge part of her son’s life, as it moves into its exciting next phase.

Barb Weeden, Executive Director

Barb Weeden is the Executive Director for EFL and joined the leadership team in December of 2018. She is so honored to be a part of this amazing organization and community that brings joy and purpose into the lives of those that need it the most. Barb reports to a very committed Board of Directors who trust and believe in the work she does.Barb is from New Hamburg ON and spent most weekends growing up at her grandparent’s farm on top of Blue Mountain. She went to school for Outdoor Recreation and is certified with the Academy of Leadership Development. Before moving to Craigleith in 2016, Barb spent 22 years at Seneca College in King City where she developed her business and administration skills. She managed the Outdoor Leadership Centre and Community Recreation Programs at two campuses and spent her summers directing the outdoor adventure camp, KDC, that she founded in 1993. Barb has extensive leadership and team development experience which has taken her to Costa Rica, Guyana, California, and the West Coast of Canada.After Seneca Barb was recruited to be the General Manager for the Tim Horton’s Foundation Camp in St. George ON. As a NFP organization, fundraising was a large part of this role. She worked closely with the Tim Horton Restaurant Owners in the GTA to facilitate large fundraising events for the Foundation.Barb has always been involved in the community where she has lived. Since moving to the TBM’s Barb volunteered to help organize two large gala events for BVO and BBBS at Lora Bay and the Georgian Vineyards respectfully. In 2020, Barb sat on the TBM Leisure Activity Planning Committee and is currently a Director for the TBM Chamber of commerce. Barb is a 4th generation Blue girl and is so happy to be living, recreating and working in the Town of the Blue Mountains with her EFL family.

Shelley Higginson, Program Director

Shelley Higginson is the Founder and Program Director at Events for Life Centre. (EFL) Starting in the summer of 2013, Shelley had a vision and together with two friends, began this “grass roots organization” at her farm in Meaford. Shelley realized that once students with special needs graduated from high school at the age of 21, there wasn’t anything for them to do. For two summers Shelley ran a summer program providing recreational activities, social skills and lifelong learning for the students. The word got out, the numbers went up and the program expanded to the basement of the United Church in Thornbury. In 2017 EFL became Incorporated as a Not for Profit charity as was generously gifted the use of the farm house, garage/workshop and use of the trails at Beaver Creek Farms in Thornbury. Shelley has an extensive background and certifications in special education. Formally trained as an Educational Assistant at Georgian College, she has worked as an EA at Georgian Bay Secondary School, supporting youth with special needs in skill development and academic improvement. Shelley represents the architect for progressive growth. She has enhanced program offerings and established community partnerships, while pivoting with grace and integrity to ensure that each individual participants and their family members are respected and honoured for their unique strengths, gifts, and lifestyle. Shelley manages 2 full time staff, occasional part-time staff, seasonal coop students and trains over 30 volunteers from the local community. By completing the Crestcom International Bullet Proof Management course Shelley has, elevated her leadership expertise and enhanced communication for continuous improvement and growth. Shelley continues to live on her farm with her husband and enjoys spending time with her grandchildren Bo and Blake. Shelley is living proof that when you have a vision and are driven to succeed, dreams to come true.

Hope McNeil
Administration Coordinator

Hope McNeil grew up in Toronto but spent most winter weekends snowboarding at Blue Mountain. In 2023, she made the move to Collingwood, drawn by the area's natural beauty and a desire to be more engaged with local community initiatives.Hope comes to EFL with a background in Media Communications, she leverages her experience from various sectors such as account management, bookkeeping, and graphic design. Hope’s skill set spans both creative and technical domains, enabling her to bring a holistic approach to this role.In her spare time Hope enjoys spending time with family, crafting and hiking with her dog.

Chandler Perry
Program Coordinator

Chandler calls Meaford home. She worked part-time with EFL last year while pursuing a career in Property Management. We are happy Chandler has hung up that hat and returned to EFL this winter. Chandler went to school for Fish & Wildlife Management. She brings a diverse leadership background and a wealth of knowledge and love for the outdoors . Chandler’s positive energy is infectious, and she is a valuable member of the team.

Brenda Topham
Program Coordinator

Brenda has a background in the education field as an Educational Assistant. Brenda is a calm and compassionate person and she brings these qualities to the EFL program. She has seen the need for programs like EFL in our community and jumped at the opportunity to be part of the program. She finds it to be one of the most rewarding experiences in her career of helping people with special needs.

Jeannette Taylor
Program Staff

Jeannette Taylor brings a wealth of experience to EFL and is a great asset to our staff team. Jeannette worked as an Education Assistant with the Simcoe Board of Education before joining EFL. Jeannette has been teaching our participants American Sign Language and has choreographed songs which the participants love. It is now an integral part of our weekly activities. Jeannette commutes from Wasaga Beach where she lives with her family.

Ernie Dean
Program Staff

Ernie has been with us since May 2022 and is currently finishing school as a DSW. He has a background as a chef and brings a plethora of knowledge with him that has helped grow our culinary goals. He has been involved with Special Olympics from a young age and is currently our Meaford/Thornbury Fireballs bowling teams head coach. He is a young leader that is looking forward to helping grow our team and expand our possibilities in the future.

Kait Mcinnes
Support Staff

Kait is from the Markdale area and has been with EFL since April 2022. Kait has supported people from Children to Seniors. She has also been a Personal Support Worker for over 10 years. Kait brings her experience in care, compassion and helping others achieve their personal best to our team at EFL.
She enjoys camping, sports and spending as much as she can with her nieces and nephews.

Kelsey Wilding-Davies
Support Staff

Kelsey has called the Blue Mountains home since 2020. Originally pursuing costume design, she worked in the television industry for 5 years, contributing to many TV shows and movies. A competitive rider for her entire life, she transitioned into therapeutic riding and eventually found her passion in this line of work.
In between, she became a paralegal, making her a uniquely strong advocate for her clients. Currently, she is studying at the University of Cape Town, focusing on disability, inclusion, and education. In the past, she served on the board of Barrie Integrated Baseball Association for four years. She is also NCCP certified and has traveled to games with the Special Olympics, in addition to being a certified Equine Canada coach. She now competes on the show jumping circuit and has two horses at home on a small family farm with an array of other animals. Kelsey brings her diverse experience, compassion, and dedication to helping others achieve their personal best to our team at EFL.

Laura Harpell
Support Staff

Laura grew up in a small town just outside of Barrie and moved to the Blue Mountain area with her husband in 2020. She studied Psychology and Child and Youth Mental Health, which, combined with her empathetic approach, enables her to connect deeply with individuals and tailor methods to meet their unique needs. When not at work, Laura enjoys exploring local farmer's markets, hiking with her family, and reading a good book. Laura is passionate about helping others unlock their potential and excel at EFL.

Abbey Dunlop
Manager, EFL Arena Cafe

After spending the spring and summer months as a Support Staff at Events for Life, Abbey is rolling into her second year as the Manager of the EFL Arena Cafe. We are so fortunate to have Abbey returning!!! Abbey oversees the Cafe operation during the week ensuring the EFL participants are well supported for the lunch time program. On weekends, Abbey runs the busy cafe for the newly established local hockey team "The Thornbury Applekings" while supervising the many part-time staff and volunteers.Abbey graduated from the University of Guelph with a BA in Psychology. During her time at University Abbey gained exceptional leadership problem solving skills as the Senior Residence Assistant managing 60 students in their new university environment. During her weekends Abbey continues to mentor youth as a Competitive Alpine Downhill Ski Coach. Abbey is taking her Masters of Arts for Counselling Psychology from the Yorkville University based in New Brunswick. We are so pleased to support Abbey as she studies remotely this year. Look for Abbey's big smile when you come by the EFL Arena Cafe!