Each issue Foundation Magazine provides a mini-profile of five people whose work and commitment make Canada a more liveable country. We thank them for their service.
Rosalind Lockyer is the Founder and CEO of the Paro Centre for Women’s Enterprise in Windsor, Ontario. With twenty years of working as a teacher, entrepreneur, and community developer, Rosalind became blatantly aware of the many systemic issues that kept women from achieving their life goals. In 1995, she founded PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise, channelling this experience, her passion, and her determination to continue to work for positive change locally, provincially, nationally and internationally. Today, PARO is recognized as the “largest peer lending network in North America’ supporting its unique form of women-centred Community Economic Development with 150+ PARO Circles located across Ontario. In 2005, Northern Ontario Business awarded her the prestigious Influential Women of Northern Ontario Award-Public Sector recognizing her leadership in building PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise into the dynamic organization that it is today, serving women entrepreneurs living in rural, urban and remote communities of Ontario. Rosalind Lockyer has dedicated her lifetime toward supporting gender equality and building sustainable livelihoods for thousands of women “who need it the most”. She is also co-founder of the national group, the Women’s Economic Council (WEC) is supporting women who are disadvantaged by the intersectionality of poverty, race, sexism, ageism, and disability.
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Reverend Mike Morency is the Executive Director of Matthew House Refuge Welcome Centre in Windsor, Ontario. He is also head of the Synergistic Solutions Group, which he has owned and run for almost 18 years. As a speaker, consultant, non-profit strategist and community builder he is passionate about making a positive and lasting impact upon our community. Matthew House Refugee Welcome Centre Windsor helps refugees integrate through housing and basic needs, including Emergency and Transitional Shelter, assistance in securing permanent housing, assistance to ensure all individuals have their basic needs met and provides referrals for accessing furniture, clothing and household items. Since opening our doors in 2003, Matthew House Refugee Centre in Windsor has welcomed 639 refugee claimants from all around the world. Each of our new friends has made a unique journey and has a powerful story to share.
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No task is too large or too small for Windsor’s John Martel. That is why he is one of 14 people and two organizations which received this year’s June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for Voluntarism. Martel was honoured for his volunteer work at the Hospice of Windsor and Essex County. He’s a member of its board of directors but has also been working behind the scenes there for 25 years. “John has been a constant at our hospice,” said Katharen Bortolin, the organization’s executive director. “His selflessness, leadership, and tireless commitment to our community embodies the spirit of this prestigious award — we are so grateful for his unwavering dedication and support over so many years.” Martel assumed fiduciary responsibilities serving on the board. Never working directly with individuals in end-of-life care, he said it’s important to help in any way he can. Volunteers are truly the heart of the hospice, with more than 500 active volunteers at the Hospice in a variety of volunteer opportunities in areas such as patient care, special events, transportation drivers, or administrative support.
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Cathy Mombourquette is the Manager, Communications & Fundraising Development at The John McGivney Children’s Centre in Windsor, Ontario. The organization enriches and celebrates the lives of children and youth with disabilities to help abilities grow by providing child-focused, family-centred care. As a provider of innovative services to children with disabilities, they are a centre of hope, support and inspiration, working together toward a future of empowerment, participation, and opportunity. Mombourquette is praised as a highly collaborative leader with a successful track record and over 30 years’ experience in management roles in marketing communications, fundraising, business development, consulting and operations from small to multi-million-dollar organizations in the private, public and self-employment sectors. She also has a rich and long history of volunteerism.
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Kirill Samokhin is the Director of Finance of Community Living Windsor. He has advanced his career in the non-profit sector by continuously learning from mentors and other successful team members that surround him. He has worked to transforming the finance department and make the organizing efficient, creating an atmosphere where his team enjoys coming into work everyday. Community Living Windsor is dedicated to supporting people who have an intellectual disability and their families as they pursue possibilities, make choices and achieve the life they want. They seek to make the community a place where everyone belongs and has support to achieve a better life. As a not-for-profit charitable organization founded in 1952 by families, Community Living Windsor is guided and committed to its core values: commitment to people and their families, possibilities, community and lifelong learning.
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