1. Dr. Bob Henderson - Chair
Dr. Bob Henderson has been practicing Family Medicine in Trent Hills since 1977 and has been the Medical Director of the Trent Hills Family Health Team since its inception in 2006. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto and the founder of their Rural Residency Program. Bob completed over 10 years as Chief of Staff at Campbellford Memorial Hospital in 2008, and has served for many years in various capacities on the board of EMAS Canada, a Christian medical humanitarian NGO. In 2009 he was honored as a Family Physician of the Year by the Ontario College of Family Physicians.
2. Dr. Cheryl Gibson – Past Chair
Dr. Cheryl Gibson has a Ph.D. in Psychology and has had a private practice in Psychology in Warkworth for the past 15 years. She is active in many organizations in the community. Cheryl is deeply committed to establishing a residential hospice and believes in the importance of supporting the person who has a terminal illness as well as their family. She has been involved in The Bridge Hospice from the very beginning and is currently Past Chair of the Board.
3. Dean Peters – Vice-chair
Dean Peters is a past Chair of the Board of The Bridge Hospice and is currently a member of the Municipal Council in Trent Hills. He is also Chair of the Board of St. Paul’s United Church and is active in many community activities and projects in the GWA including the Long Lunch, the Donnybrook, and the Skateboard initiative. Dean retired from Ontario Power Generation 7 years ago, but the lights stayed on.
4. Martin Hare – Treasurer
Martin Hare spent 40 years as an Insurance Broker handling the property and casualty requirements of large Industrial accounts. He is a Past President of the Warkworth Community Service Club (WCSC) as
well as the Treasurer of the Warkworth Community Health Centre which is managed by WCSC.
5. Madeline Conacher – Secretary
Madeline Conacher was a project manager in software development for over 20 years. She now teaches meditation workshops in Toronto and other North American cities. She has been active in hospice work since 2000 – initially in Toronto and now Trent Hills. She has been on The Bridge Hospice Board of Directors since the beginning in the role of secretary.
6. Dr. Bob Stephens - Fundraising Chair
Dr. Bob Stephens graduated from U of T in Medicine in 1947. Following a degree in Tropical Medicine in Belgium he spent 10 years in the Belgian Congo establishing a hospital. He returned to Toronto in 1961 to establish and direct the International Medical Service. He moved to Campbellford in 1977 to establish a Family Practice. From 1985-98 he was Director of EMAS ( the Evangelical Medical Aid Society ) and traveled extensively to monitor projects. He continues to serve EMAS as a volunteer. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 2006.
7. Rosaleen Dunne – One of the Visionaries
Rosaleen Dunne is a Reg. N. who has spent twenty years providing care to those in the Palliative phase of their disease, whether in a hospital environment, in the community or in the third world. She is one of the three visionaries who wants to create an alternative sacred space for those in need, that of a residential hospice.
8. Dianne Mechetuk – Nominating Committee Chair
Dianne Mechetuk is currently the Branch Manager for RBC Royal Bank in Campbellford and has been in banking for 33 years. She joined The Bridge Hospice in Oct 2008. She looks forward to seeing a residential hospice in Trent Hills within the very near future.
9. Rev. John Saynor
Rev. John Saynor is a retired Priest in the Toronto Diocese of the Anglican Church of Canada and a licensed funeral director. He has had extensive experience in individual counseling, facilitating bereavement support groups and conducting seminars and workshops on various aspects of grief and bereavement.
10. Vicki Vannieuwenhuyze
Vicki Vannieuwenhuyze moved to Warkworth in 2004 from Mississauga. She has worked with RBC Royal Bank since 1994 and is currently a Financial Planner. She is very active in dance and choreography, sports and other activities. She knows from personal experience how important a residential hospice is for the patient and the family.
Visionaries
Pauline Faull
Pauline Faull has been involved in the Palliative Care movement for many years. She worked at St. Peter’s Hospice, Albany N.Y. and trained with E. Kubler Ross. Pauline has a Master’s Degree on the subject of “The marriage between business and voluntary organizations” and studied hospices in England, Scotland, Ireland and the U.S.A. for her thesis. She is a grief therapist and the Founder of Bayview Community Hospice. She is one of the Visionaries of the Bridge Hospice and is on the Fundraising team.
Lynda Pecora
Lynda Pecora is a Reg. N. with 40+ years experience. Her passion has always been working with mums and babes and over the past 25 years, palliative/hospice care – “The Comings and The Goings”. She is honoured to have been one of those with a vision of a home of gentle and loving care to those dying in our community. She is on the Design team and the Volunteer Training Program for The Bridge Hospice.