When I moved to Grand Bend 14 years ago, one of the first neighbors I met was Hank Krech. Hank was Chair of the Grand Bend Community Foundation. I knew about CFs from work I had done in London and was a big fan of the concept. When Hank found that out, he recruited me to the board and became my mentor. After serving as a Director, as Chair, and as a member of the Fund Development team, today I start a new role as Executive Director.

Grand Bend Community Foundation was in its infancy when I started with it. Since then, it has grown in size, complexity, professionalism, and most importantly, in impact. It’s remarkable to think that while granting $1.4 million to local charities, the Foundation’s endowment funds have also grown significantly. Lots of things have happened in Grand Bend and the surrounding area that simply wouldn’t have been possible without the Foundation.

So I’m excited, and a little bit apprehensive, to be taking on my new role, especially as my predecessor, David Campbell, is such a hard act to follow! My goal is simple: I want to help grow the impact of the Foundation in our region. That means building awareness, growing our funds, making great grants, supporting community and civic engagement, developing new partnerships, and much more.

I’m counting on this wonderful community of ours to help me do it all.