Supporting those with long term health care needs

The Board of Directors

The Friends Board consists of up to 10 volunteer Directors.  Some of the responsibilities of The Friends Board members are:

• To ensure that The Friends is being managed effectively and efficiently and that the necessary services are being provided.
• To keep the President and Executive Director informed of all activities related to Committee work.
• To understand the policies, procedures and guidelines of The Friends and its funders and ensure that they are followed.
• To attend regular Board meetings.  Board meetings are held throughout the districts of Parry Sound/Muskoka.
• To respect the confidentiality of the information obtained while carrying out their duties.

2011-2012 Board of Directors

Linda Jones

Linda works for the District of Muskoka as Case Aide for the Ontario Works program.  She has a background in accounting and communications as well as diverse volunteering experiences.   Linda has been involved with Boy Scouts as a team leader as well as serving as a Church Elder in the Presbyterian Church.  Linda has volunteered for over 11 years at the Pines Long Term Care facility, visiting seniors to assist with communications, reading letters, books and articles as well as providing a listening ear.  Linda’s  deep interest in supporting seniors in Muskoka/Parry Sound communities is a primary motivation to serve on The Friends Board of Directors.

Doreen Murray

Over the years, Ms. Murray has volunteered her time and skills to numerous community based agencies.  From 1993 until 1998 she served as a council member and chairperson for the Muskoka-Parry Sound District Health Council.  From 1998 to 2006 she was chairperson for Caregiver’s Voice, a non-profit community agency that provides support to caregivers.  She has also served as a committee member for Habitat for Humanity Muskoka and as a member of the Board of Directors for Algonquin Health Services. With a professional background/training in health care, Ms. Murray continues to support her community. She lives in the Port Carling area and enjoys sports, gardening and traveling.

Bruce Cassie

J. R. Bruce Cassie, Ph.D., retired as an Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology at OISE, University of Toronto in 2004. He remains on staff as Professor Emeritus. His research and speaking interests span cognitive aspects of complex decision making, employee recruitment/selection/training, quality of life therapeutics, leadership and management systems and career-relevant issues.  Along with his involvement in academia, Bruce has an extensive background in business and industry and tourism. He has worked with executive agents at several of Canada’s major corporations (IBM, Suncorp, Intercon, Canadian Gas Association, etc.) and handled major management projects in the Canadian Tar Sands. He owned and operated 3 resorts in Muskoka. He owns a subdivision and recently has been involved with building houses and working with senior citizens who occupy one of his apartment buildings.

Eric Spinks

Yvonne Green

Yvonne is currently employed with the Canadian Paraplegic Association Ontario (CPA Ontario as a Regional Services Coordinator.  She has been with CPA Ontario since 2001 and for the first 5 years worked in the Toronto office before relocating to the Muskoka Regional Office.  Prior to CPA Ontario Yvonne worked as a Chaplain at the Scarborough General Hospital and the Toronto East Detention Centre as well as holding positions with the Ministries of Health, Community & Social Services, and Labour.  Yvonne also worked for the City of Toronto and was employed by Centennial College to deliver a Job Skills Program for people with a disability as well as with the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Canada, the Barrier Free Design Centre and the Bob Rumball Centre for the Deaf.
She holds a Bachelor of Religious Education degree from Tyndale University, a Certificate in Solution Focused Counselling from the University of Toronto and a Diploma in Rehabilitation Services from Humber College.
Yvonne has had Board experience with the Centre for Independent Living, Big Sisters, Ravenswood Nature Centre and Birchdale Community Church.

John Gallagher

John has had over twenty-three years of experience in urban planning in both the public and private sector.  He has an extensive knowledge of the Muskoka and Parry Sound areas.   In 1996, John established John P. Gallagher & Associates, developing a large client base across the District of Muskoka, East Parry Sound and Haliburton.   As a planner and consultant, he provides rural, urban and waterfront planning advice and design services to private, public and non-profit sector clients, including submission and representation before upper and lower tier governments.  As the adoptive father of two sons with major physical and psychological challenges, he is keenly aware of the importance of community supports to both the disabled and senior populations and views an opportunity to work with The Friends´ Board as a way of seeking to improve the lives of those facing challenges that limit their access to resources available in the Parry Sound/Muskoka area.
John’s many years of experience working with clients, shareholders and government officials are much valued skills that will support The Friends as they move forward with their goals.

David Crouch

David Crouch was born and raised in Toronto and summered in the Muskoka Lakes area.  The son of an orthodontist, David experienced the Ontario healthcare system quite early in life.  Having the academic promise to secure a coveted spot in the University of Toronto Schools elementary and secondary school system, David’s next academic experience was at University of Toronto from which he graduated with a degree in engineering.  He spent 20 years as the engineering manager for a small Toronto firm before switching gears to work in the field of high performance housing.  This employment brought him to Huntsville area where he has built several homes and partnered in major property development initiatives.  His father (now in his nineties) retired to the cottage near Port Carling almost thirty years ago, adamantly clinging to a desire to live by himself, on the lake, in the cottage he winterized.  Needless to say, David and his siblings quickly learned about the importance of healthcare resources in Muskoka.  The Friends of Muskoka/Parry Sound, previously unknown to David and his father, soon became a significant resource and spurred David’s interest in the needs of seniors and others who want and need assistance to lead comfortable lives in the safety of their own places of residence.  Wishing to increase his contribution to the welfare of others, David approached a member of The Friends’ Board and asked, “Could I get more involved in what your organization is doing?”