| WE ARE OUR VOLUNTEERS |
 rillium has been through a lot of changes since its inception in 1982, but one thing that has remained the same is our commitment to being a volunteer-driven organization. Our 19 Board members and 100+ community advisors provide hands-on direction and support on everything from policy and program development to (of course) grants. Following are two profiles of volunteers making a significant contribution whom we thought you would like to know better: A complete list of our Board members and volunteers can be found can be found on this site. |
![[A Picture of Mary-Jean Cormier]](cormier_sm.gif) |
Mary-Jean Cormier Mary-Jean, Mary-Jean, the Volunteer Machine. She's everywhere! Recently two Trillium staff members were viewing a CBC video on teen volunteering, and right in the middle ... Mary-Jean, delivering clothes to a shelter in Thunder Bay. It would be hard to imagine Trillium without her. As Board member-elect, and member of the Western and North Review Team, Mary-Jean is an active reviewer of grants. She is also co-chair of our Get Up Stand Up youth grants program with Jabril Abdulle, another Board member-elect. She and Jabril handled the significant amount of media attention Get Up Stand Up received. While the rest of us were practising our "key messages" and "Q's & A's", she was live on national television on the Breakfast Program on YTV, and doing radio interviews across the province with complete aplomb. Mary Jean brings a significant amount of experience to her volunteer job here at Trillium. She spent nine years working with the Regional Multicultural Youth Council in Thunder Bay. She has been involved at the Board level with many organizations including Wesway, Inc (Respite and Support Services), Ontario Multicultural Association, and King's College. Her efforts have been recognized with various citizenship awards, including a Canada 125 medal. She recently completed an Honours BA in Politics at the University of Western Ontario, and is currently working as Programs Coordinator at the Regional Multicultural Youth Centre in Thunder Bay. |
![[A Picture of Jean-Serge Lauzon]](lazon.gif) |
Jean-Serge Lauzon It recently occurred to us that this is Jean-Serge's last year on the Board. That just seems inconceivable. Not only has Jean-Serge been on the Board since 1991, but he was a volunteer with the Eastern Grants Review Committee before that. All the words that we could use to describe him - 'committed', 'knowledgeable', 'hardworking', 'thoughtful' - somehow fall short of the mark. They miss that extra essence that is Jean-Serge, the twinkle in his eye, his ready chuckle, his genuine kindness... the way we all perk up when he arrives and makes the rounds with kisses on each of our cheeks. Jean-Serge has made a major contribution to Trillium. He's our French Language Services Advisor, he was on the Strategic Review Committee and he co-chaired the Research/Consultation Working Group. He's been on the Human Resources Committee, and currently chairs both the Francophone Review Team and the Eastern Review Team, and sits on the Advisory Committee for Community Connections. Some of his other non-Trillium volunteer commitments have included Task Force Chair and Former Director, Council on Aging; Founding Chair, Centre de jour des aînés francophones d'Ottawa; and Former Chair, Service d'entraide communautaire. Jean-Serge was also on the Board of the National Capital Research Institute on Gerontology. In his "spare time" he is Coordinator of the Social Work Gerontology Program of La Cité collégiale in Ottawa. Board member, mentor, friend: we're lucky to have him. |