Volunteering News

Donna Shram - President

Donna retired with her husband Bob, from Montreal to Brockville in 2014.

Having studied at Concordia and McGill Universities she was a Management Consultant for TELUS, specializing in business outsourcing operations, change management and strategic planning.

Donna divides her time amongst volunteering in a number of organizations, trying to play bridge and spending as much time as possible with her granddaughters.

Norma Banford - Vice President

I started volunteering with the BGVA a few years ago because  I wanted to be involved locally and get to know more people. I decided the BGVA was a good choice for multiple reasons - one - I have family that live here and have received excellent care, two - I wanted to give back to my local community in an area that I believed in three - my mother volunteered at her local hospital and always told me it was satisfying and rewarding to feel that you were contributing to an organization that everyone uses. 

John Francis - Treasurer

Following graduation from McMaster University, John served 27 years in the RCMP and followed that in management positions with the Confederation Bridge, Special Olympics Canada Winter Games, and Canada Summer Games.
While with the RCMP, John obtained a Master of Business Administration from Dalhousie University and specialized in fraud investigations and financial services with the RCMP.
While serving in various provinces John has been involved in many volunteer positions and has been awarded a national police-community relations award for his volunteer activities. He has served on national, provincial, and local sport organization boards. Currently, he is a Director and Secretary/Treasurer of the RCMP Veterans’ Association Foundation, Treasurer of the Friends of Mac Johnson Wildlife Area, Chair of the Brockville Arena Committee, and continues to volunteer at track and field and cross-country meets in eastern Ontario as an event official.
John and Flora, his wife of fifty years, moved from the Maritimes to Brockville 11 years ago to a point midway between his two children who reside in Ottawa and Kingston.

Elizabeth Wollaston - Secretary

Elizabeth, along with her husband Peter and their two children Paul and Kim, immigrated to Canada in 1969 starting a new life in Toronto. They have since welcomed two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Over the years, Elizabeth has lived in various cities including Ottawa, Winnipeg, Montréal, Burlington, Rankin Inlet, Fort McMurray and Maitland, plus a 3-year stint in Europe after she and her husband retired.
Elizabeth cannot remember a time when she hasn’t volunteered. From teaching English in Kenya for a year to teaching an adult to read and write. Apart from volunteering at BGH, Elizabeth drives for Freedom Drivers, an organisation that takes animals from high kill shelters in Quebec to rescues in Ontario, and Kibble 4 Paws which distributes manufacturers donated pet food to rescues.
“I must confess to being busier now than I was when I was a paid employee!" says Elizabeth.

Sandra Devaney - Past President 

Sandra is a retired Director of Development for our YMCA. In that capacity, Sandra established an Annual Appeal, and is a founding Director of the YMCA charitable Foundation.

Sandra has served on several local Boards of Directors, including Loaves and Fishes and the Aquatarium. Her last and current positions have been with BGVA, chairing the Board from 2018 to 2020.

Sandra and her husband Bill, raised two daughters in Brockville. Sandra enjoys travelling, playing bridge and entertaining friends and family. Time with her four grandchildren brings her tremendous joy.

Margaret Lauridsen - Revenue Generation Chair

Margaret moved to Brockville in 1977 after finishing university and getting married.

She has 1 daughter and 1 grandson whom live in Edmonton.

Margaret enjoys reading, quilting, kitting, and travelling.

Margaret has volunteered with her daughter’s schools in various roles, Girl Guides, and Maycourt, and has previously volunteered at BGH in Day Surgery and the ER. During the pandemic Margaret started working in the gift shop.

Kathleen Reichelt - Marketing & Communications Chair

Kathleen Reichelt is a communications strategist with decades of experience in corporate, government and non-profit sectors. She is passionate about collaborative leadership, strategic planning, community engagement and communication campaigns that advocate and incorporate meaningful messaging.

Currently Kathleen works as a communications specialist and project manager in publishing, art, film and healthcare. She has managed events and public relations for foundations and charities, worked in television and animation, and co-founded the Thousand Islands Film + Stage Artist Residency.

Kathleen is a contributing writer for NYC’s Arteidolia art journal, Three Room Press annual anthology and strategist for the California anthology Beat Not Beat international tour in 2023."

Sherry Martucci - Patient Services Committee Chair 

Sherry was educated as a nurse and has brought her expertise to each of her subsequent rolls.

Over the years, she has worked for Bayshore Dialysis, Chromatographic Specialties and as a Ward Clerk at Brockville General Hospital.

Outside of her work, Sherry also likes to volunteer in the community. Over the years, she has volunteered in the Brockville school system, Brockville Skating Club and is currently volunteering at Brockville General Hospital on the Palliative Care floor and as a Welcome Ambassador.

Sherry became a member of the BGVA board as Member at Large in 2018 and has since taken on her current role as Patient Contact Services.

David McCrae - Board Member at Large

Providing service to others is a trait David learned early on from his maternal grandmother, and he sees volunteering as a natural extension of that.

Previous volunteering centered around family endeavours through coaching sports teams and serving on school parent and church councils.

David considers volunteering with the BGVA to be a privilege. He looks forward to continuing the excellence that has been established by current and former volunteers.