Who We Are

Get Involved Banner

Brockville General Volunteer Association Annual Report

Click here to read the 2020-2021 annual report from the Association.
Click here to read the 2021-2022 annual report from the Association.
Click here to read the 2022 - 2023 annual report from the Association and click here to review the financial reports.

BGVA Board of Directors - 2022/2023

Norma Banford - President

Norma finished her federal government career a few years ago after 28 years. "It was an easy transition for me to leave as I was starting a farm...going back to my roots," states Norma.

After a few years getting organized and figuring out what they wanted the farm to focus on they determined that Maple Syrup and Golden Retrievers were 'it'. Since then, Norma and her husband have built a solid business in maple syrup and are now getting ready to breed their 8th generation of Goldens.

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

Margaret Lauridsen - Vice President

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.

Liz Veness - Secretary

Liz retired with her husband Christian in 2011, moving from Toronto to Brockville in 2016, after trying full-time cottage life for a few years. Having studied and worked at York University she held various positions dealing with Faculty Council and Senate Committee work. Liz splits her time each year, between Brockville and wintering in Fort Myers, Florida.

Liz has volunteered in the Emergency Department and participates in classes with the Brockville 50+ Activity Centre, playing pickleball and studying French.

Elizabeth Wollaston - Revenue Generation Chair

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.

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.

David McCrae - Patient Services Committee Chair

David is a lifelong resident of Brockville; married to his wife Eileen; father of 4; and “grandpa” to 5.Volunteering with the BGVA began in the fall of 2019, after a 29+ year career in the Chemical Industry.

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.

Sandra Devaney - Member at Large

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.