Guest: Chantal Vallerand (director of a anti-drug organization)
The margin of error of drug abuse is narrowing, according to Chantal Vallerand. And that is how she remains passionate about her role as leader of Drug Free Kids Canada. It drives her forward every day, allowing her to seek out potential funders and supporters, explaining to them the importance of the mission to keep dangerous drugs away from youth.
How does the Kettle Society, a mental health and housing nonprofit, get its funding? That is the challenge that Michelle Vanderzon tackles, in her role as the director of philanthropy. This is often in the form of grant writing and applications, which relies on a variety of strategies, such as storytelling and building relationships with companies, family foundations, and those who care about the mission.
If you’re a dentist in British Columbia, you’ll be familiar with the BC Dental Association, which Dr. Jillian Belbin leads. In addition to being a practicing dentist, she also travels all over the province to provide assistance and advice to others in her field – including how a dental practice works as an individual small business.
Can “encourager” be a job? For Joe Roberts, that is how he sees himself in a world full of change and uncertainty. In his Push For Change Foundation, he seeks to better protect kids so they don’t fall through the cracks. And he isn’t just all talk – he draws on his own struggles with being a homelessness youth in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. On top of his foundation, he also does public speaking at conferences, where he uses his empathy to understand how to speak to each audience.
Children’s health is a complex and sensitive field. As a pediatrician, Dr. Stuart Turvey diagnoses a huge variety of illnesses and conditions in children – while dealing with scared kids and parents, with the goal of turning them into happy and healthy ones. All the while, he also researches these health conditions and their causes, while keeping in mind the social and emotional impacts of the kids’ health journeys.
