Growing up I lived in a small town in southern Ontario with a family obsessed with the outdoors (camping, hiking, canoeing and more!) and hand in hand I was taught responsibility for protecting these spaces. Despite going through rebellious phases when it came to outdoor activities – I’m still strongly anti-bike – I’ve always felt grounded and calm in nature. Whenever I feel stressed about my day-to-day work as a full-time fundraiser, I turn back to my roots in environmental conservation to reignite my philanthropic values.

As a teenager I became engrossed in social justice, no cause was too big or small for me to champion. I was dedicated to “saving the world” and “making a difference.” I often dreamed of writing fiction or prose while travelling and giving back to communities in need. This led me to my degree in international development and globalization, with a minor in anthropology from the University of Ottawa – I wanted to know the best and most effective ways to help.

I’ve become much more of a city girl since calling Ottawa home, and I started working for non-profits at the local level. I am passionate about advocating for missions, and putting my analytical mind and outgoing personality to use through fundraising, giving causes the means (a.k.a. dollars) to address their greatest needs. I’m lucky to have worked with organizations doing amazing work in animal welfare, health care, environmental conservation, housing and homelessness.

Every day I’m inspired to see that I can directly link my work to positive change – even if only for one person. As a Good Worker, I see this impact while working with clients doing great things no matter their size, field or scale. Although I’m saving travel adventures for my vacation time, I think younger me would be happy to know I’ve made my dreams a reality making the world a better place through storytelling.