Ann moved from the UK to Toronto late 1988 , she still has her accent and dry sense of UK humour, she will happily share her love of her country of birth , through her humour and the occasional treat.
She moved to the Ottawa area in 1998 and finally settled in CP in 2002.
She originally worked in accounting for not-for -profit organizations but all her volunteering was with low-income children. Once in Carleton Place, she started volunteering with people living with intellectual disabilities. While volunteering with these two groups , she made the decision to enroll in an Addictions, Mental Health and Community Services Worker diploma program and graduated with honours in 2016.
This career shift led her to work with individuals in the shelter system, where she realized that poverty has many causes and often leaves people unable to envision positive futures. She took courses in homelessness, poverty, and Indigenous Awareness Training. She has extensive experience supporting individuals and families from vulnerable populations, including children and youth from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and adults labeled with intellectual disabilities.
For two years, she ran a self-help service, discovering her passion for helping people uncover their abilities, especially after they had often been told they couldn’t achieve their goals.
A chance comment by a friend led to her reaching out to Pauline at Adult Learning and Training Center and she was offered the opportunity to facilitate the Getting Ahead program. After running the program for 2 years left to take up a position with youth. Staying in touch with ALTC led to the opportunity to return to ALTC in her current position. She finds she learns something new , about herself , the community and the people she has the privilege to work with daily.
In her down time, she spends time with her dog, she likes to travel and has recently rediscovered a passion for painting . She volunteers at the CP foodbank and occasionally, when time allows, on a distress line. She loves going to live theatre and musical events and finds plenty of opportunity for both in The Valley.