Apply Today!
The CVCDA Board of Directors are seeking new volunteer members to bring their skills and talents to our Board. The CVCDA has been serving families in the Valley since 1974. Our agency has grown to include comprehensive child development services and programs which help support children to thrive in their family, school and community environments. If you are a business or community member who would like to be involved in the future work of the CVCDA, we would love to hear from you!
We are looking for community minded volunteers, who have experience with or an understanding of non-profit business, fundraising and child development. Please fill in the application and submit to cindy@cvcda.ca
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Comox Valley Child Development Association is a registered non-profit society. The Association conforms to all requirements of the Societies Act, BC. As a registered non-profit, agency membership is encouraged and open to anyone upon payment of a nominal annual fee.
Board Of Directors
Diane Daigle, President
Christene Evanochko, Vice President
Jean-Marc Jaquier, Treasurer
Samantha Schneider, Director
Dawn Hannesson, Director
Valerie Rybski, Director
Emily Yewchuk, Director
CVCDA Board members from left to right: Jean-Marc Jaquier, Christene Evanochko, Diane Daigle, Samantha Schneider and Arne Einarson (Board alumni). Missing: Valerie Rybski, Emily Yewchuk and Dawn Hannesson
Role Of The Board
The Board of Directors is elected from the membership for a two year term of office at the Annual General Meeting held in September. The Board is a decision-making entity, with jurisdiction over agency planning and policy. The Board has fiscal and legal responsibility for the agency. It is the goal of the agency to have an active, visionary board representing a wide variety of interests and knowledge.
The Nominating Committee is a standing committee of the Board appointed following the Annual General Meeting each year. The committee receives names of anyone who might be interested in joining the Board. The Nominating Committee also recommends directors for the executive office. Directors may hold executive office for two years or longer. The Board meets monthly in the evening.
Daily operational decisions are the responsibility of the Executive Director, who reports to the Board.
Annual General Meeting
This year’s AGM will be held on Wednesday, September 20, 2023 at 5pm in our Family Place (lower level of main CVCDA Building). Additionally, the meeting can also streamed by request. Please email cindy@cvcda.ca for more information.
Watch this page for 2023 meeting details as they are available.
CVCDA Membership & AGM Voting
Become a member and vote at the 2023 CVCDA AGM.
You must be a CVCDA Member in good standing immediately prior to the AGM to vote.
To become a member please subscribe to the CVCDA Circle eNews at CVCDA.CA.
If you would like to vote but cannot attend please complete the CVCDA Proxy Form and submit to cindy@cvcda.ca
>>Download the CVCDA AGM Voting Proxy Form
Meet the Board
Diane Daigle, President
More coming soon…
Christene Evanochko, Vice President
More coming soon…
Jean-Marc Jaquier, Treasurer
Jean-Marc first joined the CVCDA Board in 2014, later on becoming Treasurer.
With a Master’s degree in Economics – Business Management, he has been in commercial banking for thirty years, first in Switzerland and for the past twenty-four years, with Canadian Western Bank on Vancouver Island. Prior to banking, he spent two years as an officer in the Swiss Armed Forces.
Married to his high school sweetheart since 1995, he has two children (Emma and Maxime). Max was born in 2001 with severe physical and development disabilities. During his entire life (Max passed away in 2010), the Nanaimo Child Development Center (Infant development program, occupational, physio and speech therapy, as well as the school support program) played an essential role in his development and support to the Jaquier family.
As a way to give back, Jean-Marc joined the board of the NCDC in 2002 and contributed both as a parent of child with special needs and with his financial and organizational expertise.
After moving to the Comox Valley in 2013, he decided to join the CVCDA Board and continue to provide his expertise and the benefit of his business network in the Comox Valley.
Besides his work with the Child Development Centers, Jean-Marc actively participated to the Strathcona Sunrise Rotary for six years, acted as school mentor for two years with Big Brother & Big Sister and also participated to the Junior Achievement program in Courtenay.
Jean-Marc’s involvement with the CVCDA opened his eyes to the significant needs of our communities when it relates to children with diverse abilities. Joining the board of these centres and being able to help and make a difference for these children and families has been a great satisfaction and pride for Jean-Marc for the past twenty years.
Samantha Schneider, Director
Samantha is a director at large with the CVCDA. She has an extensive background working in outdoor youth education at various outdoor school programs. She has also worked with street involved and at risk youth in safe house settings in the Edmonton inner city area.
It’s important to her, that the work she does makes a difference in youth’s lives and she especially enjoys introducing youth from diverse backgrounds to the outdoors.
Some of the highlights of her career have included developing a hydroelectric system interpretive trail and curriculum development for Blue Lake Education Society (now Columbia Outdoor School) in the Purcell wilderness.
Samatha’s local volunteer experience includes working on the medical team and fostering for Kitty Cat Pals, being a volunteer scout leader for the Cumberland Scouts group, Autism BC where she co-created the Social Sundays Autism group. She has also volunteered on the board of directors for the Sharks swim club.
Samantha firmly believes in giving youth the tools to creatively shape their lives and thrive independently. Since moving to the Comox Valley, in 2007, she has really noticed and appreciated the welcoming nature of this community and the strong sense of altruism that exists here. Her passions for the outdoors, gardening and chickens has also found a home here.
When her children were born in 2008 and 2009, they noticed some differences in their development and the CVCDA was instrumental in helping to get the help they needed. Her children first attended Early Intervention Therapy including Occupational and Physical and Speech therapy before attending The Autism Program (TAP) at CVCDA for many years. The experience was life changing for the entire family and Samantha found herself with a strong desire to give back to the organization that helped her family so much.
CVCDA is important to her because it allows all children in the community a chance to thrive and become their best selves.
Dawn Hannesson, Director
Dawn Hannesson is an Account Manager at Canadian Western Bank with over 22 years of banking experience, with certificates in both Accounting and Financial Services Advice. She has recently won CWB’s Quarterly Pillars of Excellence Award, and was previously a recipient of the Champions Award at TD. Dawn has been involved in the special needs community for many years, and has witnessed firsthand the important work that the Comox Valley Child Development Centre does, as her daughter, Ashley, has taken part in several therapies and programs at the Centre over the years. Dawn is passionate about seeing and helping special needs children and their families thrive and is excited to be part of this community.
Valerie Rybski, Director
More coming soon…
Emily Yewchuk, Director
Emily is the owner and founder of Wildflower Mercantile and Yew Photography here in the Comox Valley. Emily has a bachelors of Economics from University of British Columbia and University College Dublin with a double major in Commerce.
Emily co-chaired the largest student run energy conference in 2011 bringing 400 students from 35 countries to Vancouver during her time at UBC. After University Emily worked as an economist for the Department of Energy and then moved to the higher education publishing space, working with universities all over the country to implement the latest in education materials and software. After having children, Emily pursued her hobby as a photographer full time and has won multiple awards for her work.
In 2022, Emily opened Wildflower Mercantile and founded the Wildflower Kids Scholarship Fund alongside the business. Emily has personally known the value of early intervention after having a child who was diagnosed with a speech delay at an early age. When she experienced the lack of resources for such things past the age of 5 in the Comox Valley she founded the fund to address the issue. Emily is passionate about helping families provide support services for their children so they can reach their full potential and is thrilled to be on the board of the CVCDA!
Get Involved
We welcome board member applications at any time.
Please enquire with
cindy@cvcda.ca
CVCDA Mandate
The Comox Valley Child Development Association provides services to children, youth and adults with diverse abilities and their families. Our primary location is in Courtenay at the corner of Third Street and Cliffe Avenue, but our work also takes us into schools, homes, and other parts of the community.
All of the services at the CVCDA are family centred. This means we recognize that families know their children best and play the most important role in their life. We support families to make decisions about their child’s services; we respect individual families’ values, beliefs, and cultural backgrounds. At the CVCDA, families are equal partners in the provision of services.
