I am a graduate of the Developmental Services Program from Fanshawe College and I have been working in the developmental services sector for over 15 years.
I have gained a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge working for agencies in London Ontario and in Windsor-Essex County.
During these 15 years I met an amazing young man who I was lucky enough to support one on one for many years. I loved every second of providing this kind of support I knew there must have been more families looking for similar support and that’s how the idea of a Respite program came about. Unfortunately, I have no idea where to begin and I tucked the idea away for about 3 years. The idea of starting a Respite program began to consume my thoughts in early 2018 so I took a chance and reached out to a few families I was connected with over the years to see if there was any interest. By April 2018 Lola’s was created with 2 members who are still with us today.
I know you must be wondering who Lola is. Lola is a mix of the first two letters of my name and the first two letters of the name of the gentleman I mentioned above as he was a big part of the inspiration to start Lola’s Roundtable.
Now you must be wondering why Roundtable? There is no head of a roundtable and I believe that everyone is and should be treated equally.
As Lola’s began to grow, I sold my home and put every cent I made into accommodating Lola’s growth. I eventually traded in my beloved car for a mini van to accommodate our growth again.
I ran Lola’s solely out of the mini van for many months until we could afford a unit to lease and call home and the rest is history!
Lola’s is my passion and my priority and as executive director I intend on continuing to work hard to help Lola grow into its full potential and make a difference in our community.
