Allana Ferro

President

Allana joined the Trail Hospital Auxiliary in 1999, making her a 26-year member of BCAHA in good standing. She
held all positions on the Trail Hospital Auxiliary before moving on the Kootenay Boundary Area Director for 2
years. In July, 2020, she was appointed Director of Finance for BCAHA and has served for the 5 years.
Her family, community involvement and volunteering are the major commitments in her live, with family always
coming first. This year she will have been married for 54 years, with 2 married daughters, 5 grandchildren and
currently 4 great granddaughters, life is never dull!
Alana’s professional career includes, Licensed Practical Nursing to put her husband through university, working
as a Travel Consultant, and spending 28 years as a Municipal Senior Administrator for the Village of Warfield.
Retirement allowed Allana to devote more time to her passion of volunteering which included various position
in the world of figure skating, in 2004 she was awarded the Volunteer of the year for BC/YT Section of Skate
Canada, Sisters of Colombo treasurer, member of the Catholic Women’s League, a Past President of the
Kootenay Boundary Hospital and Health Foundation.
Alana’s energy, knowledge, love of people and healthcare make her an asset to be President of the BCAHA Board and Auxiliaries.

Carole Murray

Past President

Valerie Wright

Vice President

 

I was born and raised in Grand Forks, BC and was very active in the volunteer community. My professional career has been composed of three main areas: a Hairdresser, administrative positions:
including bookkeeping, logistics and cross-border shipping, and 10 years as a realtor before moving to Summerland in 2019.
Before becoming a member of the Hospital Auxiliary, I was very involved in the volunteer community,
I have served as president in the following organizations: The Little People’s Centre, Grand Forks
Figure Skating Club, Grand Forks Minor Hockey Association, Grand Forks Border Bruins Junior B Hockey Club, and served as a Director for both the West Kootenay Hockey Association and the Kootenay
International Junior Hockey League.
I was a member of the Grand Forks Auxiliary from 2013-2019; of those 6 years, I held the office of Vice President and President.
I have held the position of Director of Finance for the Provincial Board of the British Columbia Association of Healthcare Auxiliaries.
In September 2023, I completed a 3-year term as the Okanagan Mainline Area Director on the British Columbia Association of Healthcare Auxiliaries Board.
I have been a member of the Summerland Healthcare Auxiliary since moving to Summerland in 2019. I began with the auxiliary as a floor worker, moved to the cashier position, and now am the day convenor on Fridays.
My computer skills include the Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel, Publisher, as well as creating PowerPoint presentations. As a Realtor, I created and maintained my website.

 

Mary Derksen

Director of Finance

My main working career was for the Hospital Employees Union, I was a full-time elected financial Officer from October 1984 until I retired at 55 in October 2006.
I represented 23,000 health care workers, and my budget was $27m I built the budget and was responsible for the financial position of the union membership.
I was a Director on Community Savings Credit Union for 7 years including audit chair and the investment and lending committee.
I was also a Director on Pacific Blue Cross for 26 years, and when my term was completed, I was the Chair of the Audit committee and sat on the investment committee and the foundation board.
I then became involved as a volunteer at the Richmond General Hospital and became the Treasurer, which I enjoy.

Cathy Bayley

Secretary

Cathy Bayley was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and grew up in West Vancouver. After graduating from UBC she went to work in Kitimat as an elementary school teacher for a year.  Ten years later she returned with her husband and two children to Delta.  Cathy was the elementary school music specialist at York House School in Vancouver and two schools in the Surrey School District. She ended her career as the Fine Arts Helping Teacher in Surrey responsible for music, dance, art, and drama in Kindergarten to Grade 12.  She was honoured to receive the BC Music Educators Elementary Music Teacher of the Year Award in 2011. A highlight of Cathy’s working career was a teaching exchange to the Gold Coast in Australia. Music has played an important part in Cathy’s life, and she is currently the president of, and singing with the Vancouver EnChor Choir.  Cathy has also served as president at the provincial and national level in Carl Orff Canada, an organization of over 1000 music educators across Canada.  She also volunteers as a Green coat at the Vancouver International Airport. Nowadays Cathy and her husband love to travel and visit their children and grandchildren in Penticton and Ontario. Cathy is also now attempting to learn to play the ukulele and paint with varying degrees of success.

Cathy joined the Delta Hospital Auxiliary in 2017 and was honoured to be the president of the organization for 4 years. currently, she can be found volunteering at the Delta Hospital Auxiliary Thrift Store in downtown Ladner and the DHAS Gift Shop in the Delta Hospital.

Cheryl Fry

Director of Communications

Cheryl lives in Revelstoke and has been a member of the Revelstoke Hospital Auxiliary Society since 2008, starting as Secretary,  and finishing as President twice over. Cheryl is proudly a member of the Shuswap Lake Hospital Auxiliary and does their Facebook page for them, as well as keeping them on track for other social media. For 16 years, Cheryl has volunteered with the Canadian Cancer Society, coordinating many fundraising initiatives such as the Relay For Life, the Daffodil Campaign and Slopes for Hope. Cheryl is a people person and is always eager to learn new skills. She enjoys a variety of activities including interior decorating, scrapbooking and spending time with her husband, two children and four grandchildren. Cheryl brings valuable experience to the Board as OMA Area Director for 3 years, BCAHA secretary for 1 year, and currently  BCAHA Communications Director for the past 5 years. Cheryl looks forward to sharing her skills to help maintain the best healthcare possible for all our communities, as well as maintaining great communication skills on the board.

meet our Leadership

Board of Directors, Executive Members

Area Directors

Past President ~ Marge Anderson

Vicky Stubbs

Vancouver Island Area, Director

Contact Info

My first introduction to volunteering was in my teens when the YWCA girls group, I belonged to would go up to the University Hospital in Edmonton once a week.

Upon graduating from University, I taught High School in Thunder Bay, Ont and then moved to Vancouver where I was a Program Director with the YMCA where I met and married my husband. We moved to a Logging Camp on the north end of Vancouver Island and began raising our family.

In 1986 our family moved to Campbell River.  While there I decided to return to school and take the Long-Term Care Aide Program.  This led me to a 20 + year career as an Activity Aide in both Campbell River and Prince George.

Upon retiring, I had time, so I volunteered in the Hospital Gift Shop. It wasn’t long before I was approached to join the Hospital Auxiliary and subsequently took on the position of Second Vice President.  I have always believed one should give back to the community and the Hospital Auxiliary has certainly filled that role.

Vicky 

 

 

Barbara Worwood

Lower Mainland Area Director

Contact Info

I was born and raised in Calgary Alberta, and began volunteering as a Candy Striper at Foothills Hospital at 14. I loved it, it was such a rewarding experience.

I didn’t return to volunteering until I moved to Aldergrove in my mid-30s. The Aldergrove food bank needed volunteers and I had time, I started stocking shelves and worked there for 2 years and was elected President, I was there for another year and then went back to a paid job, after recruiting my replacement. While working in the food industry our company had a program called “Feeding OurClubs Future”. We had partnered with The Boys and Girls clubs of Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley to provide healthy lunches to the kids in their programs during the summer months. When there were no school lunch programs for them. Every day after work we would start making over 500 bagged healthy lunches that would be picked up for delivery to the clubs across the lower mainland the next morning. In 2009 I won the company “Hero of Everyday Life Award” for my participation in the Feeding our Future program and was able to donate the $3000.00 award to the Aldergrove Food Bank.

Fast forward to 2014,  I had retired the year before and was out shopping when I saw a sign in the window of a small Thrift Shop in Port Coquitlam, I thought to myself “I like stuff” and Velda Boyle saw me coming. I started as a cashier and worked up to Manager of the shop, a role I held until just this past September.  I am in my second term as President of the Auxiliary and am excited to be continuing to grow as an Auxilian in the role of Area Director.

Heather Kennedy

Kootenay Boundary Area, Director

 Contact Info

Heather grew up on the prairies, she graduated from the University of Alberta with a BSc in Textiles. In 1980, Heather moved to Vancouver and worked in retail, in 1986 returned to UBC and received a teaching certificate in primary education. Heather taught in Vancouver and Rossland.

 Heather joined the Rossland Health Care Auxiliary in 1997, she served as secretary of the auxiliary and is currently completing her term as president. Heather is a member of Trail and Area Hospice, she takes part in both the friendly visitor program and end of life. Heather is President of the Rossland Discussion Club and is an active Member of Trail United Church.

 Heather helped to organize the cancer support group and continues to plan an annual Cancer Survivor Tea while continuing her chemotherapy. In her free time she loves to read, garden, sew and knit.

Amanada Laranjo

Okanagan Mainline Area, Director

Contact Info

Amanda grew up in Williams Lake, where she was a competitive figure skater and completed her Canadian Cord through Girl Guides. She later moved to North Vancouver to attend Simon Fraser University, where she met her husband, Carlos. After graduation, she worked as a counsellor for the Ministry of Children and Families and ICBC and later managed a vocational program for individuals living with diversabilities. Amanda and Carlos have three adult children and live on a small acreage outside Vernon. When they aren’t travelling, they enjoy outdoor activities, pickleball and spending time with family, friends, and their dogs. Amanda is an active member of the Vernon Auxiliary and is excited to learn more about BCAHA and be involved with other Auxiliaries.

Margaret Watson

Fraser Valley Area, Director

Contact Info

 I was born in Wadena, Sask. We moved to Flin Flon, a small mining town
in northern Manitoba when I was 4.
The Hudson Bay Mining & Smelting Company was the town’s main employer and sponsored many activities. Flin Flon was surrounded by lakes; in the summer we swam, fished and water skied. Winter was hockey,skating and keeping warm. IBM did get cold!
I met and married my high school sweetheart Jim. We moved 3 times during
our first year and eventually landed in Vernon. I joined the service club that
Jim belonged to Kelowna and transferred to it when we moved.
I held all executive positions, including President and was also the Zone
Coordinator for the Okanagan Zone which had clubs from Penticton to
Salmon Arm.

Eight years later we moved to Port Coquitlam where again I
was on the Executive and then District Co-ordinator for B.C.
I have held various secretarial positions throughout our moves. The last being an Insurance broker for 25 years, before retiring and moving to Mission.
Jim passed away 2 years ago and I became restless trying to keep busy. I
stopped into our thrift shop, “The Cottage” and filled out an application and
have found an outlet for my restlessness. I have 2 grown children Todd and Tara. Todd has 2 grown daughters Megan and Kennady. They all have “fur
babies” but I’m hoping for a great-grandchild soon.

 

Fern Hansen

North Area, Director

Contact Info

Fern was born in Southern Ontario and was raised by wonderful parents on a small mixed farm with her siblings. After completing high school Fern was thrilled to join the work force and start her “real” life.

Fern married her husband Alex of 49 years in 1969 and moved to Dawson Creek B.C. in 1971 where they raised their 3 children, Mandy, Jason, and Quinton in a lovely little “hippy” farming community.

Later they moved into town to change professions, in the course of time Fern owned a seasonal greenhouse, a concession at a little town ski hill, then opened the Baby Store in the mall.

Fern retired from the baby store when she turned 69 and focused her time into volunteering, Fern had an instrumental role in setting up the Dawson Creek Recycling Association, the Farmers Market, and currently works at the Community Gardens Society and the Hospital Auxiliary as well as Fern spent 3 consecutive terms of 3 years on the Board of the Dawson Co-op of Federated Co-op (F.C.L). Fern greatly enjoys spending time with her fabulous grandchildren, Fern is looking forward to being the N.E Area Director and serving on the BCAHA Provincial Board.