We are a team of unique, diverse individuals that have 2 things in common:
- A passion for the GraceWins purpose of alleviating the suffering of those that struggle with mental health challenges, enabling them to overcome these challenges, realize their unique potential and live their lives to the fullest.
- A commitment to integrity and excellence in everything we do.
DreamTeam
We call ourselves the GraceWins DreamTeam because we operate on the Dream Team ethos:Â
A team focused on excellence in achieving our purpose. And realizing joy through the work we do.
We, individually, give our best to this team in whatever we do. And we enable each other to be our best. In everything. The little things first and thereby the big things. How we do anything is how we do everything. And we choose to do it with excellence.Â
On the GraceWins DreamTeam, everyone of us is self-motivated by our common purpose, aligned to and unified by our values and empowered to excel in the service of those we are privileged to serve. In such a team there is no place for ego and no need for motivation, management or organizational hierarchies.
Brad Ward
Brad has struggled with mental illness for most of his life. 10 years ago he was diagnosed as bipolar which left his life in tatters. During the worst of his bipolar disorder, Brad developed schizophrenia and ended up on the streets for six months. He was miraculously saved by Mississauga Trillium Hospital and Ontario Shores which helped him find the right medications. He has since been rebuilding his life in the community and working on his aspirations to use his lived experience of mental illness to support others that similarly struggle through peer support.
Cynthia Theriault
Cynthia has experienced trauma, homelessness, and alcohol and drug addictions for most of her life. She was fortunate to have been welcomed into the arms of Renacent Addiction Treatment Centre and the rooms of Cocaine Anonymous (CA) and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), which have helped her in obtaining sobriety. As she rebuilds her own life, Cynthia looks forward to helping others do the same while continuing to learn about supporting and serving in the community. One day at a time.
dennis seary
After many years of alcohol and drug abuse, homelessness and mental health challenges, Dennis now lives a life filled with joy and happiness. He began experimenting with drugs and alcohol at the age of eleven. An abusive parent and a school life that included bullying, Dennis’ early years saw him grow with a a sense of low self esteem. Later in life Dennis began to drink to harmful results. In his fifties Dennis began to deal with anxiety and depression and found himself homeless. It took years to realize a way out. After getting a great deal of help and support, Dennis found a role for himself and indeed found himself. He is now living his life and his faith to the fullest. Supporting and serving community help him realize his purpose. Spending time with family also gives him a great deal of strength and he looks forward to a bright, exciting future without limits.
Jodie Saunders
Jodie finds her life’s purpose in supporting and showing great care and compassion to others. She is a grateful Peer and Housing Support Worker in her community of Oshawa. The individuals that she is blessed to work with are mostly homeless, addicted and marginalized. As someone who found freedom from a 25-year drug addiction and life-long mental health illness Jodie brings to GraceWins her lived-experience and a new found hope for the future. Her purpose at GraceWins is to be present as people move forward and realize their true potential, one step at a time.
Pamela Lewis
Compassionate and empathetic, Pamela has experienced and overcome significant trauma and life-transforming challenges. She is a mother of three children all of whom struggle with specific needs – autism, bipolar, anxiety, drug addiction and other medical ailments. Pamela is a qualified Personal Support Worker who tends to both, the physical and mental health needs of her clients. Her welcoming and friendly nature naturally draws people to her. Pamela finds joy and fulfillment in using her wealth of lived experiences and unique abilities to support others through their unique recovery journeys.
Percy D’Souza
GraceWins is an expression of Percy’s own life journey: from losing almost everything at the depths of his ‘dark nights of the soul’ which, among other things, included a diagnosis of ‘severe, treatment-resistant, psychotic depression’; to passionately living in the moment every day since, by grace, he was given a second chance at life in the spring of 2018. This is the core value Percy brings and realizes through GraceWins. He also brings to GraceWins a unique blend of skills earned through his diverse academic [PMP, MBA (Ivey), Post Grad – Communications (NMIMS), Electronics Engineering (MIT, Manipal)] and professional [Mental Health Peer Support, Healthcare Sales & Marketing, Project Management, Corporate Communications] experiences. And bold, maverick passion for the work @GraceWins.
Talea O'Reggio
Tanya Brennan
Tanya is exceptional in her ability to connect with the most marginalized and vulnerable among us – the homeless, those struggling with addictions and mental illness. She works with them hands-on daily. Tanya’s exceptional ability has been hard won through her own lived experience with trauma, addictions, mental illness, loss and tragedy. She is a hard worker who believes that everyone deserves chances in life. She brings boundless energy, empathy and loving support to those she works with, striving hard for their successes. Because their successes are her successes.Â
Zachary Cassidy
Zach is our marketing manager, handling, social media, communication, and some internal operations. He holds a deep passion for seeing others succeed. He is devoting his efforts and knowledge to projects that mean something. While working through his degree at Ontario Tech, he realized he wanted to do good with his abilities, and support organizations trying to better our world. His ability to produce promotional material, analyse data, and build future project plans will help GraceWins grow into an organization that matches the passion and drive of the rest of our team.
