We're Here to Help.

Eryn Dewald is a mom to four incredible humans and a Grandma to Kayce. She is a connector, a community builder and coach. Eryn loves to help people reach their full potential.

We all have a natural gift or talent. One special gift we can call our own. For her, this special gift is inspiring others, helping them find their way and make connections and course corrections that count. Inherently, there must be an understanding about many industries and skills. The inference is not that one must be talented at all of these industries, but it does imply an understanding of systems. Throughout her story she has felt the most joy from this gift.  From her interminable desire for life-long learning and completing a Masters Degree in Leadership to her ongoing commitment to volunteer work, to various experiences in assisting others to find their potential-she is at home inspiring greatness.

Eryn’s strategic thinking and coaching background bring a unique set of skills to the Children’s Link. She is excited to support the team, clients and stakeholders in continuing and further developing resources and supports to ensure we have communities where people are informed, supported, and valued. Eryn gets excited about social innovation and a creative approach to serving community.

Susan Cortes has had the privilege of working for The Children’s Link Society in various capacities for many years. In 1997, she was blessed with the birth of her beautiful daughter. She came into this world with a lovely spark for life, as well as high and complex needs. Raising her daughter has given Susan a lot of insight into the issues families face on a daily basis as they bring up children with special needs. Susan’s daughter, Alacia, earned her Angel Wings in 2017. Susan is also the mother to a wonderful son.

At The Children’s Link Society, Susan works hard to empower families to access resources of which they may not be aware of. She also supports families in building connections and networking to help prevent isolation and to stay mentally healthy.

Believe in your child because your child is a gift.

Yasmin began working at The Children’s Link Society as a Family Link Liaison in February 2020. She is a mom to two beautiful kids, and the older one has Autism. She can relate to many families that we are supporting at our organization as she faced these two challenging situations simultaneously: being a new resident of Canada and having a child with a disability, which gives her an insight into how to serve individuals and families who are going through the same journey. She also used to volunteer at The Calgary Bridge Foundation for Youth as a Reception Centre Ambassador which helped her gaining proficient cultural competence and having a positive perception of other cultures to create a safe and respectful space for our families to express their own culture and viewpoints.

At The Children’s Link Society, Yasmin loves to help develop and cultivate relationships with parents and caregivers and help them navigate the various systems that they may be trying to access. In her spare time, she enjoys biking, hiking and reading novels.

Mikaela Johnson began working at The Children’s Link Society as a Technology & Design Intern in November 2019 and currently holds the position of Communications and Community Engagement Coordinator. Mikaela graduated with a Bachelor of Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies in April 2019 and shortly after, began as an intern at CLS, supporting with technology & design, coffee socials, and starting an online newsletter for the organization. After completing her internship, Mikaela couldn’t help but to stay with the wonderful organization and team that Children’s Link is!

Mikaela brings knowledge from her degree, practicums, and her experience and love of supporting children, youth, and adults with disabilities, particularly youth with autism. Mikaela previously worked at the Autism Asperger’s Friendship Society of Calgary (AAFS) and has worked alongside families as a community support worker. In her spare time, Mikaela enjoys getting out into nature, vegetarian cooking, volunteering, and traveling.

Chantel Algadzis joined Children’s Link in October 2020 as a member of the Transition Services team.  Chantel is passionate in supporting our families through a natural, person-centred approach ensuring resources are accessed for a young person to transition into adulthood within the community.

As an active volunteer within her communities, Chantel assisted local organizations in Honduras to support woman, youth and children living with HIV.  With a focus to reduce transmission, Chantel supported community education for maternal health and empowered woman to choose healthier living for themselves and their children.  Building bridges for families, Chantel provided a loving and safe environment for children through periods of transition with families.

Chantel continues to support the water polo community through volunteer efforts ensuring equality, safety and accessibility for all athletes within the community.  Her ability to manage complex situations has led to success as Team Liaison, Vice President and President of the Prairie Dolphins Water Polo Club.

With 20 years of experience in the private sector, Chantel has a diverse background in business.  Her business acumen and philanthropic approach empower Chantel to build meaningful relationships with the families we support at Children’s Link.

Danika is currently working as the Administrative and Systems Support at the Children’s Link Society. Danika has completed her Disability Studies Diploma at Bow Valley College and is currently in the process of completing her Degree at the University of Lethbridge. Living with a brother with a disability has inspired Danika to pursue a career in the disability community to find resources and services that would benefit her brother and the community. Danika started off working at CLS through a summer program and loved the work and agency so much that she decided to stay at the agency after completing her program.

Katie Dodd is our Director of Relationships and Partnerships. She has a Bachelor of Psychology, experience working as a Special Education Assistant and 10 years experience working in the non profit sector.

Katie is the proud mom to two kiddos, her six-year-old daughter and her four year old son. Katie loves being surrounded by family and friends, running and being in nature. She also enjoys volunteering at her children’s schools and her daughter’s Girl Guide chapter.

Katie believes that no one in our communities should ever be left behind or experience unjust disadvantages. She cares deeply about equity and social justice and is looking forward to supporting Children’s Link in their efforts to ensure every family in Alberta that is impacted by a disability is finding the help they need to succeed in our communities.

Tami joins The Children’s Link Society as independent bookkeeper with over 25 years professional experience providing accounting and payroll services to corporations across the Canada.

Derek Deacon-Rogers is a Social Entrepreneur who believes in the power of business for good. He knows that we can use ingenuity to design and operate businesses that have a positive impact on our planet, our neighbours and our pocketbooks. As the founder of GenerousSolutions, Derek created a barrier-free ticketing and registration platform that has raised millions of dollars for local Nonprofits. As a volunteer Board member, he has helped multiple Nonprofits digitizatize their services – helping them become social enterprises, to start earning revenue and reduce their dependence on government grants.

As an individual living with a disability, Sean has personally taken it upon himself to do what he can in support of creating and promoting a more inclusive society for us all to live in and contribute towards. Currently, he voluntarily sits on three Not-For-Profit Boards, as well as sits on three additional committees, (including the Access Design committee with the City of Calgary). He founded and runs a business that actively contributes to ensuring a higher level of accessibility is implemented in the design and construction of spaces.

Providing recommendations that currently surpass any design standards existing in Canada today, his business has strategic partnerships with over 40 Not-For-Profit organizations across Canada and has personally discussed this subject matter on platforms such as; CBC, Global TV, CTV, the Calgary Herald, and LiveWire magazine. This is just a snapshot of things he has done and continues to do in support of his community.

Courtney McVie strongly believes in the importance of post-secondary education and has worked as Executive Director in the Office of the Provost at the University of Calgary since 2013. Previously she worked as a senior political staffer in the Alberta Legislature, working for the Minister of Health & Wellness, Energy, and then Finance. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Calgary and a Master of Arts in Communication and Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University. Courtney is passionate about volunteering and joined the Children’s Link board in September 2020, some of her previous volunteer roles include chairing the Calgary Chamber of Commerce Municipal Directions Committee and serving as editor of her community newsletter for five years.

Sanjul Vaish has over 3 years of experience in public accounting and in the not-for-profit sector.  She is excited to lend her knowledge to Children’s Link Board as the Treasurer and believes greatly in the services and assistance provided by the Society.

Adam is a finance executive with over 20 years of professional experience, most recently serving as the CFO of a Canadian based biotech company. Adam has worked with large cap Forbes 2000 public companies as well as private enterprises.

Adam’s true passion is leading transformational change and building and inspiring high performing teams. He has a proven track record of success, leading teams to deliver results through his ability to foster a culture of trust, accountability, inclusion and respect. One of Adam’s core strengths is his ability to solve complex organizational challenges. This strength derives from an inquisitive and creative mindset coupled with strong technical expertise and experience.

Based out of Calgary, Alberta, Adam has worked across a number of industries and sectors including agriculture and chemicals, manufacturing, retail, life sciences and biotech. In addition to serving on the Board of Children’s Link, Adam also serves on the Board of Directors of Easter Seals Alberta.