Community
I began volunteering in the community as a young adult. My early volunteer work included weekly visits with a senior and a year with Victoria Hospice. I became a Big Sister for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Victoria in 1994 and my sister and I continue our close connection. When The Allegra Singers performed at seniors centres, I led the group without receiving an honorarium.
Mental Health Advocacy
In 2018, my then 18-year-old and I went to speak with Minister Darcy about the gaps in the mental health system and their impacts. We were part of a stakeholder engagement process to help inform her 2019 document: A Pathway to Hope. The meeting was facilitated by Minister Dean, who was our MLA at the time.
My most recent work with mental health advocacy has included Island Health and its efforts to improve the delivery of acute mental health services. The work began in 2021 and was called The PES Revitalization Project.
Once this project was completed, a mechanism through which we could track the efficacy of the improvements and monitor their implementation was created. This mechanism has turned into an advisory board called Promoting Improvements in Psychiatric Emergency Services (PIPES).
My work has involved patient-centred research addressing determinants of health. We had the opportunity to present our model of engagement at the Putting Patients First Conference in Vancouver, where I attended as a co-presenter.
“Jennifer possesses both a methodical approach to synthesizing complex information and a passion to making improvements. She is a pleasure to work alongside in this challenging field!”
- Clara Rubincam, PhD
Island Health
Literacy Project
I am currently a representative of The City of Colwood as a member of the Sooke and Westshore Region Literacy Project. My work in this role includes helping make decisions about using municipal funds related to literacy goals in the region and helping to define and execute the project’s goals.
We held our annual Literacy Week event on January 25, 2025. I worked with Literacy Outreach Coordinator, Ren Louie, to create a presentation with three story tellers. This event was treated as a foundational opportunity for the group, which is wanting to rebuild after the pandemic. I established relationships and timelines for both the project as a whole and for the event itself.
Ren and me at the Literacy Week event.
“Working with Jennifer has been an amazing experience. She leads with passion, close attention to detail and a desire to maximize every opportunity. Her empathic approach is one that can easily be admired.”
- Ren Louie
This stone can be found in Esquimalt’s Memorial Park.
Township of Esquimalt
I was Vice Chair of the Parks & Recreation Commission/Committee from 2006 to 2008. As Vice Chair I followed Council’s direction to implement programs related to municipal parks, recreation centres, ice rinks and community events. I was instrumental in creating a playgrounds review committee to emphasize regular maintenance of play spaces and I was a successful advocate for children in the community.
I was also Vice Chair of the Centennial Celebrations Select Committee from 2009 to 2010 and helped with the initial planning of Esquimalt’s 100th Anniversary Celebration. My work with the committee ended because I moved to a different community.
“To try and sum up my adoration for Jen feels nearly impossible. I met Jen when I was 10 years old through the Big Brothers Big Sisters Association. When the big brothers or sisters sign up for this program you are meant to provide mentorship to a child or adolescent through volunteer work. Jen surpassed this role and took it beyond what I could have imagined. Throughout my youth, young adulthood, and even to this day, Jen has been not only a mentor to me, but my big sister, best friend, and mother. This is just who Jen is. She puts all her efforts and love into whatever she sets her mind to. She is intelligent, compassionate, creative and dedicated. Anyone who has the pleasure of being in Jen’s life, is truly better off for it.”
- Kyla LaBonte
Kyla and me at her wedding in 2022.