VegOttawa Seeking New Board Members!

VegOttawa is committed to raising awareness and providing resources for vegans and transitioning vegans throughout their journey to improving personal health, protecting the environment and ending animal exploitation. However, we can only do this with the help of volunteers. As a non-profit we are operated entirely by a team of dedicated board members, advisors and volunteers who generously donate their time to our organization. VegOttawa Association is looking to find a Vice President & Treasurer for our board!


As a volunteer board member you will gain valuable experience, meet like-minded people, and support VegOttawa’s work to promote plant-based lifestyles in the Ottawa area! This is a great opportunity for Ottawa residents who are passionate about growing veganism in the nation’s capital. No experience is necessary and, although Board Members are expected to be dependable and have enough time to contribute, the specific time commitment can vary depending on your own availability. On average our board volunteers between 2-5 hours per week.

The ideal candidates should:

  • be able to commit to a one-year term as director
  • be living a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle
  • be able to volunteer approx. 2-5 hours per week
  • be able to attend the majority of the VegOttawa’s monthly meetings with other Board Members (time mutually decided on by all board members) and respond to e-mails in a timely manner

Vice-President Role Description:

  • monitor email and reply to inquiries in a prompt manner;
  • acts as the President in his or her absence;
  • is responsible for coordination of the Volunteer Committee including overseeing the social media team (including reviewing strategy, goals & content calendar);
  • and assists president in creating strategic development campaigns.

Treasurer Role Description:

  • monitor treasurer email and reply to inquiries in a prompt manner;
  • oversees the finances and budget of the Association;
  • keeps full and accurate accounting records of all receipts and disbursements;
  • under the direction of the Board, controls the deposit of money, the safekeeping of securities and the disbursement of the funds of the Association; 
  • renders to the Board an account of all transactions and of the financial position of the Association upon request by the Board; 
  • prepares or ensures that the Annual Financial Statement is prepared in accordance with applicable laws; and
  • liaises with an Auditor if required.

If you are interested in joining the VOA board, please email us at vegottawa@gmail.com with a copy of your resume!


Notice: As per the VegOttawa Association non-profit bylaws, board members must be a member in good standing of VegOttawa Association. Membership is $20 and is considered a financial investment in the organization. Previous membership not a necessity and purchasing a membership will only be required by the selected candidate.

AGM 2021 ELECTION RESULTS

Thank you to all who attended our 11th Annual General Meeting. This year was the first year the Association held it’s AGM via ZOOM. We reviewed our accomplishments and sponsored events of 2020 and held our annual election welcoming a new volunteer board of directors.

We would like to send a huge thank you to exiting board directors, Mark Petersen, Susan Macfarlane, Adam Nephin, Dean Tester, and Marie-Pierre Theoret-Pilon for all of their hard work and time committed towards furthering the organization’s progress.

Your 2021 VegOttawa Association Board of Directors:

NADIA MOHABIR
Director | President

KAREN FAIRHOLM
Director | Vice President

NATHALIE C. HOULE
Director | Secretary

DAVID EDELSTEIN
Director | Treasurer

DEE CAMPBELL
Director | Membership Coordinator

EMILY MANUEL
Director | Social Media

2020 ACCOMPLISHMENTS & EVENTS REVIEWED AT THE AGM

  • Sponsored IVFF (International Vegan Film Festival) screening of 4 short films at Copper Branch Barrhaven.
  • Hosted Dr. Greger speaking tour, “How Not To Diet” @Algonquin Commons Theatre | March 9
  • Member Draws! Gave away gift cards to some of our favorite local plant-based businesses including SaaboonCopper BranchCinnaholicGabrielle Peterka Hair Co.The Table
  • Donation to Feline Cafe gofundme | COVID help
  • Donation to Chickpeas ‘Pay It Forward’ providing 25 meals to health care workers | COVID help
  • Donation to NutritionFacts.org (VegOttawa Association added to supporter wall as “Champions”
  • Sponsored IVFF event – We Animals Media screening of 5 short films with live Q&A (J. McArthur, K. Guerin)
  • Sponsored IVFF Virtual Festival 2020| Over 25 vegan-themed films shown
  • Melanie Boudens online cooking class | Pass giveaway to lucky VegOttawa members
  • Sara Galipeau online Meal Prep workshop | Pass giveaway to lucky VegOttawa members
  • Holiday Prize basket giveaway x 3 | vegan items and gift cards valued at $250+
  • Donated 300 Tofurky roasts to fulfill Ottawa Food Bank request for people in need of plant based holiday meals
  • Zengarry Veganuary recipe ebook & product discount provided to VegOttawa members
  • Melanie Boudens online cooking class #2 | Pass giveaway to lucky VegOttawa members
  • Added Ottawa Vegan & Vegan Friendly Business Directory to website
  • Added Vegan Transition help page to website
  • Added new discount offerings: Sea Glass Films & PhotographyGabrielle Peterka Hair Salon, Hippie MylkVan Tran PhotographyWuxly Movement (increased discount from 10% to 20%)

On behalf of the organization, thank you to all association members for your continued support. We can’t wait to see you all live and in person sooner than later.


VOA TEAM

Join the NCVA’s Board of Directors!

With the National Capital Vegetarian Association’s Annual General Meeting coming up this Fall, we are looking for volunteers to join our Board of Directors. If you are interested in promoting and sharing the vegan lifestyle with others in the Ottawa-Gatineau area, why not apply?

No experience is necessary—just a desire to promote a vegan lifestyle and help foster a vegan/vegetarian community in Ottawa, and, although Board Members are expected to be dependable and have enough time to contribute, the specific time commitment can vary depending on your own availability.

We are currently looking for volunteers to fill the following positions: Treasurer, Volunteer Co-ordinator (the Volunteer Co-ordinator could be a general volunteer or a Board Member), and other Board Members. The NCVA needs people to join the Board of Directors in order to keep the organization running, so please don’t hesitate to ask e-mail us with your questions about these positions should you have any.

The ideal candidate should:

  • be living a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle
  • become a member of the NCVA (if you aren’t already) (membership costs $20/year and has many benefits)
  • be passionate about sharing a plant-based lifestyle with others, promoting a plant-based lifestyle, and increasing the accessibility of vegan food in the Ottawa community
  • be able to attend the majority of the NCVA’s monthly meetings with other Board Members (usually the meetings take place on one Sunday evening per month) and respond to e-mails in a timely manner
  • be able to take on various NCVA-related tasks (which will vary depending on the Board Member’s specific position, interests, and availability)

The NCVA holds potlucks and events, has an active Facebook group, and offers memberships that allow our members to receive discounts at certain businesses around Ottawa. We aim to make a vegan lifestyle more accessible for those in the Ottawa area.

Volunteering as a Board Member gives you the opportunity to have a say in the direction that the NCVA takes in coming years—and it also looks great on your resume!

If you are interested, please contact us via Facebook or send us an e-mail.

2016-2017 NCVA Board of Directors

Earlier this summer, the NCVA held its Annual General Meeting (AGM), and the members who attended elected the new  volunteer Board of Directors. The Board Members for the 2016-2017 year are the following:

Dale (President)

Dale was born and raised in Ottawa where she is currently working as a Realtor.  She is formally trained as a Registered Nurse, and has a BScN from the University of Ottawa. Dale loves promoting a plant-based lifestyle for ethical, environmental and health reasons. She enjoys volunteering with the NVCA and training for triathlon during her spare time. 
 
Dale

Carolyn (Vice-President)

Carolyn is an artist, writer, and vegan activist in Ottawa, Ontario. She loves all animals, and has been an ethical vegan since 2010. She has been blogging about animal rights and veganism for several years, and has recently become more involved in other forms of advocacy. In addition to advocating for the rights of animals, Carolyn spends her time studying, writing, drawing, volunteering, and playing the piano, among other things.

Carolyn
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Josée (Membership Coordinator)

Josée is originally from Sudbury ON, and moved to Ottawa in the spring of 2013 after graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce. She became a vegetarian in her teens for 10 years, and has been a vegan since the fall of 2012. Passionate about sharing the lifestyle, she blogs about veganism on multiple websites and volunteers with the NCVA.

Josee

 

Gwen (Treasurer)

Gwen Hughes was born and raised in Ottawa. She has been vegan for 8 years. She is currently completing the Business Administration – Accounting program at Algonquin College. Growing up with houses full of cats, dogs, and pigeons, Gwen developed an early love for animals of all kinds. She loves cooking, eating, reading, and spreadsheets.

Gwen

 

Melanie (Secretary)

Melanie is a registered massage therapist who has done a few kinds of vegan/vegetarian outreach. She also has experience in animal fostering. She would like to invite all vegetarians and vegans of the National Capital Region to join the NCVA so we can become a stronger organization. We don’t have staff, so volunteerism is the heart of the NCVA. If you would like to volunteer, please get in touch with us. Melanie has a keen interest in promoting economic development of vegan food businesses and hopes to make this a priority during her elected term.

Melanie

 

Robb

Robb has been involved in environmental advocacy for nearly a decade. He wanted to get involved in the NCVA after learning more about the interconnections between animal rights and social and environmental justice. He has experience in non-profit management, political advocacy, fundraising and community organizing. Robb spends his time volunteering, cooking great vegan food and recording music.
 Robb
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In addition, our new Honorary Board Member is Registered Dietitian Susan McFarlane.
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The board members’ bios and e-mail addresses can also be found at https://ncva.ca/about/board-members/ .