Message from ICF Toronto Chapter President, Alicia Saint
(2022–2023)
May 2022
I am so excited to share that ICF Toronto has, once again, won the ICF Global 2021 Chapter Recognition Award. ICF Toronto was recognized for Innovation, specifically:
- our successful conference in 2021 with strong sponsorship, led by Robin Mahadeva and her committee, as well as many Board members;
- our ICW program, led by Gaby Cameto and her committee, with 14 non-profits and 150 people participating;
- our innovative membership campaign led by Jenny Barkan and her committee.
A big hello and welcome to our new members of ICF Toronto! One of our goals as a Board this year is to deepen our sense of connection and belonging, so we are excited to introduce this new segment in our newsletter to help us get to know our newest members. Thank you to Jenny Barkan and her Membership Engagement Committee; Donna Needs, Lori Kiser, Kinda Adra and Kris Amaral, for making this part of our “welcome kit”.
Happy International Coaching Week, May 16-20. Our theme this year is “Reimagine the Future”. During this annual celebration, ICF Toronto joins chapters from around the world to educate the public about the value of working with a professional coach. Thank you to Gaby Cameto and her committee for organizing this event, and to all the coaches who signed up to provide pro bono coaching to non-profits in our community. Please “like,” “love,” “comment,” and “share” to help engagement for our events at https://twitter.com/ICFToronto. Share how you are celebrating the power and impact of coaching this week.
Also, please join our free webinar, in partnership with the ICF Global Foundation, "Code Red Opportunity: The Why and How of Climate and Coaching" on May 18. Coaching can change the world. This is an important place for us to participate and help make a difference!
Do you love Social Media? We are looking for a volunteer who has expertise in design and technical skills for posting to our multiple ICF social media channels to join our Marketing Committee. If you are interested in volunteering, please submit your volunteer form through the ICF website.
April 2022
Happy Spring! The birds are chirping and the daffodils are popping up - hope this is putting a bit of a “spring” in your step.
Welcome to all our new members. Our ICF Toronto community is growing - we currently have over 1200 members, and that’s 25% more than last year!
Welcome Lisa MacVicar who is joining the Board as EDI Director. Lisa was a member of ICF Toronto’s EDI Strategy Formulation Team. Lisa will be leading with a new member of our Chapter, Terri Donohue. Both bring deep professional and personal experience to this role.
Congratulations to all our ICF Toronto Award Winners. Each one of our winners are amazing! A special shout-out to Adria Trowhill who won our Lifetime Achievement Award.
Once again this month our Board and volunteers are hard at work bringing you all kinds of great events! For Programming, we have world-class speakers joining us to provide our community with leading-edge learning and a Team Coaching series! Thank you to everyone who completed the survey - you let us know the topics that are most important to you.
International Coaching Week (ICW) is May 16-22 and Gaby Cameto, our ICW lead, is lining up a great program! We invite non-profit organizations to sign-up for pro bono coaching during ICW. Jenny Barkan is leading a program to “Support the Ukraine.” If you know an organization that is supporting the Ukrainian crisis or want to provide pro bono coaching, please contact jenny@icftoronto.com.
We have a thriving community - let’s get to know one another and share! Follow us on social media, or drop me a note at alicia@icftoronto.com or feel free to contact any of the Board members.
March 2022
Hello ICF Toronto community!
I am honoured and excited to serve as your new President of this trailblazing, award-winning Chapter, as of March 1st, 2022. I am so grateful to my predecessor Jane Graydon for her impactful leadership over this last year, and thrilled that she will remain on the Board to support us in the “Past President” role. Thank you to the Board members who are stepping down, Barb Rosen Schreiber, Jalyn Anderson and Robin Mahadeva, for your dedication and outstanding contribution to the Board and our community.
A BIG welcome to our newest Board members, Ralph Cochrane, Jatin Sanghavi and Leslie Shank. We look forward to their fresh perspective and expertise. I look forward to working with our new 2022 Board to continue to grow our thriving Chapter. Each one of our Board members are committed, talented and passionate leaders.
Come join us for the ICF Toronto 2022 Awards Gala on March 31st. Celebrate the ICF Toronto coaches and local organizations that are accomplishing great things through coaching in our community. Join our guest speaker, Dr. Towanna Burrous, founder of CoachDiversity, and stay for the after-party!
Interested in Team Coaching? Register for our upcoming series on this hot topic!
International Coaching Week is fast approaching, if you’d like to help out, we’d love to have you!
Check out choice magazine article on ICF Toronto’s conference and don’t forget, as an ICF member you can get a subscription discount.
We are also very excited to announce a newly created Board position, Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. This person will lead a team to implement EDI committee recommendations. Through action, our vision is to create a diverse and inclusive ICF Toronto Chapter that embodies a community of belonging. Please consider volunteering for this important position.
Overshadowing all else, is the Russian military invasion of Ukraine and its implications for peace and progress in the world. As this terrible invasion has unfolded, so too has a devastating humanitarian crisis. As the world watches on TVs and smartphones, if you’re like me, you might feel rather helpless. There are many reputable organizations that are helping and asking for assistance, including some mentioned here, for your consideration: https://www.charityintelligence.ca/research-and-news/ci-views/31-disaster-response/707-ukraine-how-to-help.
I look forward to supporting you this year. You are always welcome to contact me or any Board member with questions and ideas. We appreciate your input and feedback!