President's
message

EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE

History of
QAAP

 



Kathleen S. Benakoun
President

I am a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) working part time for the Alzheimer Society of Montreal at the Lachine Activity Center, as well as for the Active Minds In-Home Respite Program. Additionally, I work in the Recreation Department at the Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital in Laval. I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree from Concordia University, with a specialization in Therapeutic Recreation. I have been working in the field of Recreation Therapy for over 15 years with persons of various ages and disabilities, in Canada and the United States. I strive to encourage and motivate my clients and patients to actively participate in self-fulfilling leisure activities on a daily basis. As a member of QAAP since its first year of inception, I continue to be a strong enthusiast for this organization’s significance as a guidance and support system for those of us working in the helping profession using leisure activities to promote the overall well-being of our clients. As QAAP’s President, I feel confident that I will preserve the organization’s objectives, and look forward to work alongside the executive team to re-establish frequent regular meetings, enhance QAAP’s networking system and on-going support of all its members and students.  I am a highly motivated person with excellent interpersonal skills. Along with a strong work ethic and proficiency in organization, I anticipate conveying new ideas to the executive committee of QAAP, while maintaining its vision. Feel free to contact me at qaaprequests@hotmail.com

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Marian Scully
Vice President

Hello fellow QAAP members, I have met many of you before but for those of you who don’t know me that well, here is little bit about me.  I graduated from Concordia University in Therapeutic Recreation in 2000 and since then have had a variety of work and volunteer experience. For my internship I traveled to Maryland, USA to work with an organization called Alternatives for Youth and Families, dealing with children and teens in foster care or who had a DSM diagnosis. Upon my return, I worked in the recreation department at the Veterans Hospital in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue with seniors. My next challenge was going to the Ivory Coast to work with refugees from Liberia and Sierra Leone in health and sport programs. I later worked for the Alzheimer’s Society at the Saturday day centers and then headed west to work at an Easter Seals camp in Kananaskis, Alberta, working with adults and children with developmental or physical disabilities.  Currently I am working for the Town of Montreal West in the recreation department heading up a seniors travel club, special events, community groups, and emergency measures. I wear many hats in this position, gaining more experience every day. I enjoy organizing, multi-tasking and I find it very rewarding to work in the field of recreation and to be part of the action. 

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Jenny Biernat
Membership Coordinator

I began my working career with Domtar Inc. as secretary and completed my 22 years as Property Systems Administrator where one of my responsibilities was the collection of data and statistics and the importance of organization.
I needed a career change and was drawn to the world of seniors, I completed courses in Gerontology with Marie Victorin College and completed a program with The Association of Remotivation Therapists of Canada.  In the start of my 16 year career in Recreation with Seniors I joined the Association of Activity Professionals. 

I had been extremely fortunate in becoming a member of QAAP since its early beginnings and as the Association expanded and improved I know that I have also been able to improve my skills and knowledge of helping people who have a need.  The information and knowledge gained through attending meetings, conferences, workshops and networking with members has become an unbelievable resource for me.  

My early experiences will definitely enable me to use my aptitude for collecting data and therefore aid me in my role as Membership Coordinator.

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Constantina Stathopoulos
Treasurer

My name is Tina and I am the Treasurer for QAAP. My studies were completed at Concordia University, Specialization in Therapeutic Recreation in 2007. Throughout my studies, I learnt that building friendship is an important factor when working in a team. I joined QAAP as a student to be part of a larger and diverse team. The general meetings offered support for me during my transition as student to a professional. I decided to do more for the association: I joined the 2007 workshop committee. In 2008, I join the executive committee.  QAAP’s meetings and workshops provided me with tools in enrich the activities I provide as a leisure technician in a public residence.

As Treasurer, my responsibilities are to monitor the budget and possibly investment the monies. Also, to ensure that financial policies are being followed. Finally, I will oversee all financial transactions, then report expenses and balance at each meeting.

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Helen-Anne Chehab
Executive Secretary

Hello everyone, as you may know me, I am the executive secretary. I graduated in Therapeutic recreation at Concordia University. I am a proud QAAP member for 4 years. Here is a little description of me, to begin, I worked as a lifeguard and swimming instructor for 11 years. I then completed my internships in Therapeutic Recreation at the MUHC hospitals. I also work for the Alzheimer society of Montreal, Active Minds and now at the Griffith McConnell residence in therapeutic recreation. My job experience has taught me to perform secretarial related duties, such as administrative tasks (documenting, attending meetings and completing reports) as well as working in a dynamic team. My background is diverse, which is why I believe I could contribute well to QAAP association. As your secretary, I want to advocate for our colleagues by recruiting more future QAAP members from CEGEPs and Universities in order to continue to grow stronger.

hchehab@qaap-aqpl.com

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Public Relations Coordinator
Vacant

 


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