PWRDF Honorary Associates

Dr. Hugh Chambers (deceased)

Dr. Hugh Chambers began volunteering at PWRDF in 1997 and due to his qualifications as a retired physician, a specific job description was drawn up. Anglicans in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan wanted to see their provincial governments support overseas development. Accessing the funding was labour intensive because of the criteria and funding formula. The subsequent reporting was detailed and required a high level of program understanding. Hugh took over this work updating and streamlining the process in exemplary fashion for over 10 years. He was also an important part of a focus group on the incorporation of PWRDF and served on a panel to establish the guidelines when the Diocese of Toronto and PWRDF working together on fundraising through FaithWorks.

The Rt. Reverend William Cliff

The Rt. Reverend William Cliff was born and educated in Wyoming and Petrolia, Ontario. He was ordained deacon and priest in 1992 and served in the Diocese of Huron, and then ordained Bishop of the Diocese of Brandon in 2016. Bishop Bill is a pastor, musician and liturgist. As a member of “The Three Cantors,” Bishop Bill traveled internationally singing concerts for international development and hunger relief. The concerts and four CDs raised more than $1,000,000 for PWRDF’s Huron Hunger Fund. Bishop Bill spends time supporting youth programming and working to enrich the worship life of the Church. He is committed to an open dialogue which respects all people and an inviting spirituality firmly planted in the Anglican tradition. He has and continues to chair and to participate in various committees including Council of the North, Anglican Journal Coordinating Committee and the General Synod Pension Plan.

Janet Dench

Janet is proud to have served as the President of the PWRDF Board of Directors from 2002 to 2004, having previously served on the national committee (before there was a board). In 2012 she was a member of a nine-person delegation visiting PWRDF partner the Organization for Eelam Refugees Rehabilitation (OfERR) in India and Sri Lanka. She has served for many years as Executive Director of the Canadian Council for Refugees, where she works for policies and programs that respect refugee rights and welcome newcomers to Canada. She worships at Christ Church Cathedral in Montreal. She is happiest riding on a bicycle.

Jane Dittrich

Jane was born in Inuvik, NWT, and is the youngest child of the Reverend Douglas Dittrich. She grew up in Vancouver and is a long-time parishioner of Christ Church Cathedral where she is involved at many levels of Cathedral life. She volunteered throughout the General Synod in Vancouver in 2019, and had an opportunity to meet many new people who are involved with PWRDF. Jane participates in the work of PWRDF by cycling and raising money in the annual Wild Ride campaign (formerly Ride For Refuge). She also covers the event for the Diocesan communications department, encouraging others to participate. She has attended various Mapping the Ground We Stand On workshops, both as a participant and as a reporter, to bring attention to the varied and invaluable work of PWRDF. Jane is very honoured to be a bishop’s nominee to the Order of the Diocese of New Westminster, to be invested into the order in November 2022.

Frank and Honor Dominie

Frank and Honor of Botwood, Newfoundland, have a passion for PWRDF. Frank, a high school teacher, became a parish representative in 1981 and diocesan representative for Central Newfoundland in 1983, with Honor as his co-representative. They travelled to churches and parish halls, showing slides, giving sermons and answering questions. They prepared services with appropriate prayers and hymns and sent them to parish representatives for use on PWRDF Sundays. In 1993 Frank agreed to a three-year term on the PWRDF National Committee. In 1994 the couple travelled to Tanzania to see partners’ work. Frank resigned as a diocesan representative in 1998 but to this day the Dominies continue to support PWRDF, raise its profile and spread the word of its ministry.

Joyce Ellman

Joyce was a weekly volunteer in the PWRDF office in Toronto for many years. She worked on the Offering Envelope Program keeping track of orders from parishes and inputting these into the PWRDF database. When a new software system was introduced, she helped with this transition ensuring that files were kept up-to-date and organized. Joyce mailed out donor receipts and was indispensible during extremely busy times. Joyce’s commitment to the work of PWRDF was an inspiration to staff who relied on her humour and ability to take on a variety of tasks. Joyce currently lives in a retirement home near her family.

Adele Finney

On her return from Malaysia in 1987, where she accompanied her husband Gordon to Seminari Theoloji Malaysia as a Partner in Mission, Adele joined the Partners in Mission Committee of the Anglican Church of Canada. She then liaised with the PWRDF Committee for five years. She returned to PWRDF in 1997 to fill in for the first of three maternity leaves, and eventually became Executive Director in January 2011, retiring in May 2016. Now living in North Vancouver, on the unceded lands of the Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish Peoples, she is part of the truth and reconciliation work of the Diocese of New Westminster and at Christ Church Cathedral.

Jane Fyles

Jane Fyles first joined PWRDF to help raise awareness of the refugee crisis in Latin America during the 1980s and was actively involved for more than 10 years, both in the Diocese of Ottawa and nationally. Jane chaired the diocesan committee and supported this group to be very present in parishes across the diocese and at Synod, outreach workshops and other events. She served as Secretary on PWRDF’s national board and visited PWRDF projects in Northern B.C., the Gambia, Ghana and Mexico. Jane graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1947 with a BA in Education and applied her teaching and communication skills to her work with PWRDF both at home and abroad. She believed in the power of storytelling about the lives of real people to mobilize Anglicans to care about and support the Primate Fund’s social justice agenda.

Peter Goodwin

Peter Goodwin lives in North Vancouver, the traditional territory of the Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, and Musqueam First Nations. He has lived both in metropolitan Vancouver and Toronto where he obtained degrees from York University and the University of Toronto. He is a retired social worker having worked 30 years in Child Welfare and Child and Adult Community Living. Peter is a lifelong Anglican and has been attending St. James Anglican Church Vancouver since 1984. Believing strongly in putting faith into action, he has been a member of the PWRDF Diocesan Unit for the Diocese of New Westminster since the early 1990s and was chair of the unit and Diocesan Representative from 2006 until 2019. He visited PWRDF partner programs in South Africa and Cuba and was a member of the PWRDF Food Security Delegation to Cuba in 2015. His interests include photography and cross country skiing.

Klaus Gruber

Klaus was born in a refugee camp in Germany and was eight months old when his family made it to Canada. He graduated with a BA in psychology and a Masters of Social Work. He has been a social worker for more than 50 years and was the executive director at Family Service Saskatoon and the Executive Director of the Saskatoon Association of Social Workers. Klaus and his wife Margie were leaders of outreach programs and social justice issues in their church and have had many refugees living with them and been involved in dozens of sponsorships. He was the volunteer refugee coordinator for the Diocese of Saskatoon for more than 20 years. Among the many honours bestowed, Klaus received the Anglican Award of Merit in 2007 and was a member of the PWRDF Board of Directors. He travelled to Kenyan refugee camps and was a delegate on a trip to Colombia to support victims of violence.

Denise Hambidge

Denise’s interest in PWRDF came out of her experience in Tanzania with her husband Douglas as volunteers in mission. She returned to Canada and became a member of the PWRDF diocesan unit in the Diocese of New Westminster in British Columbia. This resulted in a nomination to the PWRDF Board of Directors where she served for six years. In 2009 Denise represented the Board at the Asia-Pacific Roundtable in Bangladesh, which led to sharing the work of PWRDF further with the people of New Westminster and the broader Church through an article describing the lives of boys aged 7-15 who had left home because of abuse, neglect or abandonment. She described the difficult circumstances faced by the children, but also the life changing work of the PWRDF supported Drop-in Centre. This involvement has captured her interest throughout the years and she continues to spread the word of the work and the mission of PWRDF.

Sue Heenan

Susan has served as PWRDF Parish Representative for St. John the Evangelist in Middle Sackville for 20 years. She has kept PWRDF in the minds and hearts of parishioners through PWRDF updates to the parish website, promoting PWRDF’s Offering Envelope Program and sharing the PWRDF SuperFriends! comic books with children in the parish. Sue has been an ardent fundraiser and for several years has held a variety show to raise funds for PWRDF. As a former businesswoman, she has been able to gather musicians, choirs, a belly dancer and a magician among others to this event with the support from the greater community, spreading the good work of PWRDF beyond the parish. Her energy and enthusiasm are contagious, inspiring others to become engaged. Given her devotion to PWRDF, Susan is also committed to leaving this important role in capable hands but will always be there to support the work of PWRDF.

Maureen Lawrence

Maureen was born and grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland where she was an assistant lecturer in Home Economics. In 1966 she married Nova Scotian Caleb Lawrence. Maureen and Caleb spent 14 years in Great Whale River on the east coast of Hudson’s Bay. Maureen first became involved with PWRDF during the Biafra Famine Appeal. The Cree and Inuit with whom they lived, having experienced famine, donated more than $1,200 to PWRDF. A former Provincial Commissioner for Girl Guides of Ontario, Maureen has also served on the boards of Timmins and District Hospital, Timmins Museum and Victorian Order of Nurses. She was elected to the PWRDF board in 2009 and completed her term as president. Maureen has visited PWRDF partners in India, Sri Lanka and in the Diocese of Masasi in Tanzania. Now retired, Maureen and Caleb live in Nanaimo, British Columbia.

Chris Longson

Chris has lived in several developing countries and was a Vice President of the Palliser Lodge Strata Council of the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden, B.C. Chris served on the PWRDF Board from 2005 to 2014. During his tenure he chaired the Development Program Committee, the Audit and Risk Management Committee, and was a member of the Executive Committee, Governance Committee and the Partnership Steering Committee. He was also a member of the Strategic Planning Committee that developed the PWRDF Strategic Plan for 2012 to 2015 and a member of the CIDA Discernment Task Group in 2007 that produced a comprehensive final report with 16 recommendations on the future of PWRDF’s relationship with CIDA (now Global Affairs Canada). The implementation of these recommendations resulted in a strengthened relationship with CIDA, and additional institutional funding being secured. During Chris’s time as a board member, his knowledge of issues, ability to empathize with the needs of the most vulnerable, capacity to listen, and his contributions to the discussions were always very sensitive and respectful. His attention to detail and critical analysis was of great value to the board in the sustainability of PWRDF.

Alison Longson

Alison served as a PWRDF Diocesan Representative for the Diocese of Calgary from 2002 to 2021. During that time, Alison hosted a Western Canada Diocesan Representative Gathering in Banff in 2006, and a Western Canada Gathering in Calgary and Siksika First Nation in 2010. She also actively took part in PWRDF’s Food Security campaign, participating in the 2014 Sharing Bread Learning Exchange at the Sorrento Centre, followed by her organization with staff of a Sharing Bread workshop in the Diocese of Calgary in 2015. Together with the late Jan Heath, Alison organized an annual PWRDF Day in with Ten Thousand Villages, Calgary (subsequently Villages, Calgary) in which a percentage of sales were donated to PWRDF. Alison embraced PWRDF’s Partnership for Life campaign in 2006, raising more than $4,000 by organizing a silent auction and keeping HIV and AIDS in the minds and hearts of Anglicans. In May 2011 residents of Slave Lake had to flee for their lives when wildfires blazed through the community destroying hundreds of homes, the town hall, library and government centre. Alison helped bring the Three Tenors to the Cathedral Church of the Redeemer and raised more than $5,000 to help rebuild. A tireless supporter and promoter of PWRDF, Alison regularly spoke in parishes throughout the diocese and organized gatherings of parish representatives annually, including online during the pandemic.

Monica McKay

Monica is from Laxgalts’ap (Greenville), British Columbia, and is a proud member of the Nisga’a Nation of the House of Heewa’a and of the Gisk’aast Pdeek (Killer Whale clan). She is the director of Aboriginal Initiatives at Toronto Metropolitan University. She served as chair of PWRDF’s Canadian Development Program committee from 1996-2001 and as a member of the PWRDF Board of Directors from 2000 – 2003. Monica attended numerous round tables, international conferences and Indigenous women’s encounters during her time with PWRDF. She is currently co-implementing PWRDF’s Indigenous Maternal Health and Midwifery Program on behalf of Toronto Metropolitan University, (Canada), KINAL Antzetik (Mexico) and CHIRAPAQ de Culturas Andinas (Peru). In 2021 PWRDF established the Indigenous Responsive Program to grow PWRDF’s Indigenous Development Program and to learn from and with First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities across Canada. Monica is a member of the Indigenous Program Advisory Committee (IPAC).

Pamela Oliver

Pamela is a retired teacher with long-standing roots in the work of PWRDF. She has served as a parish representative since 1990 for the Anglican Parish of South Queens, Liverpool in the Diocese of Nova Scotia/PEI. But even as a child, she still has vivid memories of the Springhill mine disaster. She lived in the neighbouring community of Parrsboro and remembers “the bump” and the constant prayers in school, church and Junior Achievement. Pamela gives yearly educational presentations in churches in the parish and region, files monthly reports to parish council and guild meetings and a report to the parish AGM about PWRDF work. Her primary purpose remains “to be the mouth piece“ for PWRDF in the parish and region. Helping organize workshops in the parish, region and the diocese is important to her. In her parish she organized “Lent lunches” as a fundraiser for PWRDF for 30 years. Her parish commitments include Mothers Union co-enrolling member, altar guild president and hospital pastoral care visitor.

Winifred Perryman

Arriving from England in 1954, Winifred settled into the parish of St. Barnabas in Deep River, Ont. The parish was committed to outreach and when the Springhill, N.S. mining disaster occurred in 1958, it became a natural part of the life and work of the parish. Win embraced it. With her husband Eric, she moved to Belleville, Ont., in the 1980s and joined St. Thomas’ Anglican Church where she continued her work of promoting PWRDF and reestablishing it as a part of the parish. Win’s dedication as a supporter and advocate for PWRDF, from its beginning, inspired parish and diocesan members and continues at St. Thomas. In 2016 Win was named Belleville’s Senior of the Year. According to Mayor Taso Christopher, “She is the inspiration and soulmate of many. Her volunteerism, her fight for social justice and human rights has touched and enriched the lives of numerous people in Belleville.”

The Reverend David Pickett

Originally from St. George, Ontario, David is a three-time graduate of Huron University College. He was ordained as a priest in the Diocese of Huron in 1989 and served as archdeacon, canon and rector in parishes in Huron, Niagara, Calgary and Edmonton. In those ministries David was active in community engagement in matters ranging from food security, poverty reduction, refugee sponsorship to Indigenous reconciliation. With a strong musical background, and being a supporter of the Huron Hunger Fund/PWRDF, David founded “The Three Cantors” with fellow priests Peter Wall and William Cliff, along with their accompanist, Angus Sinclair. For more than 20 years, 100% of the proceeds of their CD recordings and 240 plus concerts were given to PWRDF, while they continued to advocate, raise awareness and support PWRDF’s national and international work. Their concerts also benefited the ministries and initiatives of outreach in the presenting communities. 

Marion Saunders

Marion was elected to the PWRDF Committee in 1995 and actively participated in the Asia/Pacific region sub-committee enabling her to travel to the Philippines to meet PWRDF partners. She travelled across Canada meeting with faithful Anglicans engaged in promoting the ministry of PWRDF and in 1998, the Primate appointed Marion Chair of the PWRDF Committee. Marion led the process of incorpation, which was completed in 2000. Marion served as PWRDF’s first president and shortly thereafter was named an Honorary Associate. She was awarded the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award (now the Sovereign Medal) and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal in part for her voluntarism with PWRDF.

Angus Sinclair

Angus is a well-known organist and pianist in London, Ontario, and is Director of Music at Elmwood Avenue Presbyterian Church and was the accompanist of the Three Cantors from 1997 to 2016. Together they raised well over $1,000,000 in aid of the Huron Hunger Fund/PWRDF through the sale of several CD recordings and moret than 250 concerts. Jointly they received Honorary Senior Fellowships from Renison College and Honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees from Huron University. Angus holds an Honours Bachelor of Music in organ performance from Wilfrid Laurier University (1981). As an organist and music director, his appointments included St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, Ontario, St. George’s Middlesex Centre, and the Blyth Festival Singers. Angus has composed several pieces across different musical genres.

The Very Rev. Peter Wall

After 21 years as Dean of Niagara and Rector of Christ’s Church Cathedral, Hamilton, Peter retired in the fall of 2019. He continues to serve the diocese as interim priests, and is involved at various levels of national church work, including being a member of the Planning and Agenda Team, co-chairing the Joint Anglican Lutheran Commission, and working as a Gift Consultant for the Anglican Foundation. As a member of the “Three Cantors,” Peter performed around North America for 20 years, raising funds for PWRDF and for local outreach initiatives. Peter continues to cherish this special relationship with PWRDF.