About Us
Making a Better Place For All of Us
Call for Services (705) 945-5050
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(705) 759-5989
Algoma Family Services
A provider of specialized services for children, youth, adults and families in the Algoma District.
Our services are evidence-based, client-centered, family-focused
and delivered by a team of skilled professionals.
Our work is focused in the following key areas
Child and youth
mental health services.
Specialized programs for youth substance use, young offenders and family violence.
Community Partnerships, as a lead sponsor for a number of programs with local collateral agencies.
Our Vision, Our Mission, Our Values
We will inspire hope, wellness, and equity in all of our services.
An integrated pathway to extraordinary and timely services.
Active Listening
The potential of every individual
Diverse people
and perspectives
Dynamic
Teamwork
Tenaciou
Resolve
Breakthrough
Innovation
Strategic Priorities
Level Setting
Reconciling Our Future
Finding A Better Way
Connecting The
Dots, Closing The Gaps
Investing In Our Awesome Team
With Your Help, We are Making The Algoma District a Better Place
Ali Juma, CEO.
AFS Board of Directors
Johnson, William
President / Chair of the Board
Director – Sault Ste. Marie
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William joined the board in November 2019. He worked in the Crown Attorney’s office for 36 years before retiring in 2015. He has experience with youth court, mental health court and domestic assault. William has most recently been the chair of the AFS Board Governance Committee.
Lofstrom, Patricia
Vice-Chair of the Board
Director – Sault Ste. Marie
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Patrica joined the board in November 2019. She works with the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries. She is proficient in both official languages and has experience in strategic planning and community engagement.
Kuzbari, Dania
Secretary of the Board
Director – Sault Ste. Marie
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Dania Kuzbari has been a board member since March 2022. She is an employment advisor at the Sault Community Career Centre. She speaks English, French, Arabic and Spanish, and has experience in employment and settlement services.
Lavergne, Wes
Director – North District
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Wes joined the board in October 2023. He is a lawyer in Sault Ste. Marie and focuses his law practice in the areas of corporate/commercial, real estate, and wills/estates law. He provides advice to corporations and not-for-profit entities in his practice.
Bernard, Megan
Director – Sault Ste. Marie
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Megan has been a Board member since fall 2018. She is a Professional Practice Lead and Registered Dietitian at the Sault Area Hospital. She has experience in clinical nutrition and change management.
Agnew, James
Director – Sault Ste. Marie
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James is presently employed by the Algoma District School Board in a specialized role, dedicated to leveraging technology in innovative and purposeful ways to aid educators and the system. He has specialties in Special Education and Literacy, as well as a background in facilitating adult and youth development.
Swystun, Daniel
Director – Sault Ste. Marie
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Dan has been a Board member spring of 2023. He is a Health and Safety Coordinator for the Public Works and Engineering department with the City of Sault Ste. Marie. He has experience in various areas of Human Resources and Health and Safety.
Hamilton, Rick
Director – East District
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Rick has been advocating on behalf of injured workers for more than 30 years, beginning in the mining industry. He has been a union activist serving both his Local executive and Algoma Manitoulin District Labour Council as President. Rick then moved to the public sector, representing injured workers through the Office of the Worker Adviser. He continues to serve injured workers at all levels of the WSIB/WSIAT, specializing in occupational disease and mental stress claims. Since 1991, Rick remains an instructor with the Prevention Links (previously OFL WCB committee). Fulfilling his civic duty, Rick has held the positions of City Councilor, Deputy Mayor, and Mayor of the city of Elliot Lake.
Geenen, Jennifer
Director – Sault Ste. Marie
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Jennifer Geenen was born and raised in Sault Ste Marie, She has a degree in disability studies. Jennifer works at Nogdawindamin in the Neonatal department as a Neonatal Clinical Assistant. She also runs the Baby Lucious Neonatal Hub downtown.
Omollo, Jane
Director – Sault Ste. Marie
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Jane is an active and passionate community leader with 20 years of experience working in cross-cultural environments to champion equitable inclusion for equity-deserving groups at both the organizational and community levels.
Jane is the Manager of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at Algoma University. Before assuming her current role, she worked as the newcomer manager of programs at the Sault Community Career Centre.
As a community builder, Jane is the founding and president emeritus of the African Caribbean Association of Northern Ontario (ACCANO), a not-for-profit community organization that was established in 2011.
O’Connor, Lucia
Director – Sault Ste. Marie
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Lucia joined the board in May 2022. She is an Indigenous Arts Educator and teaches at Algoma University and The Art Gallery of Algoma. Lucia is an active member of the First Nations community in Bawating and strives to strengthen land-based and cultural learning.
Senior Leadership Team
Ali Juma
Chief Executive Officer
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Lisa Guzzo
Acting Director of Service
Arlene Smith
Director, Human resources
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Arlene joined the Awesome Team at AFS on August 1, 2023, as Director of Human Resources. She holds a Master of Science degree in Human Resources Management from Florida International University and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Advanced Project Management and Strategic Leadership from Lambton College, ON. Arlene brings over twenty-five years of experience in the Human Resources field from the Caribbean and most recently in Canada.
Jacob Bruzas
Director, Finance and Admin.
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Brenda Clarke
DIRECTOR, COMMUNITY SERVICES AND STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
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Brenda has a background in education and is also a certified project manager with over 25 years of experience with AFS. She has skills in proposal writing, program development, strategic planning and evaluation.
Our Memberships
Children's Mental Health Ontario
Working to improve the mental health and well-being of children and youth and their families, with a core membership of 81 community-based children’s mental health centres that serve some 150,000 children and their families annually.
www.kidsmentalhealth.ca
Family Service Ontario
Family Service Ontario is a trusted voice on the issues that impact the daily lives of families in Ontario. Using the wealth of experience at our table, we work directly to strengthen families by recognizing the challenges and opportunities within our sector and taking action.