Ray’s Place introduces new board members

At the annual general meeting of Ray’s Place, two new people were added to the board of directors: Judy Alexander, becomes the new chair of the board as Doug Mills has retired and Anna-Lisa Mantesso is the treasurer and marketing director.
At the June 5 board meeting, Susan Tremblay was appointed as the fund development director. Remaining on the board are Geoff Davies (vice-chair), Don Webster (secretary), James McSherry (scholarship committee), Nick Forrest (bursary committee) and Anna Hobbs (nominating committee). Doug Quanbury also retired from the board.
Alexander, along with her husband John, have been part of the community for 47 years, with a busy lifestyle enjoying life on their farm near Dunedin, skiing and golfing. She says she’s excited about being involved with Ray’s Place, “The opportunity to give qualified local students an educational experience beyond high school is close to my heart. My interest in education really began some time ago when I served 10 years as a trustee on the Halton Board of Education, two of those as chair of the board. This was before I went back to law school.”
Mantesso and her husband Keith moved to Creemore three years ago when they retired from their successful careers in marketing and sales. She said, “I wanted to find an organization where I could give back to the community and help keep our village vibrant and prosperous.” Mantesso enthusiastically added, “Helping our local youth achieve their dreams for the future through post secondary education is an excellent way to do that. That’s exactly what the Ray’s Place organization does. It helps local students get the accreditation, experience and contacts they need to open doors to help them be happy and successful in life.”
Tremblay and her husband, Doug, have been in Creemore for 19 years and enjoy all the recreational activities available in the area along with the many arts and cultural events. When asked what appealed to her about Ray’s Place, she responded, “The mission of Ray’s Place  to assist area youth with their educational goals and aspirations is very compelling to me – I want to see young people have the educational opportunities important to their futures.” She continued, “My education was so critical to me over the years – I am a big believer in the difference education can make. The volunteer board and committee members are all genuinely passionate about Ray’s Place work and a joy to work with. I have many years of experience in volunteering with community-based non-profit organizations, these groups are so important to the health and vibrancy of communities everywhere.”
When Alexander was asked what success during her term would be for her, she said, “To see Ray’s Place well-known and supported by people in and around Creemore and perhaps to see some recipients of our scholarships and bursaries return to support our work.”
Mantesso commented, “As treasurer and marketing chair, my vision for Ray’s Place over the next few years is to continue to build awareness, understanding, positive image and appeal for Ray’s Place while ensuring we have the available tools and funds to achieve/exceed our annual financial goals.”
Tremblay added, “Success will be a highly engaged team connection across the community, the volunteers, the schools and the students in seeing more students engaged in post-secondary education.”