Marybeth has dedicated her entire career to supporting people with intellectual disabilities in a wide range of roles. At Wesway, where she now serves as Director of Services, she has spent more than 30 years advancing respite supports and community inclusion. Her journey began much earlier, when she and her then boyfriend, now husband, opened their home to children, teens, and adults with intellectual disabilities to give caregivers much-needed breaks. Together with her family, she provided thousands of hours of respite as a Host Family and received the 25-Year Ontario Service Award. Many of the relationships formed during those years continue today.
Her decades of hands-on experience, along with the deep connections she has built with individuals and families, fuel her commitment to promoting continuity of care and helping people maintain meaningful lives within their communities. These values are central to her interest in contributing to the CLO Board.
Marybeth is passionate about expanding opportunities for people to age in place and advancing creative supportive housing options tailored to each person’s needs. She is also deeply committed to supporting Indigenous adults with intellectual disabilities. In her current role, she serves children with special needs across more than 49 Indigenous communities throughout the province.
With a Master’s of Social Work, Marybeth has worked on a variety of provincial initiatives related to services for Indigenous children with exceptionalities, provincial respite, and caregiving policy. Through her involvement in the Provincial Respite Network, she continues to advocate for respite to be understood and recognized as an essential component of support for families and caregivers, and to contribute to broader system improvements that respond to ongoing human-resource challenges affecting individuals and families connected to CLO.
