Our Team
OUR CAUSESThe Rayjon Board (Canada)
Top row: Debbie Austin (Chairperson), John Barnfield (President & Co-Founder), Victoria Digby (Financial Director), Kristie Van Der Wetering , Peterson Benjamin, Marg Irwin.
Bottom row: Dr. Glen Maddison (Health & Safety Director), Terry DeMarco, Bryce McGarvey (Trips Director), Cheryl DeGroot (Secretary), Kurtis Lush (Programs Director)
Canadian Staff
Left: Allison Kingston – Executive Director
Born and raised in Corunna, ON, Allison has spent years living around Canada and the world until coming back to Sarnia-Lambton to join the Rayjon team full-time! Inspired by Rayjon’s work with our partner ASCALA, she recently completed her master’s thesis on statelessness in the Dominican Republic, achieving her MA in Migration and Diaspora Studies at Carleton. She holds close her core values of connecting communities, innovative change and strengthening partnerships. In her free time she loves to stay active, whether it’s boxing or a walk in the sunshine, but also enjoys settling down with a good book.
Right: Piera Spinelli Barrile – Program and Communications Coordinator
Piera joined the Rayjon team in 2021. Born and raised in Haiti, she freely shares her cultural knowledge and communication skills (she’s fluent in Haitian Creole, French, English & Italian!). She holds a Master’s in International Development, and focuses on empowering international partners and sharing stories of their success back home in Canada.
We are thrilled to welcome Marlo Beaton as our new Volunteer Coordinator (volunteer). Marlo has been part of the Rayjon family for many years, as a previous trip leader and participant and lead organizer on many fundraising events. She’s talented, energetic, and whole lot of fun! Somehow she manages to balance working full-time and raising three little boys with her many volunteer roles in our community.
Marlo will be recruiting volunteers for many upcoming events! Get in touch today and let her know how you can help!
Haitian & Dominican Leaders
Andre Jean-Pierre, Director (Centre for Nutrition & Education of Women & Children – C-NEW-C), Cap Haitian, Haiti
Andre has been responsible for oversight and management of the C-NEW-C since 2011, where he puts his passion for progress into action to support programs in Nutrition, Microcredit, Adult Literacy, LifeSkills, and Education.
Andre deserves special mention for his ability to build relationships, empower young leaders, and support Haitian-led initiatives. He’s also been a steady and compassionate leader through many natural disasters, occasionally leading the C-NEW-C into trauma-response mode, and serving some of the most marginalized families in urban Cap Haitian.
He’s a wonderful husband and father to three beautiful children. He is also just one of our favourite human beings, freely sharing his insight and contagious laughter.
Renaud Thomas, Director (Rayjon Share Care Haiti – RSCH)
Renaud has been a powerful force on the Rayjon Haiti team since 2018. He is a qualified agronomist, with specializations in permaculture design and breadfruit cultivation–knowledge which he enthusiasticly shares with rural communities seeking to increase food security, combat climate change, and achieve self-sufficiency. (Read more about the “Breadfruit Project” here).
Renaud has extensive experience in international cooperation, and is a fierce advocate for gender equality and the empowerment of women, working closely with the Haitian Women’s Federation in the rural St. Marc region and supporting their efforts in Microcredit and Business Development and Adult Literacy.
In 2021, Renaud and his wife became proud parents of little Noa 🙂
You can hear Renaud’s voice in our podcast, Reimagining with Rayjon, here.
Learn more about the programs Renaud directs here.
Elida Jeanty, Women’s Federation Liaison
Elida Jeanty is a longtime community leader who began her work with Rayjon Share Care Haiti in 1995 as a community health agent. She has served in various roles including literacy instructor, preschool teacher, and program supervisor, while also receiving training in cooperative management and entrepreneurship. Elida has worked with public health initiatives and now advises women’s groups in areas like microcredit and breadfruit flour production.
Georges Thertulien, Director, PLADESCULBA, Dominican Republic
Known as “Papa Georges” in the marginalized community of Barrio 41, Georges founded and directs a preschool/nutrition program, a community garden initiative, and supports women’s empowerment and a youth music class!
Rayjon Volunteers & Committees
Program Advisory Team
The Program Advisory Team provides support to the Program Director and Program Manager to oversee the three Community Development areas supported by Rayjon (Cap Haitian, Haiti; St. Marc,Haiti, and Consuelo, Dominican Republic). They are actively involved in building and maintaining relationships with Haitian & Dominican partners, supporting Haitian/Dominican led initiatives and direction, empowering local leaders, monitoring and evaluation, and ensuring all program activities align with Rayjon’s overall mission, goals, and Strategic Plan.
Trips Committee:
The trips committee reviews all requests for Rayjon Trips including Awareness Trips, Eyeglass Trips, and Partnership Trips and makes recommendations to the Board with respect to trip approvals, safety and policies. More about Rayjon Trips
Outreach & Fundraising
Volunteers are busy in our local community raising awareness and sharing stories about the work of our incredible partners in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Volunteers organize fundraising events, sell Rayjon coffee/vanilla/atizani, and always have a lot of fun in the process!
Finance Team:
The Finance team is comprised of the Financial Director, the Executive Director and Rayjon volunteers who carry out financial activities including donation receipting, accounting, account reconciling and audit readiness.
The Eyeglass Program:
The Rayjon Eyeglass Program is coordinated by a committee of volunteers who meet regularly to plan all activities related to Eyeglass Trips. It takes many volunteers in Canada who receive, clean, sort, and enter glasses into a database for use in clinics. Additional volunteers become members of the Eyeglass Teams, travelling to dispense prescription glasses to those in need. More info
Where we Work & Our Int'l Partners
Learn more about our incredible Haitian and Dominican partners, and the communities where they are working to effect lasting change.