OUR PEOPLE
Our Board
Lifewater Canada has an independent governing board of directors, made up of people from diverse backgrounds and who pursue thorough deliberation and sound decision-making.
Lynda Gehrels,
Lynda Mary Gehrels is the heart and soul of Lifewater Canada and our fearless leader. She is a retired nurse who works as a volunteer because she lives as her husband Jim did – believing that every dollar possible should be directed to helping children and families get the safe water they need to stay healthy.
Cheryl Ann Hertan,
Chair + U.S Representative
(Atascadero, CA)
Jason Gehrels,
Vice-Chair
(Ottawa, ON)
Donald Heerema,
Financial Controller
(Thunder Bay, ON)
Les Babcock,
Haiti Coordinator
(Bow Island, AB)
Edwin Makkinga,
Board Member
(Calgary, AB)
Stan Denhoed,
Board Member
(Moffat, ON)
Our Staff
Lynda Gehrels,
President
Thunder Bay, ON
(full-time volunteer)
Daniel Nickol,
Vice-President
Coaldale, AB
(full-time employee)
Sharlyn Nickol,
Executive Administrator
Coaldale, AB
(full-time employee)
Shirley van Dyken,
Office Assistant/Bookkeeper
Thunder Bay, ON
(part-time contractor)
Scott Chapman,
Grant Manager + Corporate Relations
Coquitlam, BC
(full-time employee)
Betty-Ann Reid,
Fundraising + Donor Relations Manager - East
Bolton, ON
(full-time employee)
Jeff Adams,
Donor Relations Manager - West
Calgary, AB
(part-time employee)
Coleton Nickol,
Data Entry/Analyst
Coaldale, AB
(part-time employee)
Michaela Traves,
Social Media Coordinator
Saskatoon, SK
(part-time employee)
Jamie Staal,
Creative Lead
Edmonton, AB
(part-time employee)
Our In-Country Teams
Learn more about our partners in Haiti, Liberia, Nigeria, and Kenya, and meet the inspiring local people who make up each team, by visiting the "Where We Work" section of our website.
Governance, Fiscal Responsibility, and Accountability
The Board of Directors has ensured there is a framework of financial and operational policies and procedures. A detailed copy is available upon request for grant consideration.
Operational Policy: summary highlights are listed below.
- A series of internal process controls governing the issuance of charitable donation receipts, petty cash limits, approvals for capital purchases over a specified amount, two signatures for cheques over a specified amount, etc.
- Receipting duties separate from authority to spend money
- Monthly financial transactions reviewed by a Financial Controller who does not receive donations or disperse funds
- Board conducts a mid-year review of balance sheets and adjusts budgets as required
- Audited Financial Statements are prepared annually by the accounting firm, BDO Canada LLP, and presented to the membership at the Annual General Meeting
- Financial statements are reviewed by the Board in advance of regulatory filings
- Board is working towards achieving an operation reserve equal to one year of program expenses to enable Lifewater to make firm project funding agreements with overseas partners in advance of funds being raised
- Donated securities are sold upon receipt to ensure assets are not speculative
- Assets (drill rigs, trucks, etc.) are donated to overseas partners and Lifewater Canada does not retain significant capital assets on its books
- Memorandums of Understanding must be in place with overseas partners for them to act as our agents before project work can begin
- Equipment is provided on a matched-funding basis to ensure local ownership and responsibility that would not occur if the assets were provided for "free"
- Sponsorship funds are released to our overseas partners only after prescribed documentation has been obtained to confirm projects are properly completed
- Overseas work is audited by experienced volunteers who travel to visit projects
- Board meeting minutes are recorded to ensure decisions are documented and actions taken (to request a copy of the minutes, please email info@lifewater.ca)
Other key policies
- Donor Privacy Policy: states Lifewater will not share or sell a donor's information, nor send donor mailings on behalf of other organizations; donors can ask to be listed as anonymous on sponsorship listings
- Conflict of Interest Policy: guides deliberations when making decisions that might benefit the private interest of an officer, director, or employee of the organization
- Whistleblower Policy: addresses employee complaints and/or concerns from overseas partners regarding financial mismanagement
- Records Retention and Destruction Policy: fosters good record-keeping procedures by guiding the storage and destruction of documents to promote data integrity and security
- CEO Compensation Policy: while the current President (CEO) has chosen to work as a volunteer and receives no salary, we have a policy outlining the procedure to determine future CEO compensation
