Homeless Awareness Calgary

Speaker Biographies

Co-Coordinators, Bonnie Malach & Teresa McDowell-Hood

Bonnie Malach

Bonnie Malach, Co-Coordinator of Homeless Awareness Calgary Committee (HACC), has been with the organization for the past 6 years – two of which she was a volunteer and the past 4 years as our first ever Coordinator.

Bonnie, a Registered Social Worker graduated with Distinction from the University of Calgary in 2003. Over the past several years Bonnie has worked as both a Counsellor and Group Facilitator with both individuals and families experiencing homelessness and has also worked with adult males with substance abuse issues.

Bonnie can be contacted at: (403) 205-6628 or via email: bonnie.malach@gmail.com

Teresa McDowell-Hood

Prior to becoming the Co-Coordinator of Homeless Awareness Calgary Committee (HACC), Teresa McDowell-Hood, served both as a volunteer representing community agencies and on the Board of Directors of HACC for several years. She comes to HACC with approximately fourteen years experience working with youth, individuals and families experiencing homelessness or at risk for homelessness. Additionally, Teresa has and is currently working with individuals and families with substance abuse issues.

Teresa, a Registered Social Worker, is currently completing her graduate degree in leadership. Teresa is passionate about the plight of folks in Calgary who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of becoming homeless, the root causes concerning this and the effect these social issues have on families.

Teresa can be contacted at: (403) 205-6628 or via email: tessmhood@gmail.com

In their roles as Co-Coordinators of HACC, Bonnie and Teresa are responsible for: coordinating Homeless Awareness Week, media relations, ensuring that each subcommittee is reaching their goals, overseeing adult and youth education programs, networking with other groups, volunteer recruitment and management, day to day administrative duties as well as participating in various other committees dedicated to ending homelessness and related social issues in Calgary.

Chair, Darlene Petrie

Darlene, Chair of Homeless Awareness Calgary Committee (HACC) has been an employee of McMan Youth, Family and Community Services Association (McMan) in Calgary for 21 years. Darlene’s passion and dedication is obvious in her commitment to developing programs that meet the needs of young people in the Calgary community. She has initiated several programs to serve youth experiencing homelessness as well as youth in conflict with the law in unique and innovative ways. Darlene is the Past Chairperson of Calgary’s Youth Sector Committee, a member of the Community Action Committee with the Calgary Homeless Foundation and always a leader in advocating for people experiencing homelessness.

Darlene can be contacted via email: darlene.petrie@mcman.ca

Public Relations, Rion Sillito

A born Calgarian, Rion has spent most of his professional life in the fields of marketing and communications. After 15 years with Telus in those capacities, Rion focused his efforts on public relations and corporate communications, first in his own consultancy, then later with one of the city’s oldest and most recognized PR agencies.

Rion then changed course, enlisting as Public Affairs Manager with the Calgary Homeless Foundation for 3 ˝ years. In this position, Rion became inspired to remain an active participant in the challenges and benefits of ending homelessness for thousands of men and women on Calgary streets.

Most recently, Rion has taken a position with Calgary’s Mustard Seed Street Ministry, focusing on community engagement, social media and issues of affordable housing. His work is equally divided between spreading the word about the Mustard Seed’s progressive work to end homelessness, and helping Calgarians from all walks of life understand the realities and solutions surrounding homelessness in our city, our province and our nation.

Rion can be contacted at: (403) 269-1319 or via email: rionsillito@theseed.ca