Rosemary Byrne

Rosemary Byrne, a native Montrealer, has been involved in the voluntary sector in Quebec for over 30 years. Presently the Chef du service des bénévoles at the Centre hospitalier de St. Mary in Montreal, Rosemary had her first formal volunteer experience as a candy striper in the same hospital while in high school. She was educated at Loyola College (now Concordia University), UQAM and the Universitè de Montreal.

 

Rosemary has spent her entire career in and around the voluntary sector. She is the newly elected President of the Réseau de l’action bénévole du Quebec, which regroups 16 sectors of voluntary action throughout Quebec, representing hundreds of thousands of volunteers; including the environment, health and social services, volunteer centers, cultural organizations, youth, sports, recreation, popular education, international development, seniors etc. 

 

Rosemary was the president of the Community Council on Volunteerism, a post she held for 5 years. This Council is a resource for training and networking for professionals working in the field of volunteer management within the English-speaking community of Quebec. She was the founding President of COMACO, a coalition of home support organizations working with volunteers to support the frail elderly in their homes. This organization got funding from the Drummond Foundation for the creation of a guide on the parameters of volunteer work in the community with a fragile clientele. She was also the founding President of AQCCA, an alliance of senior community centers throughout the province of Quebec.

 

She was the Director of Community Services for CCS, the largest Centraide agency in Montreal, for over 9 years and under her leadership the number of volunteers doubled and the role of volunteers expanded.Rosemary is a strong proponent of a healthy community base.

 

She is fascinated by governance issues and would like to see Volunteer Canada provide further resources and training for community organizations grappling with governance issues.