Our Team

Barb Young As an informal caregiver for many years, often serving low income and others who fell through the cracks in the healthcare system, I learned first-hand the positive impact that good social supports have on quality of life, especially for the most vulnerable. While I bring six years of tertiary-level education to my role as co-founder and president of our newly-formed corporation, it is the depth of understanding I acquired from all these years immersed in the personal lives of others that gives me the confidence to say this: The Highlands North Network will serve on the grassroots-level to support social and recreational opportunities for those living in more rural and remote areas of our township, better appreciation and value for the community halls and other physical spaces that serve as hubs for social health, and more respect, appreciation, support and value for those who serve tirelessly as leaders in the social health realm. The World Health Organization defines health this way: the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Now, more than ever, the government is recognizing the impact that good social supports have on overall health and well-being, and we look forward to all the possibilities that this could bring for organizations like ours that will be paving the way for a happier and healthier tomorrow, one social health initiative at a time.

Nancy Veary Nancy, came to Ottawa in 1971 from Lake Megantic in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. She moved to Tatlock, Darling Township in 1976 to settle and raise a family with her recently departed husband Dan Jibb. Mother of three and now grandmother to seven keeps her busy along with involvement with Tatlock Hall and HNN. For the last 15 years taking an active role with the Hall and with the founding and implementation of HNN. Provincial Community Funding and the Seniors Active Living Centre (SALC) programs involve an extraordinary amount of time at the computer which she thought she had retired from when leaving Public Works of Canada where she had worked for 33 years. Nancy, instrumental in obtaining grants, along with neighbours helped finish Tatlock Hall basement, installed a Play Structure and developed the “Field of Dreams” in Tatlock. Also, New Horizon grants offered her the opportunity to publish a series of 10 booklets of neighbouring people and their farms in Darling Township and surrounding areas. The Heritage Book Series. St. Peter’s United Church 100th and 125th Anniversaries were also celebrated with publications. The passing of the local historian Max Sutherland made the publishing of his stories a must for her, in a book he had pre-named “Wild Lands of the Crown – Essays on the History of Darling Township”. Relaxation includes a swim in Robb’s Lake whenever possible, at least a weekly round of bid euchre and the occasional marathon of bridge. Travels have taken her to Europe, through Canada to Alaska twice and to various southern states. Nancy’s passion for HNN – and ‘well being’ is the realization that COVID put a dampener on activities that were previously thriving in the surrounding community of Tatlock. To get people together again was going to take a lot of effort but there were not enough people to encourage others to come out in the small existing communities. ‘Build and they shall come’ was what was needed. Once activities get rolling things will pick up but to get things rolling would require help. Reaching out Nancy found other halls in the same situation. It was obvious that working together would provide the necessary strength to once again get the communities interacting to the extent that they were prior to COVID. The community grants available at this time are crucial in achieving the goals after such a lull in activities. Thanks to the SALC Programs we are on the road to recovery.

Rachael Heleniak Rachael Heleniak is originally from southwestern Ontario, then attended Queen's University for her degree in Political Science, and her Certificate of Law. Post-graduation, she worked on Parliament Hill as staff for two Members of Parliament. After working in politics, Rachael moved to Tatlock in the Lanark Highlands, and completed her Master's in Management, Innovation & Entrepreneurship from the Smith School of Business. She was encouraged by her local community to run in the 2022 Municipal Elections in Lanark Highlands, which she did, and only lost by 75 votes, at the young age of 26 years old. She currently works as the Carleton Place Tourism Coordinator, at the Carleton Place & District Chamber of Commerce. Her passions are supporting and connecting people, agriculture, politics, and nature, and enjoys spending time with her fiance and two dogs at home, while trying to re-learn the old ways of living.