Welcome to the PAVRO Memory Wall where you can read and share memories of beloved PAVRO peers. For privacy, you have the option to keep your personal information confidential.

Share to the Memory Wall

Alison Caird: "Alison and I worked together at Toronto Rehab. it was a pleasure working with this committed and dedicated women who believed in Volunteer Development and the field of Volunteerism. Alison was always a high achiever, a caring, giving individual and a friend. We had lost contact over the past few years and I was saddened to hear about her cancer struggles and ultimate passing. She will be greatly missed. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family." ~ Deb Folkes, friend

Alison Caird: "Happy to support PAVRO initiative so that Alison’s memory and spirit and passion for the profession and great work and mentorship live on." ~ Reva Cooper, colleague

Alison Caird: "What a gift to have known and volunteered with Allison during her time on the PAVRO Board. Allison reached out to me when she worked at Toronto Rehab and asked me to meet her for coffee to talk about a volunteer role with PAVRO. I was intrigued and a little awestruck. We met and she told me about some amazing work that Lorraine McGrattan was doing with the PAVRO AVA Liaison Network. Her ask to me was to continue to build upon that work. To this day, it remains one of my most cherished volunteer roles. Allison gave me one piece of advice and made one request. Her advice was to own the work and make it my own. Her request was to think about what my next volunteer role with PAVRO would be. Allison led by example and because of her mentorship and guidance, I joined the PAVRO Board soon after. I am so grateful to have met Allison. You did so much good for so many. Rest in power." ~ Faiza Venzant, relationship to Alison: volunteer

Alison Caird: "Alison made it all look easy, regardless of the role she took on- she excelled. I valued her insights and her passion for our profession. She was a friend, colleague and a visionary leader at the local and provincial level. Alison has left a stellar legacy and is someone we should continue to emulate and celebrate. " ~ Magda Rigo, Past President PAVRO

Alison Caird: "Alison was such an enormous influence on me as a volunteer management professional during our more than 20 years of working together. She was a fearless straight-shooter, a huge advocate for professionalism and an amazing strategic thinker. In the time we spent co-authoring our book and survey she spurred me to think big and be uncompromising. Alison’s career trajectory and decision making was fuelled by her passion to always challenge herself with learning and growth. I am thrilled to see a young mentor award named for Alison and know it will inspire this passion in new leaders." ~ Joanne Fine Schwebel, former colleague

Alison Caird: "I remember that Alison came to the Board with a lot of respect from those who worked with her in Toronto. When she spoke everyone listened because she always had something insightful to say. Her brilliant and articulate comments helped us to focus and get "out of the weeds" as we were sometimes prone to do. We used her expertise on the Balanced Scorecard on our own Board to ensure we were doing things appropriately. Alison had a delightful and drole sense of humour and we all thoroughly enjoyed working with her." ~ Gwenne Goodlet, PAVRO Past President 

Alison Caird: “Alison was a friend and colleague for more than 20 years. She was an active member of PAVRO when we first met with a drive to make a difference in the nonprofit sector. Alison had a passion for people, the clients her organizations served and the volunteers and staff she worked with. She was a strategic thinker, visionary, passionate, kind and thoughtful. She loved her work and was a mentor to many volunteers and staff throughout her career and spoke about how much she enjoyed helping and nurturing others. One of the important recurring discussions in our field is around the many talents and skills leaders of volunteers develop and pushing the boundaries of these skills to more senior leadership roles in our organizations and the nonprofit sector. Alison was one of the people who successfully achieved this goal, moving from a role leading volunteers to a role leading non-profit organizations, initially as Executive Director at Serve, then at Spectra and most recently as Executive Director of the Distress Centres of Greater Toronto. As a leader of volunteers, she mentored younger colleagues new to the field. As she moved into more senior roles, mentorship of her staff and colleagues continued to be an important and rewarding focus for her.” ~ Michael Fliess, colleague and friend

Alison Caird: "Alison was a great friend, an amazing mentor for people entering the field and was an incredible colleague, always willing to help strategize."~ Colin Green, PAVRO Past President 

Alison Caird: "She was an incredible dynamo and contributed a lot to the profession and sector!" ~ Adriane Beaudry, PAVRO Past President