Executive Committee
The Butterfly Run Ottawa is organized solely by volunteers and we'd love for you to get to know us a little more!
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Julia Winslow,
Co-Chair & Run Director 
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Julia had never heard of Roger Neilson House (RNH) before losing her son and it changed her life forever. In January of 2015, they lost their eldest child, Carter Ian Winslow to an unexplainable stillbirth at 38 weeks. A colleague mentioned that RNH might have a grief program for parents and that they should contact them. They received counselling, unlimited support and were matched with another family that had endured a similar loss. Julia is thankful to have met this sister in loss and is grateful for her continued friendship. In January 2016, they were fortunate to welcome a healthy daughter into their family and that is when they decided they were in a season where they could give back to RNH after all they had done for their family. Being a part of the Ottawa Butterfly Run community is both an honour and a privilege. "Our family truly wants to make all the families that come after us feel welcomed and supported in their loss journey".
Julia has been a part of the Executive Team for the Butterfly Run since 2017, as Run Director. This will be her third year holding that position in addition to Co-Chair. |
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Anne-Marie Warren,
Co-Chair & RNH/CHEOF Liaison 
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Anne-Marie is a teacher and mother of two. She, and her husband Tom, suffered the loss of their sweet daughter Charlotte at 44 days old in October 2017. As a family they went from CHEO's NICU department to Roger Neilson House, thinking they would only be there for a couple of hours, they were blessed to live at RNH for 37 days. Anne-Marie hopes to keep Charlotte's memory alive by supporting others who have suffered pregnancy and/or infant loss and by giving back to RNH for their continued love and support. Anne-Marie was happy to be a part of the first Pregnancy After Loss support group which she attended through her pregnancy with her son, Colt. The Butterfly Run is one of the many ways she feels Charlotte and Colt can stay connected.
Anne-Marie has been Co-Chair of the Butterfly Run Executive Committee for 4 years, and the Roger Neilson House & CHEO Foundation Liaison for 3 years. |
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Chloë Benoit,
Marketing Director 
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Chloë is a mother of three. While pregnant with twins, her son Félix was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. Shortly after his diagnosis she was referred to RNH where she received support and care before and after the birth. Though his life was much too short, she is incredibly grateful for the time she had with Félix. If it weren't for RNH, her time with him would have been very different. For this reason RNH holds a very special place in her heart. She hopes that through sharing Félix’s story, and as Marketing Director, she can help others going through a similar path and give back to RNH.
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Erin Brisson,
Website Director 
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Erin is the mom of three beautiful daughters, Madison, Tenley and Sarah. Two days after her due date, they got the devastating news that Sarah's heart stopped beating. She was stillborn the next day from unknown causes. They received a direct referral to RNH and immediately met with a social worker and participated in the perinatal loss bereavement group, where Erin met her “warrior sisters”. RNH has had such an impact on their healing journey. She is thankful be part of this incredible team giving back to RNH and for the opportunity to share Sarah's story. This is her third year on the Executive Team for the Butterfly Run Ottawa.
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Claire Pagé,
Treasurer 
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Claire’s beautiful baby boy Théo was born on October 26, 2017. Sadly, he passed away 8 hours after birth. RNH has been a huge support to Claire and her husband, François, through their Perinatal Loss Bereavement support group as well as their Pregnancy After Loss support group. Claire hopes to honour her son’s life by raising awareness about pregnancy and infant loss, as well as giving back to RNH.
“The loss is immeasurable, but so is the love left behind.” |
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Haylee Robert,
Outreach & Community Director 
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Haylee is a proud mother to three children, Amélie, Martin and Théodore. Her son Martin was born at 19 weeks after nearly a month of unexplainable prenatal complications. Too young to survive but born a fighter, he lived for an hour before his heartbeat faded away. After moving to the Ottawa region from Alberta in 2019, Haylee is grateful to be connected with a community that is compassionate and understanding . She is excited for her 2nd year with the Butterfly Run and to continue to share her determination for infant loss advocacy and outreach with the Ottawa community.
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Jasmine Bhatti,
Secretary 
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Jasmine is a TMM student at the University of Ottawa and returning in the role of Secretary and Volunteer Director this year. Despite not dealing with child loss or infertility herself, Jasmine is an avid supporter of charities aiming to help families and children in memory of her father who passed away in 2014 from pancreatic cancer. Jasmine has a passion for helping children and is currently working in the CHEO Newborn Screening lab for her honours project. Originally from Toronto, she hopes to become an active member in the Ottawa community and continue to raise awareness and create change.
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Laurie Langlois,
Events Director 
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Laurie is the mommy to twin girls, Emmie and Riley. Sadly, at her 18 week appointment it was discovered that Emmie had a single ventricle heart defect. Once it was determined that the best option for Emmie was palliative care, they were introduced to Roger Nielson House (RNH). RNH helped them navigate the remainder of the pregnancy by guiding them through multiple birth plans, providing counselling, as well as suggesting keepsake and memory making ideas. RNH’s support didn’t end once Emmie passed. They continued counselling and later group therapy. Laurie wouldn't have gotten through the devastating loss of their Emmie without RNH.
The Butterfly Run Ottawa holds a special place in her heart as their family and friends have participated in the event since it’s inception – Go “For Emmie” Team! This year will be an extra special year as Laurie is beyond excited to be a part of the amazing group of people that make this event such a success year after year! |
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Aleksandra Erak,
Volunteer Director 
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Aleksandra has been a volunteer at RNH since September 2014. She started volunteering after her sister recommended that she reach out; emphasizing that the experience “will change her life more than she'll expect.” Safe to say, to this day, that is an understatement. RNH is not only a place that has shown and reminded her of the value of life, regardless of how long or short it may be but it has also inspired her through their team’s never-ending drive and positivity to shape the lives of others. She joined the Butterfly Run after being a volunteer at the event in 2018 and recently wanted to explore a new, additional role that would still benefit the wonderful RNH. Aleksandra is extremely excited and honored to be part of the team this year.
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Tahirah Massop,
Communications Director 
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Tahirah's daughter, her first born, Zalayah Lorraine was born still on December 16th, 2019 at 37 weeks and 3 days. When she and her husband, Nick, heard the words "I'm sorry, there is no heartbeat", their world fell apart. In that moment, she did not think she would survive losing her. RNH helped them pick up the pieces and gave them the tools they needed to start healing. When they lost their daughter, Tahirah's first instinct was to find others who had similar experiences so that she could talk about Zalayah freely and openly with people who truly understood her pain. Group counseling at RNH and the 2020 Butterfly Run gave her the opportunity to connect with other families, while allowing her to keep Zalayah's memory alive. She joined the 2021 Butterfly Run Committee to bring awareness, to continue to connect with families, to support RNH and most importantly to honour Zalayah by keeping her memory alive.
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Myra Chronopoulos,
Silent Auction Director 
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Myra is a Director of HR for an investment firm and a proud mother to her sons, Maxim and Leo. In July 2020, her son Leo was born at 22 weeks with many health complications and passed away shortly after birth. After multiple miscarriages and then losing Leo, Myra and her husband sought support from Roger Neilson House through their Perinatal Loss Bereavement support group. The care they have received through RNH has been incredibly meaningful, especially navigating the first year of grief. Myra hopes to honour her son’s life by sharing his story and giving back to RNH.
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Juliet MacLeod,
Sponsorship Director 
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Juliet and her husband lost their son, Mathias “Matty” on December 21, 2020 due to a sudden, unexplained heart arrhythmia following a normal pregnancy. They have benefited greatly from the wonderful support provided through the Perinatal and Infant Loss Support Group at RNH and hope to honour their son’s memory by helping other bereaved parents.
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Ashley Kemp,
Public Relations/Media Liaison 
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Ashley comes to us after learning about the Butterfly Run through her volunteer experience at Roger Neilson House (RNH). She has been a play and learn volunteer over the past three years at RNH, however since COVID, her volunteering had to be put on hold. After looking for other ways to give back to her community and the wonderful families at Roger Neilson House, she decided to join the Butterfly Run committee. Ashley made the decision to pursue a new career and is currently enrolled in the Public Relations program at Algonquin College which will make her a great fit for this role.
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Lindsay Masterson,
Sponsorship Liaison 
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Lyndsay and her husband Matt have a 3 year old daughter, Charlie, and they lost their son, Wesley Kevin Gyra, to preeclampsia on November 26. It has been a heartbreaking journey for them but they feel so blessed to have the support from Roger Neilson House (RNH) during these incredibly challenging times. Lindsay is thrilled to be part of this amazing team️.
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If you are interested in volunteering on our Executive Committee, please connect with us.
www.butterflyrunottawa.ca