Welcome to Helping Hands, Orillia

Community Support Services for Seniors and Adults with Physical Disabilities.

Learn more about us.

Strategic Plan

Our vision, values and the roadmap for our organization's future success.

→ View Strategic Plan

Our History

Our journey from small beginnings to a unique service model today.

→ Learn About Our History

A network of community partnerships offering unique and specific services.

→ Meet Our Partners

Our Team

The Board Members and Management Team leading Helping Hands.

→ Meet Our Team

Transparency & Reports

Compliance and Financial Statements, and Multi-Service Accountability Agreement.

→ View Our Reports

24/7 Feedback

Your experience matters to us. Please share your feedback to help us better serve you.

Call us 705-325-7861 ext 365

Our History.

Like most success stories, Helping Hands had small beginnings. In 1972 at Betty Forward’s kitchen table on Hughes Rd, Orillia, Betty and her eight sons saw a need and began to provide lawn care, snow removal and transportation to seniors in the Orillia area. A few years later, they had a small staff based out of the home of the company’s first executive director, providing personal support services similar to today.


Eventually, the organization grew enough to secure provincial funding and moved into a formal office space. As funding began to flow, Helping Hands was able to focus on health and independence-related services that continue to grow today.


Today.

Helping Hands maintains a unique service model by providing a wide range of home care and community support services for seniors and adults with physical disabilities. Our services are subsidized by government funding, allowing us to provide a wide range of support. With the incredible dedication and generosity of our many volunteers, we can continue to help maintain independence during the journey of aging.


Land Acknowledgement.

Helping Hands Orillia (HHO) respectfuly acknowledges that we operate on the ancestral lands of the Anishnabek, including the Chippewas of the Rama First Nation, part of the Chippewa Tri-Council and the Three Fires Confederacy. These lands were governed by the Williams Treaties and Upper Canada Traties and continue to be home to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples, including the Scugog, Georgina, Beausoleil, and Moose Deer Point First Nations.


This region holds deep historical and cultural significance including the Mnjikanging Fish Weirs -- one of the oldest known human developments in North America. We honour the enduring presence, knowledge, and contributions of Indigenous Peoples, past and present.


We are committed to reconciliation through action. HHO is dedicated to building strong, respectful relationships and partnerships with Indigenous communities, grounded in listening, learning, and mutual trust. We recognize the importance of Indigenous self-determination and are committed to advancing health equity by working collaboratively to address systemic barriers, improve access to services, and support the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples.


This commitment is reflected across our strategic pillars, shaping how we build relationships, advance health equity, and work in partnership toward stronger, healthier Indigenous communities.

Board of Directors

Comprised of dedicated community leaders and healthcare professionals, the board provides guidance and governance to ensure that Helping Hands Orillia's mission and goals are achieved.

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Joe Fecht

Director / Board Chair

Smiling woman with glasses and blonde bob in a black top, posed against a blurred outdoor field background

Mary Bayliss

Director / Board Vice-Chair

Smiling man in a dark blazer standing outdoors against a blurred brown field

Doug Rawson

Director / Board Secretary

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Douglas Varty

Director / Board Treasurer

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Christina Burns

Director

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Jane Ravenshaw

Director

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Jennifer Biggar

Director

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Jessica Dolan

Director

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Jessica Lewis

Director

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Jim MacDonald

Director

Portrait of a woman with glasses in a gray blazer standing outdoors in a brown field

Melanie Moore

Director

Smiling woman with long dark hair in a pink top standing outdoors in a field

Pamela Marck

Director

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Interested in Joining Our Board?

Learn more.

Management Team

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Doug Rawson

Executive Director

It is a silhouette of a man without a face.

Kristen Corbiere

Director of Quality, Performance and Special Projects 

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Alex Kuczak

Director of Human Resources



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Paul Caluori

Director of Client Services

A woman wearing glasses and a patterned print shirt is smiling for the camera.

Kathy Gough-Stong

Manager of Client Services

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Amanda Dalton

Manager of Client Services


Strategic Plan

Step into our 2026–2035 Strategic Plan—a vision shaped by care, connection, and community. This roadmap reflects our shared commitment to empowering independence, nurturing belonging, and creating meaningful impact. We invite you to discover how, together, we are building a more hopeful and compassionate future. 

Download Strategic Plan Overview Download Full Strategic Plan
A cover page and spread of a 10-year strategic plan document for Helping Hands, featuring organizational goals.

Our Vision.

Turning possibility into reality—empowering lives and redefining care through innovation, collaboration, and connection.

Our community partners

Helping Hands works with a network of community partnerships offering unique and specific services to help clients and families in need.

Transparency & Reports

Multi-Sector Accountability Agreements


The M-SAA (Multi-Service Accountability Agreement) outlines our agreement and obligations with Ontario Health, our primary funder.