Meet the Foundation staff
Ben Gardiner, Executive Director
Ben is a lifelong Arnprior resident and is proudly raising his family in the community.
Ben attended both Carleton University and Algonquin College, specializing in Sociology, English Literature and Fundraising Management. He is a lifetime learner and completed his MBA with a specialty in Social Enterprise Leadership while concurrently achieving his Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) designation.
When Ben was a teenager his mother passed away quite unexpectedly, and he found himself at a crossroads. He began volunteering for charities and absolutely fell in love with being able to make a difference for others. Fast forward to today, he has made the best out of a sad situation and loves the opportunity to make an impact in the town that he loves.
In 2019, he began in his Executive Director role at the Arnprior Regional Health Foundation. As his loved ones get older, he has become more aware of their health and the importance of having the care they need in the community where they live.
Contributing to the Arnprior Regional Health Foundation is one way he knows he can help make a better and healthier life for his family and the larger community.
[email protected]
613-623-3166 ext. 532
Kathy Wodzinski, Fundraising Administrator
After raising their family in Sarnia, Ontario, Kathy and her husband retired to their cottage on Lake Erie, where they felt lucky to be living the dream. Like so many others, the pandemic had them revisiting their goals, and when their first grandchild was born in 2021 in Arnprior, they started to plan for a new adventure.
Kathy’s professional life has always involved helping people. Her first role was as the Business Manager in a group home for adolescent females. The home enjoyed stable government funding; however, it was in this position Kathy learned about the importance of fundraising as a means to enable the agency to meet all of its financial commitments. Of equal importance, she saw how fundraising became a pivotal tool to connect the agency to its community.
Kathy went on to work in a community legal clinic as a licensed Paralegal for 20 years, helping the low-income community with issues relating to poverty law. Many times, those issues intersected with their health care, and Kathy developed a keen interest in the social determinants of health. She chaired Sarnia’s homelessness network for over ten years and sat on numerous poverty-related committees.
So it was a natural fit when Kathy, looking for a way to connect to her new community, responded to the Foundation when they were looking for a Fundraising Coordinator. She is enjoying being part of a team with the goal of bringing exceptional care, close to home.
Kathy is a graduate of the University of Windsor and Lambton College. She is licensed with the Law Society of Ontario as a Paralegal.
613-623-3166 ext. 362
We’d love to connect to answer any
questions or help support you
through your giving decisions.
Here’s how you can get in touch with
our team.
: 613-623-3166 ext. 362 (Phone)
: [email protected] (Email)
: www.facebook.com/ArnpriorRegionalHealthFoundaton (Facebook)
: www.instagram.com/arhfoundation (Instagram)
Mail or in person:
350 John Street North
Arnprior, Ontario
K7S 2P6