At The Olive Branch of Hope
we stand together
We welcome everyone who wants to become a part of our community.
At The Olive Branch of Hope
We welcome everyone who wants to become a part of our community.
We create a safe place where women of diverse cultures can share their breast cancer experiences, be informed, empowered, inspired, and renew their hope for a better future for themselves and for future generations.
We provide culturally specific resources, provincially and nationally, as well as information and healing techniques to help families cope after the diagnosis and throughout the treatment period.
Giving hope with a personal approach.
At The Olive Branch of Hope, volunteers are an essential part of our efforts to reduce the impact of cancer on our communities.
Throughout the world, tens of thousands of people are giving their time and resources to help with cancer prevention. Whether they are fundraising, working as administrators at various organizations, or directly supporting people being affected by the disease, their work is instrumental in the battle against cancer.
At The Olive Branch of Hope, we are looking for passionate, energetic people eager to donate their time to this important cause.
“Sharing your story is a courageous step towards healing your own heart.”
Your story, Your Voice.
We encourage cancer survivors to be the voice and share hope with world in their words, their voice. We would appreciate and encourage people who’ve been part of cancer journeys whether themselves or of their loved ones to share encouragement and inspire those who may be feeling alone, fearful, or depressed.
Pay it forward by sharing your story, a poem, or a song. Help them remember-
“Cancer is a word, not a sentence; especially not a death sentence.”
A visionary and seasoned financial and business professional (CPA) with over 20 years’ experience working with some of the top fortune 500 companies. For the last 3 years her role as AVP, Business Aligned Services is responsible for aligning the strategic vision of Technology infrastructure and operational services to the needs of the business. Denise is focused on change management and the adoption of new technologies to support the future of work, management of the enterprise help desk and technology vendor management office. She has an entrepreneurial approach to business that reflects a commitment to the brand message and vision of an organization and driving decisions that encompass a holistic view of the overall strategic position and ultimate goal. She exercised her entrepreneurial passions as owner and operator of a full-service day spa in the west GTA for 7 years, and also served on the boards of social impacting organizations focused on the single mother communities and breast cancer support for women of colour.
Angela is a risk management professional working in all facets of business, operations, international regulations, governance, risk management, privacy and compliance. She brings this unique combination of talents and skills to The Olive Branch of Hope with a strong focus on compliance. Angela joined the Board in January 2024.
Outside of work, Angela has been active in community service, having served on various not-for-profit boards in Canada and the United Kingdom, and has worked with many charities including Habitat for Humanity, United Way and Lloyd’s Community Programme – Reading Partners — where she’s had the opportunity to help students one-on-one with their literacy and reading skills to build their confidence and increase their motivation.
June never thought that as the mom of a 22-year-old beautiful daughter, any life event
could be sweeter and eclipse the birth of her child. She was wrong!! Beating Triple
Negative Breast Cancer 11 years now has given her a new and wonderful lease on life.
Due to this experience and outside of her day job, June spends her “free time” supporting many organizations, primarily those focused on cancer and women. She is a Director, a Board Member and an Ambassador with The Olive Branch of Hope. She is a member volunteering with The Congress of Black Women, Brampton Chapter. She lends her time to The Walnut Foundation, a Men’s Health Cancer organization and is very active within her church community.
Giselle Germain is a dedicated and skilled financial professional serving as the Treasurer for The Olive Branch of Hope, an organization committed to providing support and resources to those affected by breast cancer. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for helping others, Giselle ensures the financial stability and transparency of the organization.
Giselle has a strong background in finance and accounting, which has equipped her with the expertise to manage the financial operations of The Olive Branch of Hope effectively. Her commitment to meticulous financial planning and her strategic approach have been instrumental in the organization’s growth and sustainability.
Giselle is a notable figure in the Real Estate Sector and holds the position as Director of Development Accounting for one of Canada’s largest fully integrated REITs. Companies.
With a sincere dedication to community welfare, Giselle joined TOBOH driven by a passion for advancing breast cancer awareness and empowerment among women of African descent.
Having volunteered with TOBOH since March 2020, Giselle’s role in event planning has underscored a desire to shape the charity’s strategic direction.
Donnaree is the current Chair for the Board of Directors at The Olive Branch of Hope. She holds a Bachelor of Education Degree (with Distinction) in Adult Education and currently works as a Program Support Officer. Prior to her current role, she has also worked as a Life and Benefits Advisor where she assisted individuals and families with risk management solutions to protect themselves and secure their future. Over the years, she has seen many families experience financial distress due to injury, illness, or death.
Her commitment to community service led her to volunteer with The Olive Branch of Hope, A not-for profit breast cancer community support service group. As a former Adult Facilitator at a major financial company, she was involved in organizing community volunteer events, and consistently encouraged her peers to participate in civic duties. Donnaree strongly believes that it is everyone’s responsibility to give-back to the community in which we live and thrive as it is our civic duty.
Although not a survivor, she understands the implication of a cancer diagnosis on the individual and their family. Cancer (especially breast cancer) is a disease which affects women of African Ancestry at a disproportionate rate. She strongly supports patient advocacy and education that focus on the cause, effect, care and coping mechanisms of this disease. She embraces the goal of this organization, to provide support and education to our diverse community of women (and men), while helping to identify and remove barriers that prevent them from accessing certain health care resources.
Sandra is a Registered Practical Nurse and member of the Registered Practical Nursing Association. She has been employed with Michael Garron Hospital formerly Toronto East General for the past 25 years.
Sandra volunteered with The Olive Branch Of Hope for three years prior to becoming a Board Member in 2015.
Nadine McKenzie was diagnosed with Stage 4 Breast Cancer in September of 2022. A writer, the mother of two young girls and owner of black business incubator Melanin MRKT has become an advocate for Black Women’s Health and bringing awareness to living with cancer and the disparities in representation.
Stacey Ann Berry is the founder and president of Bstellar® Group Inc., which provides professional development workshops as well as, consulting services in government relations, business development, community engagement and strategic planning.
Stacey is a service-driven leader who is passionate about the arts, community engagement and youth development. She serves as the Toronto Chapter President for Blacks in Technology Foundation, which makes tech careers more accessible for black professionals and provides resources, mentorship, career development and scholarships.
As a former director for the Toronto Board of Health, she chaired the Public Health Champion Awards Selection Committee, served on the Performance Appraisal of the Medical Officer of Health Committee and the Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa) Board of Directors.
She has a master’s degree in Public Policy Administration and Law as well as an Honors BA in History and Law and Society from York University. She also has a diploma in Court and Tribunal Administration and a certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution from Seneca College.
Stacey is the recipient of the “Outstanding Contribution to Student Experience” Award from York University. She was also recognized as one of the 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women as well as, Canada’s 100 Black Women to Watch by the Canadian International Black Women Excellence and recognized as one of the “150 Neighbors and Community Builders” by University of Toronto Scarborough. Stacey is also a recipient of the G. Raymond Chang Outstanding Volunteer Award from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Nadine McKenzie was diagnosed with Stage 4 Breast Cancer in September of 2022. A writer, the mother of two young girls and owner of black business incubator Melanin MRKT has become an advocate for Black Women’s Health and bringing awareness to living with cancer and the disparities in representation.
Dr. Danielle Cuthbert is a Clinical Fellow in Breast Oncology at The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. She completed medical school and internal medicine residency at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. She then returned home to Toronto in 2020 to continue her education in the Medical Oncology Training Program (MOTP) at the University of Toronto where she served as Chief Resident from 2021-2022.
Dr. Cuthbert’s clinical and research interests are centered on equity, diversity and inclusion, as well as women’s health. She is hopeful to combine her passion for both areas as a breast oncologist with a career focus on tackling systemic inequities within cancer care. She is proud of her Trinidadian heritage and is an advocate for improved access to oncologic care for Caribbean communities. She also has a strong interest in medical education and is motivated to increase recruitment of students from underrepresented groups into the medical field.
Arnold Pinnock is a UK-born, Canadian actor whose career began at Toronto’s Second City Mainstage doing sketch comedy. His work in film and television has spanned almost three decades with over 12+ credits to his name.
On the big screen, his highlights include; Exit Wounds for Warner Brothers, starring opposite DMX and Steven Segal, the fantastical comedy Down to Earth with Chris Rock and in 2019 he played opposite Liam Neeson in Cold Pursuit for Lionsgate.
Well-loved and widely recognized by audiences for performances on TV such as Vic in Billable Hours for Showcase, Paul in Life With Derek for Disney, and Cdr. Will Royal on ABC’s Combat Hospital, Walt Forbes in Travelers for Netflix, and Victor James in the period drama Damnation for USA Network.
Other notable projects include; Altered Carbon and The Knight Before Christmas, both for Netflix, Cardinal for HULU, Once Upon A Time for ABC, Beauty and The Beast for CW, and comedies such as Young Drunk Punks for CityTV, and Baroness Van Sketch show for CBC.
Also in the family comedy Anderson Parker-Anderson where he plays the series lead “Tony”, a father who moves his family from the UK to Canada. He will next be seen in Murdoch Mysteries
Arnold’s most current role is as Co-creator and Co-executive producer of The Porter a CBC/ BET+ co-production period drama.
Ms. Lydia-Joi Marshall is a proud Caribbean Canadian woman who champions issues in health equity. Lydia-Joi currently serves as the President, Board of Directors of the Black Health Alliance, a not-for-profit organization which works tirelessly to advocate for those who have been marginalized by anti-Black racism.
Academically she lends her expertise from her BSc. in Biology from Western University and MSc. in Human Genetics from Howard University.
Lydia-Joi consistently strives to challenge diverse groups to examine systemic disparities, and has done so through many platforms including multi-disciplinary published research, leading dynamic international workshops and most recently as a TEDxToronto Speaker.
Dr. Juliet Daniel is a professor and cancer biologist in the Department of Biology at McMaster University. In 1999, Dr. Daniel established her own research laboratory and pivoted her expertise to focus on cell-cell adhesion, signaling through transcription factors, and how its malfunction contributes to cancer.
Dr. Daniel’s team is currently concentrating on colon cancer research, and developing diagnostic tests and therapeutics by identifying unique DNA mutations or markers in aggressive triple negative breast cancers (TNBC), a disease that is known to be difficult to treat and most prevalent in young women of African and Hispanic ancestry.
Following her years of influential activism and awarded recognition, Dr. Daniel partners with The Olive Branch of Hope cancer support service to organize “Think Beyond ‘Love Pink’ Breast Cancer Awareness” workshops for women of African ancestry in the GTA.
Dr. Aisha Lofters serves as a family physician at Womeris College Hospital and holds the Chair in Implementation Science at the Peter Gilgan Centre for Womenis Cancers at Women’s College Hospital in partnership with the Canadian Cancer Society.
Dr. Lofters’ research interests are applied into the process for cancer screening and prevention with a health equity lens. Her knowledgeable expertise in health gives her the credibility to advise on issues related to obesity, fibroids, and early signs of cancerous stages.
Dr. Andrea Covelli is a surgical oncologist, assistant professor, and surgeon-investigator in the Division of Gerneral Surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in the Department of Surgery.
Dr.Covellis clinical focus is within surgical management of complex skin malignancies and breast disease, and a specialization in rare breast malignancies, including mesenchymal tumours. Through her research, Dr. Covelli works to improve patient and clinical care outcomes, and addresses health inequities in cancer care for under- represented patient populations.