NHFS

As a mother of 3 grown children one of which was diagnosed with a neurobehavioral diagnosis as a child, Cheryl knows all too well the strength and love needed to raise a special needs child. Very early on in her families journey Cheryl met an OT who was the inspiration behind Cheryl's drive to learn as much as possible to help her daughter Natalie be her best self.

With over 20 years' experience, Cheryl has been a Foster Mother, Respite care staff, Family Support worker having done 10 years working on Child Protection cases, Family Support Agency Manager and Regional Manager. At the age of 29, with 3 small children at home, Cheryl attended Mount Alison University studying Psychology and Sociology as well as obtained several certifications in areas such as ABA, Autism, Resolving Human Conflict, Nonviolent crisis intervention, Fetal Alcohol and other Neurobehavioral conditions just to name a few.

Above everything Cheryl is a mother, with great passion for families living with a loved one who has special needs, Cheryl goes above and beyond to support her families and her staff to provide the best service possible to her clients.

The decision to start a Non Profit organization was an easy one for Cheryl as it was the best way to be able to reach as many people as possible in the community who are struggling, "ordinary families living through extraordinary circumstances". Her goal is to be able to raise enough funds to be able to offer services to families free of charge and to support them through challenging times.

Stephanie joined the NHFS team in October of 2021.

Stephanie graduated top of her class from the Personal Support Worker program in 2008 and the Registered Practical Nursing program in 2015. Stephanie has 6 years experience working as a nurse, helping individuals during difficult times in their lives. Stephanie’s previous work and life experiences has shaped her into a compassionate, patient, empathetic individual with the avidity to help and support families.

Being a mother of 3 children, it has given her invaluable knowledge working with families. Stephanie has always had the desire to help others. Stephanie is passionate about learning and looks for every opportunity to further her knowledge.

In her spare time, you’ll find Stephanie spending time with her family, watching movies, taking care of her pets, baking and cooking.

Annie Keating has been a Community Outreach Worker with NHFS since January of 2021.

Annie graduated with a Psychology degree from Mount Allison University in 2021 and is currently pursuing her Bachelors of Education at Crandall University with plans to obtain a Masters of Education in Exceptional Learners. She is also working toward her Registered Behaviour Technician certification.

Annie has been working with children within a variety of capacities since 2013 including coaching sports, swimming lessons, and daycares. Annie is passionate about her work and helping those who need a little extra support.

Gerry Pellerin is a Community Outreach Worker who has been with Nicholas’s Hope Family Services Inc. since its inception.

Gerry is a college graduate from the Policing and Corrections class of Oulton College with a specialization in Security, with training in NVCI, FAS and ABA. Gerry has over 8 years experience working with youth from all types of backgrounds and diagnosis.

Gerry is a father of two beautiful girls, Alexis and Theadora and takes great pride in his family. Gerry is a caring, outgoing and passionate member of our team. When Gerry is not at work he is spending his free time playing a multitude of sports and very active in our community in a variety of ways, and loves spending time with his family.

Emma joined her journey of a community outreach worker at NHFS in September of 2022. She has since graduated with Honors in Criminology at Eastern College and has obtained a job as a youth care worker as well.

Emma has years of experience with children from working in childcare since 2016 and she has young twin boys of her own. This is her first time working with neurodivergent clients and her passion for her job has only grown stronger.

Emma enjoys taking her clients on outings, baking and creating arts and crafts. Most importantly she loves the challenge and developing a bond with her clients. Emma’s goal is to create a safe and caring environment for her clients with dignity and respect.

Emma’s spare time is spent with her 2 precious boys.

Cassie Martin began her journey in 2009. While working as an Early Childhood Educator, she met a young girl who was recently diagnosed with Angelman Syndrome, a rare chromosomal diagnosis. Moments after meeting this child, she realized the path she was meant to be on and began building her knowledge in Behavior Intervention. 15 years later she has since obtained experience, certificates and diplomas in supporting individuals with diagnoses such as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus to name a few.

Cassie has worked with Cheryl for over a decade, attending meetings with and working alongside multidisciplinary teams, creating day program plans, as well as providing any and all needed support to multiple individuals across the province. Her goal in life is to help everyone she meets reach their full potential regardless of diagnosis or any obstacles that may get in their way.

She is energetic, silly, outgoing, empathetic and always willing to lend a listening ear.

When she is not working Cassie enjoys spending time with her partner Cara and stepson Izaac, traveling, swimming, hiking, camping and enjoying live music. Cassie plans to continue instilling the desire of helping others in Izaac as well.

Isabelle is working towards her 4 year Bachelor in Psychology at Mount Allison University. She is looking to pursue a Masters to become a board certified Behaviour analyst within the next few years. Isabelle is also currently working to complete her Registered Behaviour technician training.

Isabelle grew up with lots of kids and people with disabilities, as well as having a step sister with a disability she learned how to better communicate with her and teacher her social life skills with other kids so she could go out in society and find herself making great accomplishments. With her step mother being a social worker and her mother helping the country with poverty she has had a good mind set of how to help people who need a little extra support.

Isabelle is very passionate about her work. she will go above and beyond to help in any way she can and finds that working with those who need extra support gives her a sense of purpose.

Brooke joined NHFS in December of 2022, s graduated from NBCC with Early Childhood Education certificate in 2023. Brooke worked in daycares for 5 years taking care of all age groups from infants to after school age children, and would often step in as a support worker for any child who needed extra support.

Growing up Brooke was surrounded by caring women including her mom, both of her grandmothers and her aunt who spent their days assisting individuals with special needs and other types of disabilities and knew that helping people was in her blood.

Brooke is very proud of the career path she has chosen and in the near future plans to start her RBT certification so she can expand her knowledge and become even more helpful to all of her current and future clients. Brooke has become an valued member of the NHFS team.

Tristen Petitpas is a Community Outreach Specialist, Registered Behavior Technician and jack of all trades within the organization for Nicholas Hope Family Services Inc.

Tristen is a Child and Youth Care with Addictions graduate from Oulton College with over 7 years experience in the field.

Tristen has a true passion for helping individuals with special needs that traces back to her childhood. Her family life is the reason she is a part of this field, growing up with her older sister who was diagnosed with Autism and living with foster kids most of her life.

Now a mother of 2, 7 year old Alexis and 6 month old Theadora, Tristen is even more committed to supporting families in our community.

Graduate of Eastern College - Child and youth services 2009 & UNB- Autism intervention- 2013.

Worked in corrections for a year after completion of college unfortunately wasn’t the right balance for my family at the time.

That is when I had found the job as a family support worker. The job lead to many opportunities including furthering my education and training in NVCI, ASSIST, FAD, mental health, completed my RBT training, cultural training and a multitude of others. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to grow with the team and became team lead, team mentor and later a house manager for individuals enrolled in the Independent living program.

After working in the field for 11 years both with an agency and privately for families I embarked on the opportunity to work for the School district as an EA. In 2017 I started as an EA with the school district and worked privately for families after my school hours. In 2020 I decided to join the NHFS team as my second job :)

Tricia is a 35-year-old who started with Nicholas Hope team as a Community Outreach Worker early March 2021.

Tricia previously worked in addiction for six years.

Tricia is a mother of a 14-year-old girl who has Mild Intellectual Disorder, ADHD, and anxiety. My daughter is my pride and joy. She is currently a client of Nicholas Hope. My experience comes from raising my child.

Tricia loves to spend time with her family, cooking and baking in her spare time. Also, she is always willing to learn new things.

Tricia is a dependable, dedicated, hardworking and passionate person. She is an incredibly quiet and shy person but when she is around youth, she loves making them happy. Tricia loves making a difference in youth life in the community and putting smiles on their faces.

Hassan Maidal is a Community Support Worker who has been with Nicholas’s Hope Family Services Inc. since its inception.

Hassan is a full-time teacher at the school district. He has a Bachelor of Education and a Master of Education in Exceptional Learners from Crandall University. He works with learners with a variety of developmental and behavioral needs. His area of expertise is working with ASD students and developing individualized programming in the area of functional skills for independence.

Christine recently joined Nicholas Hope Family Services in March 2023 as a community outreach worker.

Christine graduated from Eastern College with distinction for her Personal Support Worker‘s diploma in 2022. She has been doing support work for the past 14 years at the volunteer center. She has worked with many individuals with a very broad range of disabilities like Angelman syndrome, autism, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, and cerebral palsy.

Christine enjoys learning anything new to help gain knowledge for bettering herself. She is always willing to lend a hand to help anyone out. She also enjoys being with her husband Perry and her precious son Angus. They enjoy long road trips across the Maritime's to collect sea glass from different beaches.

Christine is very excited and proud to be part of the NHFS team. She looks forward to exploring all the opportunities that this career has to offer.

Matt Horsman is a Community Outreach Worker who has been with NHFS since June 2023.

Matt is currently enrolled as a Child and Youth Care with Addictions student. He also holds many related certifications, such as NVCI and ASIST, and is a Certified Listener in emotional support and a Certified Life Coach.

Matt has also leveraged his extensive leadership experience to serve his community. He is currently the Vice-Chair on the board of a local non-profit daycare, and has recently completed a term as VP of Education in a local Toastmasters club.

Matt's central passion as a community outreach worker revolves around empowering clients to be themselves, encouraging them to let their personalities shine while working towards independence.

Outside of his time with NHFS, Matt is either spending time with his 3-year-old son or continuing his work developing a music education program for local high schools.

Alexie Mallet-LeBlanc is a Community Support Worker who has been with Nicholas’s Hope Family Services Inc. since August 2023.

Alexie is a full-time student at Université de Moncton, working towards completing a Bachelor of Recreational management.

Alexie has a heart for helping and enjoys enriching the lives of those around her.

In her free time, Alexie loves spending time with her family & friends.