Children of the Street

Diane Sowden, Executive Director
dsowden@childrenofthestreet.com
Diane Sowden is co-founder and has been the Executive Director of Children of the Street Society since incorporation in 1995. As a Certified Family Support Worker, Diane has had the opportunity to work with many youth and families throughout British Columbia by presenting workshops to youth, parents and service providers on the issue of sexual exploitation.

Diane and her family were directly affected by the issue of sexual exploitation when her daughter was drawn into a life of drug addiction and sexual exploitation at the age of 13. Due to Diane's experience, she now supports other families who are affected by the issue.

Diane has been a resident of Coquitlam since 1984, and married Rob in 1974. Diane and Rob's passion for children, youth and their families led them to become adoptive parents as well as foster parents. They have eight children who depend on them as Mom and Dad, four of which are now adults.

Diane was elected to the Board of School Trustees in 2005 and is currently servicing her second term as a member of the Board of Education. She has been instrumental in forming legislative changes to the Child Protection Act in B.C. and the Criminal Code of Canada, specific to the issue of sexual exploitation, and throughout her work has been the recipient of a number of awards.

Diane believes every child has the right to be safe. She engages in consultative decision making and believes the maintaining focus on what is in the best interest of children, youth and their families.

Stephanie Owen, Program Manager
sowen@childrenofthestreet.com

Stephanie graduated from Simon Fraser University with a BA in Criminology. During her studies at SFU, Stephanie was introduced to the field of crime prevention through a practicum placement with the Government of Canada's National Crime Prevention Centre. Stephanie has worked with the BC Crime Prevention Association where she coordinated provincial community crime prevention programs, including Crime Free Multi-Housing, Crime Prevention Week, and Operation Red Nose. Stephanie joined Children of the Street Society as Program Manager in 2006, and oversees program development and fundraising.

Meghan Toal, Program Coordinator
mtoal@childrenofthestreet.com

Meghan graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology and History from the University of Alberta in 2007, and moved to Vancouver seeking a career that would incorporate her passion for social justice, youth empowerment and community development. Meghan first joined Children of the Street Society as a TCO² Workshop Facilitator where she created and carried out prevention and education workshops for children and youth throughout the province, for two years. Last year Meghan left Vancouver, moving to inner-city Chicago where she joined the American not for profit organization Teach for America, and taught 120 7^th grade students social studies and reading.  Completing her work in Chicago, Meghan is pleased to be living in Vancouver once again and has returned to Children of the Street Society as Program Coordinator.

Catherine Cachia, Fund Development Coordinator
ccachia@childrenofthestreet.com

Catherine moved to British Columbia from Ontario to join Children of the Street Society, in 2009. Catherine is motivated to use her fundraising skills and experience in the non-profit sector to promote community partnerships. Catherine graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a BA in Visual Arts, and then earned a certificate of Arts Administration - Cultural Management from Humber College. Catherine gained a strong interest in social issues that affect youth through her previous position as Development Associate at SKETCH, Working Arts for Street Involved and Homeless Youth, in Toronto.

Esther Asirvatham, Administrative Assistant
admin@childrenofthestreet.com
Born and brought up in Sri Lanka, Esther joined Children of the Street Society in 2007. She received her post secondary education in the field of Commerce and has completed the Intermediate level in Accounts. Esther has further enhanced her studies within the Canadian context in Business Administration at Ryerson University, Toronto.

Esther brings with her over 20 years of experience in the field of program and office administration. She has worked on projects funded by the World Health Organization, United Nations Children’s Education Fund, the World Bank and the Canadian International Development Agency. Her work experience has been with under-privileged women and children of the third world. Esther believes every new day brings another opportunity to help someone in need.

TCO²: Taking Care of Ourselves, Taking Care of Others
tco2@childrenofthestreet.com