How do we operate?
SAFE is a democratic community based organization. We use a committee model with a Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer with specific responsibilities. The committee model allows our Board/ Steering Committee members to choose how and to what degree they would like to be involved and share specific areas of responsibilities. Our steering committee takes responsibility for overseeing and undertaking the organization's day-to-day operations and is accountable to society members and to the community at large. Different settlement committees are responsible for each aspect of the settlement process, with active participation of our community volunteers. The decision making process includes all SAFE Steering Committee members and occurs at monthly meetings, or occasionally through a special meeting, as per SAFE's by-laws. SAFE members engage as per their interest and time available, and are invited and encouraged to participate in the AGM, held usually in the month of March every year. We welcome new members.
Currently, we have 12 Board/ Steering Committee members, coming from diverse backgrounds and life experiences. Each member has a term of 3 years, renewable once, with a maximum term of 6 years. Many of our founding Steering Committee members have remained active volunteers and supporters of SAFE's mission.
SAFE is a democratic community based organization. We use a committee model with a Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer with specific responsibilities. The committee model allows our Board/ Steering Committee members to choose how and to what degree they would like to be involved and share specific areas of responsibilities. Our steering committee takes responsibility for overseeing and undertaking the organization's day-to-day operations and is accountable to society members and to the community at large. Different settlement committees are responsible for each aspect of the settlement process, with active participation of our community volunteers. The decision making process includes all SAFE Steering Committee members and occurs at monthly meetings, or occasionally through a special meeting, as per SAFE's by-laws. SAFE members engage as per their interest and time available, and are invited and encouraged to participate in the AGM, held usually in the month of March every year. We welcome new members.
Currently, we have 12 Board/ Steering Committee members, coming from diverse backgrounds and life experiences. Each member has a term of 3 years, renewable once, with a maximum term of 6 years. Many of our founding Steering Committee members have remained active volunteers and supporters of SAFE's mission.
Maria vanVonderen, Health Lead
Maria is a retired Registered Nurse and former Co-Executive Director of the Canadian Association for Community Living, Antigonish. She joined SAFE in 2022 as Health Lead and serves on the Board and Governance Committee. Maria brings professional expertise, practical care, and a strong commitment to inclusion. She sees volunteering as a way to strengthen community connections, create opportunities for growth, and give back through service.
Anuj Jain, Chair
Anuj moved to Antigonish after a long learning journey through India, Zambia, the United States, and Thailand. Rooted in a lifelong interest in international development, he has called Antigonish and Canada home for over a decade. He is active in several local initiatives that support newcomers and help build welcoming and inclusive communities. Anuj joined SAFE’s Board in 2023 and now serves as Chair.
Natasha Gilfoy, Secretary and Applications Lead
Natasha brings more than 15 years of experience in administration and human resources to SAFE. She joined the Board in 2025, inspired both by her family’s own history of displacement and by her son’s friendship with a newcomer family. She lives in Williams Point with her husband, two sons, and their pets, and enjoys gardening, local trails, and hands-on DIY projects. Natasha serves as SAFE’s Secretary and Applications Lead and is active in the Settlement and New Applications Committees.
Tim McCoy, Vice Chair and Governance Lead
Tim is a retired clergy member originally from North Carolina and later served as Executive Minister with the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec. Now living in Antigonish County, he also teaches as Adjunct Faculty at Acadia Divinity College. Tim and his wife previously volunteered as house parents at Matthew House in Toronto, supporting refugee claimant families in resettlement. He now brings that same spirit of welcome to his role with SAFE, where he serves as Vice Chair and leads the Board and Governance Committee.
Karen Briand, Settlement Committee Lead
Karen joined SAFE out of admiration for its work and a desire to help welcome and settle refugees in Antigonish. Retired from a long career in nursing and health management, she has also taught mental health, medical-surgical nursing, and leadership at the StFX Rankin School of Nursing. Karen now leads SAFE’s Settlement Committee and brings both warmth and strong organizational experience to the role.
Ellahi Bakhsh Baloch, Employment Committee
Ellahi is a seasoned professional with more than two decades of experience in community development, human rights advocacy, and project management. He has led social justice initiatives locally and internationally and brings strengths in partnership building, research, and program implementation. Since joining SAFE’s Board in 2024, he has supported newcomers with settlement, housing, and employment, and serves on the Employment Committee.
Maureen Moynagh, Education Committee Lead
Maureen is a Professor in the English Department at St. Francis Xavier University. Her teaching and research reflect a long-standing interest in global justice and international solidarity. A long-time resident of Antigonish, she has contributed to a number of local cultural and community initiatives. Having admired SAFE’s work since its beginnings, she is pleased to now serve on its Steering Committee and lead the Education Committee.
Ruth Adams, Settlement Committee
Ruth joined SAFE out of a strong belief that welcoming refugees benefits everyone. She sees diversity as a source of strength and values the opportunities that come when newcomers make Antigonish their home. Ruth serves on the Settlement Committee, where she supports SAFE’s work of helping families build a new life in community.
Jack Beaton, Interim Education Lead (Immediate Past Board Member)
A lifelong Nova Scotian with deep roots in the province, Jack has lived and worked in communities across Inverness, Guysborough, and Antigonish Counties. Before retirement, he spent 37 years in public education as a teacher, principal, regional coordinator, director, and superintendent. His involvement with SAFE deepened his understanding of the challenges newcomer families face in building a life in rural Nova Scotia, and of how much a community gains when it becomes a place of welcome. Jack values the relationships, learning, and shared purpose that have come through SAFE’s work over the years.
Arun Bhatnagar, Treasurer
Arun is a former seafarer who transitioned from a career navigating the world’s oceans to navigating complex corporate environments. He brings that experience to mentoring the next generation of maritime professionals at NSCC; and now to social impact work that wishes to engage in. Shaped by a firsthand understanding of the challenges faced by vulnerable populations seeking a more equitable life, Arun is committed to helping deserving individuals find safety and stability. He joined SAFE in 2026 as a Board Member and also serves as Treasurer.
Mariam Bibi, Board Member
Mariam came to Canada in 2021 to pursue her PhD and has since been actively involved in community engagement and volunteer work. During her studies, she supported education and accessibility initiatives through Let’s Talk Science and has also been a strong advocate for women in STEM. Drawn to work with deeper social impact, she joined SAFE in 2026 and is excited to contribute to efforts that support refugees and help build a more welcoming community.
Desmond Hembrey, Board Member
Desmond brings more than a decade of experience supporting children, youth, and families in a range of educational and community-based settings. He currently works in school settlement in Antigonish with YMCA Immigrant Programs and also facilitates Y-Active: Try It Out, a free ongoing youth sport program delivered in collaboration with Sport Nova Scotia for young people facing barriers to social inclusion. New to SAFE in 2026, Desmond is glad to contribute to the organization’s work and to learn from the experience and dedication of fellow board members.
Lindsay Arseneau, Board member
Lindsay has lived in Antigonish since 2017, after earlier chapters in Alberta, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories. With a background in public health, she now works in the mental health field. Her commitment to welcoming newcomers was shaped early by her mother’s work supporting newcomer women and children in Calgary through the Boys and Girls Club. Since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Lindsay and her husband Marc have helped Ukrainian families settle in Antigonish, drawing on their own understanding of the challenges of settling in rural Nova Scotia with children. She joined SAFE to continue supporting families as they build a new life in Antigonish and to advocate for displaced people seeking safety and stability in Canada.
Immediate Past Board Members
Mark Ballard
Mark began his journey with SAFE in 2015 after volunteering at a refugee camp in Greece. That life-changing experience deepened his belief that there is important work to do in Canada as well as abroad. He values immigration as a way of enriching community life and sees SAFE as a place where compassion, fellowship, and community action come together. He served as Chair of SAFE from 2023 until stepping back from the Board in 2026.
Harry Daemen
Harry immigrated to Canada in 1951 and remains deeply grateful for the opportunities this country gave his family. Over the past decade, he has been active in refugee resettlement, first as Chair of Tri-HEART, which sponsored three Syrian families, and later as a Steering Committee director with SAFE. His work focused on sponsorship applications and supporting newcomer families with settlement and regular check-ins during their first year.
Norine Verberg
Norine has been a SAFE volunteer since 2015 and later joined the Board. Since 2016, she has conducted research on refugee resettlement in rural Nova Scotia, including work on the economic transitions and educational integration of refugees in rural communities. She was co-chair of the StFX for SAFE campaign, which raised significant sponsorship funds in SAFE’s early years, and has supported SAFE’s fundraising efforts through auctions and other initiatives.