The Stop Abuse in Families (SAiF) Society
Our Mission & Vision Our Team Our History Our Impact
Our Vision
Working towards a society free of abuse.
Our Mission
To promote healthy, respectful relationships through education, support, and advocacy.
Our Definition of
Family Violence
Abuse can take many forms - physical, psychological, emotional, sexual, financial, spiritual and/or cultural and more.
Our Values
We believe each individual is unique, and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Each individual shall live without fear of physical, sexual, emotional, verbal, financial, or spiritual abuse.
Click here for more details of our values.
Our Board and Team
Our volunteer Board of Directors is comprised of local community members invested in SAiF's programs & success. They provide governance, oversight, and strategic direction to the organization. A dedicated group, they serve 2-3 year terms and meet year-round.
Our staff are a passionate group of clinicians (psychologists, counsellors,
social workers) and administrators working tirelessly to ensure SAiF's programs are structured to deliver the best possible outcomes for our clients within our resources. We work to the ethics and standards as outlined by the Canadian Association of Psychologists for our clinical work.
We also have multiple volunteer opportunities in order to expand the impact of our work and help us achieve our mission. Volunteers play a critical role - whether it's supporting fundraising, events, administration, or other needed tasks - they are intrinsic to our work.
Learn more here.
Our Board
Thomas Holmes, Chair
Registered Psychologist
Denyse Michelutti, Vice-Chair
HR Systems Mgr, Edm Catholic Schools
Natasha Lewis, Secretary
Personnel Selection Officer
TBD, Treasurer
Jacquie Hansen
Former St Albert City Councillor
Robert (Bob) Hassel
Retired, Edmonton Police Service
Tammy Lubemsky
Acupuncturist
Cheryl Pollard
Dean of Nursing, University of Regina
Patrick Schiller
Registered Psychologist
If you are interested in applying to become a board member, review our posting here.
Our Staff
Mark Dixon, Executive Director
Dr Marcia Gordeyko, Clinical Supervisor
Candace Scheuer, Adult Counsellor
Karelia Gamache, Adult/Youth Counsellor
Danielle Lall, Education Facilitator
Ignacio Astete, WiseGuyz Facilitator
Teresa Sutherland,
Elders' Resources Coordinator
Vacant, Child/Youth Counsellor
Vacant, Education Facilitator
Tanya De La Mare,
Admin Support & Volunteer Coordinator
Debits & Credits, Bookkeeping Services
Interested in joining our team? Check out our open positions here.
In July 2020, we worked with Reel Communications to put together a short video on how SAiF began and its impact on the community over the past 30 years.
Ireen Slater, our founder, shared a bit of SAiF's humble beginnings in the late 1980's. Staff shared programs, services, and the rewards/challenges in working with families dealing with the impacts of abuse and violence.
This is our work.
This is our impact.
This is Ireen's legacy.
