Team

Administration

Executive Director

Cindy Cepparo has been with Vitanova since the very beginning, and was in fact the first person hired over thirty years ago! She has a Master of Arts in social work, and oversees the day-to-day planning and operation of the Foundation, as well as leading our re-accreditation working group.

cindy.cepparo@vitanova.ca
905-850-3690 Ext 201

Director Strategic Initiatives

Dalubuhle Ndlovu holds a Masters in Health Administration from the University of Toronto and is a certified Health Executive. He is certified in Negotiation & Leadership from Harvard Law School. He supports the Executive Director in overseeing the administration, day-to-day operation of programs and the strategic plan, as well as implementing strategies to ensure the timely progression and achievement of both short and long-term strategic goals.

dalubuhle.ndlovu@vitanova.ca
905-850-3690 Ext 202

Director Community Engagement

Tony Carella was a founding director of Vitanova in 1987, and he has served as a board member and general-all-around-volunteer ever since. After the passing of his wife, Franca, and at the request of the board, Tony has taken on this more public role as community relations “face” of Vitanova.

tony.carella@vitanova.ca
905-850-3690 Ext 200

Clinical Director

Jessica Malynyk has been an addictions counsellor at Vitanova since 2014. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Counselling Psychology, a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Psychology, and Social Service Work diploma. She was appointed Program Manager in 2019.

jessica.malynyk@vitanova.ca
905-850-3690 Ext 203

Facility Manager

Cosimo Schiafone has been with Vitanova since 1992. Besides facilitating a number of different day-program groups and our evening aftercare group, he is our Facility Manager and a co-chair of our Joint Health & Safety Committee.

cosimo.schiafone@vitanova.ca
905-850-3690 Ext 204

Receptionist

Jordynne Peelar has been in this key position with Vitanova since 2018 —she is after all the first person visitors meet when coming through the front door. And she is excellent at her job of welcoming all.

jordynne.peelar@vitanova.ca
905-850-3690, Ext. 200

Community Outreach Program

Community Outreach staff bring important information to people who often know nothing about Vitanova and why it exists. The fact is that substance use and abuse takes a heavy toll on our community, and while our clinical staff help with treatment and rehabilitation, our outreach team has two aims: to prevent people from being caught up in substance use and abuse and letting those who are and want help know where to find it.

Life Skills Mentor

Anna Di Nardo is a veteran of the food services industry, with many years of experience in the field. That background makes her ideal when it comes to teaching clients about nutritious eating—knowledge that will help sustain their recovery over time.

info@vitanova.ca
905-850-3690, Ext 207

Youth Outreach and Communications Coordinator

Destin Bujang graduated from York University with a Bachelor of Arts with honours, majoring in Human Rights and Equity Studies and completing an MSW at the University of Toronto. He also holds a Bachelor of  Science degree in Journalism and Communications and is certified in settlement studies and crisis management. He has extensive experience working with youth, immigrants and diverse communities.

destin.bujang@vitanova.ca
905-850-3690, Ext 200

Addiction & Family Counsellor

Maryann Di Paola has a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from York University and a graduate certificate in Addictions and Mental Health from Durham College. She facilitates the Tuesday evening support group for families and friends while maintaining her own case load.

maryann.dipaola@vitanova.ca
905-850-3690 Ext 212

Life Skills Mentor

Rocio Saavedra is completing a degree in political science at York University, while mentoring clients in what we call housekeeping skills. Given the disorder that often accompanies substance use, Rocio is a patient teacher of how the contribution of every community member to the creation of clean and tidy spaces for all makes for individual and group recovery.

rocio.saavedra@vitanova.ca
905-850-3690 Ext 200

Addiction Counsellor

Strahinja (Tashy) Vukoje graduated from Guelph-Humber University, with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree (majoring in social work) and has a Social Service Worker diploma as well.

tashy.vukoje@vitanova.ca
905-850-3690 Ext 219

Addiction Counsellor

Tanuj Sharma holds an (Hons) Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Psychology, as well as a Bachelors of Education and a Professional Addiction Studies diploma from McMaster University. He represents Vitanova in the Well(nest) project—an addiction day treatment program in west end North York.

tanuj.sharma@vitanova.ca
905-850-3690 Ext 226

Volunteers

We are often asked what kind of volunteers we hope to attract? The answer depends on the prospective volunteers. Some help organize specific events, such as our annual fundraising dinner in the fall, or our open house in the summer. These we term temporary or “occasional volunteers” because they are involved for a set period of time only—as long as it takes to organize and stage an event. We are immensely grateful to these volunteers, many of whom have returned year after year, contributing their time and talents so generously.

A separate category of volunteers are those who volunteer on a regular basis, again giving of their time and talents over a number of months or longer. The profiles of two recent volunteers—Joanne and Robbie, will give you an idea of this second category of volunteers. Joanne first came to Vitanova looking for help for a relative; Robbie was a client who returned as an alumnus after he had completed the program.

Joanne

Joanne first heard about Vitanova and thought it might be just the thing she was looking for. Not that she had a problem with alcohol or drugs, but a very close relative did. But he wasn’t interested in treatment and Joanne (not her real name) didn’t need it. But she did need to learn how she could help her relative and Vitanova, she thought, might just be the place. She called, was told about the Tuesday evening support group for family members, and came the very next week.

When she was asked to introduce herself and say why she had come, she did so, but the response was a bit of a surprise. A number of the other attendees told her about their situations—wanting help for a family member who didn’t want help—and how she was the person they proposed to help. She came back the next week, and the week after that, and soon she decided that one night a week at Vitanova was not enough. So she volunteered to cook a couple of days a week. As she began to connect with the clients who were assigned to help in the kitchen, she opened up about why she was there and gradually she found her mood lifting. Her relative noticed it as well. And then he decided he would give Vitanova a try. He did, and after several months and a lot of hard work, he graduated and moved on to aftercare. But Joanne decided she wanted to stay a while longer, and did.

Three years later, she and her relative were talking about their experience at Vitanova. Joanne mentioned she is still in touch with some of the clients she worked with while directing the cooking. But she was surprised by one thing her relative said: “Do you know how many hearts you touched at Vitanova? When I run into people who were there when we were, they always ask me how you are doing? And they always have a big smile on their face!”

Robbie

Robbiefinished his program at Vitanova almost ten years ago and subsequently pursued a long-time interest in financial affairs. As his career progressed, he began to appreciate how much of a mess he had made of his personal finances while he was using, and how convinced he once was that he would never be other than a financial failure.

And then it dawned on him that, as a recovered addict, he was uniquely placed to help other recovering addicts put their finances in order.  So he contacted Vitanova about his idea, and he’s been at it ever since. Twice a month, Robbie holds a group session with day program clients, teaching them the basics of personal financial management: budgeting, use of credit cards, savings accounts, long-term financial goals, etc. He also meets with clients individually; as he says, many are reluctant to talk about the financial “shenanigans” they indulged in when they were using. He understands, so one-on-one sessions are very important.

Discussion often turns on issues like credit ratings. They are easy to obtain these days, and are useful when it comes to anyone understanding the starting point for achieving some financial goal. Owning a home is a common one, and quite a few of Robbie’s clients have, with his help, devised a plan that will make that possible. What’s Robbie’s take away from all this? In his words: “A million dollar’s worth of personal satisfaction. I love giving back to the organization that made such a difference in my life and to those it serves; now I can help make a difference in the lives of those who followed me.”