Our Story

AbleLiving is a not for profit organization operated by Thrive Group. Thrive Group has been created to bring like minded organizations together to develop a broad range and continuum of services that enable clients to live fulfilling lives and as independently as possible. Thrive Group organizations operate independently but collaboratively with other organizations in the network. Benefits of membership include the opportunity to enhance client service, more efficient use of resources, and lower cost of service delivery. As a network, Thrive Group organizations also have access to operational synergies in human resources, finance, Information Technology and overall administration.

Our Philosophy

We believe living well is an art, not a science. Thrive Group makes living life well, on our own terms, a reality. With an integrated service delivery model, Thrive Group provides a healthy living experience that meets service, safety and care requirements in environments designed for people with unique needs.

Our Mission

Thrive Group provides a spectrum of integrated services to support and care for individuals to live as independently as possible. By bringing together like-minded organizations we will:

  • Develop and deliver quality services that are responsive and innovative
  • Enhance collaborative approaches to service provision
  • Inform government directives and influence health care system transformation, and
  • Create efficiencies and reduce duplication.

Our Vision

Building a community of quality and responsive services in a highly integrated and transformed health care system.

Our Values

Teamwork is essential for our success. We believe we are more effective together than individually. We require our collective knowledge and skills to accomplish great things. Our employees and volunteers are expected to work in collaboration with each other, our clients, residents and family members. By building strong and effective partnerships with our community and funders we believe we can build more accessible and cohesive systems of care for all.
Honesty and transparency are fundamental in building relationships with our clients and residents, partners, funders, families and community. We are trustworthy and ethical in all our dealings and hold our employees and volunteers to the highest standards of conduct. We value open, honest and direct communication and encourage regular feedback from our employees and volunteers, clients, residents and stakeholders.
Respect is required in all our interactions. We respect the privacy and dignity of our clients and residents and will provide them with support and services that allow them to live as safely and independently as possible. We value and celebrate diversity in our clients, residents and colleagues. We respect the environments within which we work and will strive to maintain them to the highest standards possible.
Innovation and progressive approaches to care are essential in meeting the current and growing needs of our clients and residents. We are committed to continuous learning and development, and encourage our employees and volunteers to strive to be the best that they can be. We are committed to learning new approaches and open to researching and implementing best and most promising practices to ensure we remain a leader in the field of human service provision.
Versatility ensures our ability to adapt and change to meet growing demands with limited resources. We are committed to building services and systems that are responsive, timely and cost efficient. We will remain solution-focused and will provide our clients, residents and stakeholders with demonstrated value without compromising quality of service. We will build a culture of responsibility and accountability across all organizational systems.
Excellence is a fundamental requirement in all we do. We are committed to building a leading-edge organization that attracts and retains a highly qualified and engaged workforce. Through the expertise and commitment of our employees we will subsequently develop high quality programs, services and systems that are held in the highest regard across the wider health and social service sector.

Our Board of Directors

AbleLiving Services is governed by a voluntary Board of Directors who are committed to ensuring the highest level of quality care is provided.

Portrait of Bob Luckhart

Bob Luckhart

Portrait of Terry Anderson

Sebastien Skrobos

Portrait of Sue Rivers

Tim Dietrich

Portrait of Ted Capstick

Ted Capstick

Portrait of Dr. Brenda Vrkljan

Dr. Brenda Vrkljan

Portrait of Guy Dixon

Guy Dixon

Portrait of Elizabeth Manganelli-State

Elizabeth Manganelli-Staite

Portrait of Pam Mermieersch

Pam Vermeersch

Portrait of Pam Mermieersch

Elizabeth Beader

Our Leadership Team

Portrait of Steve Sherrer

Steve Sherrer

Chief Executive Officer

Portrait of Lucy Sheehan

Lucy Sheehan

Executive Director, Community Services

Portrait of Karen Heffernan

Karen Heffernan

Director, Community Services

Portrait of Melissa McGurk

Melissa McGurk

Manager, Community Services

Portrait of Andrea Evershed

Andrea Evershed

Assistant Director, Community Services

Portrait of Deb Brown-Fletcher

Pam Maddalena

Director, Community Services

Portrait of Deb Brown-Fletcher

Deb Bowen-Fletcher

Manager, Community Services

Portrait of Jennifer McMahon

Andreia Nykamp

Manager, Community Services

Portrait of Jennifer McMahon

Krista Sheppard

Manager, Community Services