Media Centre
Press Releases
YWCA Canada devastated by the tragic loss of Carolyn Bray, Executive Director of YWCA Muskoka
2009/03/16
YWCA Canada mourns the loss of Carolyn Bray, Executive Director of YWCA Muskoka, and her 12-year-old daughter Jolene Robinson.
“We are shocked by this untimely and tragic loss,” says Paulette Senior, CEO of YWCA Canada. “Carolyn’s enthusiasm and leadership have enriched the Muskoka community and YWCAs across the country. Her death creates a deeply-felt void in the women’s movement.”
Carolyn and her daughter were killed Saturday while out on a family excursion when their all-terrain vehicle crashed through the ice of Lake Rosseau in Windermere, Ontario.
A graduate of Dalhousie University, Carolyn began her career as a broadcast journalist in Halifax, relocating to Muskoka in 1987. She dedicated her career to health promotion, community and economic development in rural Ontario, often presenting at national forums on women's health issues and working as a provincial consultant within the international healthy communities movement. She was an appointed Director of the North Simcoe Muskoka Local Health Integration Network Board.
Carolyn joined YWCA Muskoka as Executive Director in September 2002, where under her leadership, the Association became a “YWCA without walls,” serving over 1400 individuals in 25 locations throughout the region. YWCA Muskoka, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, champions equality for women and girls, supporting them at critical turning points in their lives by providing a continuum of service to improve their capacity to thrive. Under Carolyn’s direction, YWCA Muskoka pioneered a highly effective program delivery model in a geography that spans 3900 km 2 by taking programs and services to people versus people to programs.
“She always spoke so passionately of the Muskoka community, reminding us that despite its attractiveness it is one that is not well understood,” says Senior. “With a population that swells from 6,500 to 40,000, she helped people to see that it was not only a summer playground, but a wounded community in need of tailored supports. Her remarkable work showed us how to respond to women and girls there – and in other areas of the country - with creativity and passion. Our hearts and prayers are with her husband Tony Robinson and their daughter.”
For more information about YWCA Canada and its 33 Member Associations across the country, please visit www.ywcacanada.ca. For more information about YWCA Muskoka, visit www.ywcamuskoka.com.
