Meet The Team

Founder
Helen Donnelly
is an award-winning clown teacher and performer. She has worked as a professional Therapeutic Clown since 2004. Her career in this field has included SickKids, Long Term Care facilities across the GTA serving elders with dementia, and for the last 12 years as been a Therapeutic Clown practitioner at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital as 'Dr Flap'.
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Her career outside healthcare has included touring with Circus Orange and Cirque du Soleil as a clown. She has presented and offered training at healthcare conferences both nationally and internationally since 2007.
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She was passionate about creating new opportunities for clown artists and nurturing existing Therapeutic Clowning practices to help clown artists attain best practice standards for themselves and their programs. She was thrilled to have created and led North America’s first Certificate Program for Therapeutic Clowning. She was ever grateful to George Brown College (Continuing Education), and to the Veterans Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and to Safehaven for hosting the student placements at their respective sites.

Acting Executive Director
Andrew Gaboury
is a performer, writer and educator based in Port Credit. His practice unites collective creation, dance, mask and theatrical clown. He was co-Artistic Director of hub14 art + performance works, a studio and artist residency in Toronto, from 2013 – 19. Andrew is the Director of a field of crowns, a multi-disciplinary intervention-based performance and training company and a frequent collaborator with Frog in Hand in Mississauga. He teaches movement at Randolph College for the Performing Arts, and has taught at the Living Arts Centre, Conteur Dance Academy, and The School Creative Arts. He taught mask, clown and movement for Clay and Paper Theatre’s summer company in 2019. Andrew recently graduated North America’s first Therapeutic Clowning Certificate program led by Helen Donnelly at George Brown College. With Donnelly he has begun working in the field with the newly established company Red Nose Remedy. He is also a therapeutic clown apprentice under Kathleen LeRoux, specializing in elder care.
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Contact him: andrew@rednoseremedy.ca
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Program Manager
Mackenzie Muldoon
is a Toronto based actor, creator, clown, producer, and festival director. She completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Concordia University, specializing in Theatre Performance and has built a career in the arts ever since. She has over 20 years of experience, working at more than 50 festivals, in numerous roles and departments, as well as working in many other areas of arts administration and production.
Mackenzie graduated from North America’s first Therapeutic Clown Certificate Program at George Brown College in 2019 and is passionate about both the practice, and increasing access to it. She is excited to build on both through her work with Red Nose Remedy.
Contact her: programs@rednoseremedy.ca
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Consultant & TC Practitioner
Derek Kwan
is a theatre performer and passionate Therapeutic Clown advocate. He has worked as a professional Therapeutic Clown in Taiwan and in Canada, serving pediatrics and elders. Derek is an award-winning performer and he has appeared internationally in shows that run the gamut from opera to theatre to mask and puppetry. As an arts administrator, he has worked with a number of theatre companies to support grant writing, producing, marketing and development, as well as general administration. He completed a Metcalf Foundation Internship in producing and administration with Cahoots Theatre Company. Derek also has an interest in making clown training more accessible to include more people, and in maintaining professional best practices for Therapeutic Clown.
Contact him: derek@rednoseremedy.ca
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Reflective Practice Facilitator
Jackie Grandy, MSW, RSW
Jackie is a psychotherapist in private practice who works with adults, children and families; she also provides clinical supervision and team management with the George Hull Centre for Children and Families. She brings a broad range of experience to her practice and works from a psychodynamic and trauma-informed lens. Jackie strives for genuine, empathy-fueled relationships and brings playfulness, humour, and curiosity into her practice, the better to explore patterns, challenges, and opportunities without judgment. She is honoured to be facilitator of reflective practice with Red Nose Remedy.
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Board Chair
Rebecca Maiese
is a Clinician/Social Worker with the George Hull Centre for Children and Families, which is an accredited children’s mental health agency in Toronto, Ontario, serving children birth to 18 years of age and their families. In this capacity, Rebecca provides assessments, family and individual therapy, as well as group programming and workshops with children experiencing a range of social, emotional, behavioural and attachment issues. Rebecca uses a variety of relational approaches in her work and sees play as an integral part of the therapeutic process. Rebecca has a keen interest in the areas of attachment, trauma, grief, loss and mindfulness. She has a Master of Social Work degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and has been working in children’s mental health for over 15 years. She also has a Bachelor of Arts degree from McGill University. Rebecca first became acquainted with the world of Therapeutic Clown through her late husband, Jamie Burnett, who started the Therapeutic Clown program at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. Jamie’s passion and dedication to the integrity of the work was infectious. Through his lengthy illness, Rebecca also experienced the many benefits of Therapeutic Clown as a family member, sharing in the experience with Jamie. She is thrilled and honoured to sit on the Board of Red Nose Remedy to honour Jamie’s memory and legacy, as well as support and champion such important work in our communities.

Board Secretary
Vibhuti Jethava
is a Speech-Language Pathologist at a children's mental health centre in York Region. She is passionate about supporting the most vulnerable children and youth in our community through the healing capacity of playful connection. Vibhuti is an active member of her organization's DEI committee and actively seeks out opportunities to enhance inclusion. She has had the pleasure of collaborating with Therapeutic Clowning to create an interprofessional education session entitled “Medical Reader’s Theatre: Humanity in Healthcare”.
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Board Treasurer
Jacqueline Chevalier
is a CPA (CMA), and currently the Corporate Controller at UGE International Ltd., a solar energy company. She has over 30 years experience at organizations of various sizes, primarily in the banking, telecommunications and IT sectors. Although Jacqueline has no background in healthcare or the arts, she believes passionately in the value of the work that Red Nose Remedy is doing, and is honoured to bring her background and perspective to the team.
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Board Member
Claire Restituto
thrives on the idea that creativity can help improve health care experiences. Using branding and design to make an impact has always been the goal. With twenty plus years of experience in marketing, advertising, publishing and health care, each industry taught her how branding can bring positive connections. Her current role at Mackenzie Health and Foundation has seen her contribute to campaigns raising millions of dollars for a brand-new hospital as well as evolve brand strategies for uniting the network of care all while providing branding for pandemic operations during unpredictable times and multiple pivots.
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