Eileen Bona is a Behavior Management Specialist and a Clinical Therapist. She holds a Master of Education from the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Alberta and is the Owner/Founder of Dreamcatcher Association. She has been formally working with people with disabilities, behavioral concerns and mental health issues for 16 years. She grew up with her brother who has severe brain injury, epilepsy and cerebral palsy caused by meningitis when he was 8 months old. He is now 43. Eileen has had a lifetime of learning how to help others in need and understands the challenges individuals and families face from a personal perspective. She created Dreamcatcher to fulfill her desire to effectively help others and hopes that this program will allow people in need to catch their dreams.

Eileen has had a private practice in Alberta for 10 years and prior to that she worked as an assistant to a psychologist specializing in brain injury and behavior management for 4 years. She is a past Vice President of the Brain Injury Association of Alberta; past liaison Vice President of the Sydney Association for Community Living; worked front line in group-home settings; is a sessional instructor of Introductory Psychology at the King's University College; and has worked with clients, their families, school liaisons, social workers, and treatment staff to design and implement treatment strategies for children, youth and adults in need. She is currently carrying out her therapeutic practice at the Dreamcatcher site, which she shares with her co-counsellors - an assortment of rescued fur and feathered helpers. For more information about Eileen's approach to helping and work history, visit her website:

http://www.telusplanet.net/public/ebona/indexl.htm

Eileen's goal is to provide a fun, therapeutic setting to those who love animals as much as she does. She is helping others heal through the unconditional love of animals and natural healing power of nature itself. She welcomes everyone to come and visit her home, the location of Dreamcatcher. Call first please as it is a therapy site.

Dale VandenBerg is a Civil Engineering Technologist who manages the large construction and turnover of hydrogen plants to oil companies, manages pipeline companies and much more. He loves working outdoors and it was his dream that caused the emergence of Dreamcatcher.

Dale always wanted to live on a ranch and have horses and other animals to care for. Both Dale and Eileen are born and raised city people but decided to try the country life. As a result of brainstorming ways to survive away from civilization, Eileen dreamed up an animal program and Dale made it happen. He designed all the clearing and fencing plans for the animals, built a large three-way shelter for them to live in, concocted a chicken coop out of an old shed on the property, seeded and cared for the new pastures, built a round pen for gentle horse training, renovated an on-suite for a ranch hand, purchased heavy equipment to maintain the site, cut and cleared walking trails, and continues to keep the program going by splitting and stacking wood, maintaining the property regularly, purchasing feed and supplies for the critters and feeding and caring for them. Dale is dedicated to his ranch and to the Dreamcatcher program. His favorite thing is the smiles he sees when he gets the opportunity to take people on a hay ride and his favorite activities are snow plowing and chopping wood - a good thing since Eileen burns so much of it!!

Dale works diligently with his heart fully immersed in his activities at the ranch. He hopes that one day he can participate in Dreamcatcher's daily activities. He has spent some time as a therapeutic roommate to a man with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and found that he has a great desire to help others.

Board of Directors