Community-Led Action

Stratford Cares Citizens Council

A group of residents coming together to give input, coordinate community initiatives, and turn shared priorities into real-world action.

What Is A Citizens Council?

Neighbours coming together to turn community needs and ideas into action

The Stratford Cares Citizens Council is simply neighbours coming together because we care about our community and the people who call it home.

It's a place to share ideas, recognize where help is needed, and find ways we can work together to make a difference. Through community partnerships, volunteers, and smaller working groups, we can turn good ideas into meaningful action.

At the heart of it, Stratford Cares is about people helping people, building connections, and creating a stronger, more caring community together.

Meet The Council

Meet the Council — Neighbours Helping Neighbours

Stratford Cares is grassroots at heart — local residents volunteering their time, sharing ideas, listening to our community, and working together to turn compassion into action for our neighbours.

Meaghan Manders

cHAIR

Meaghen has called Stratford home for more than 23 years, where she raised her daughter and built strong roots within the community. With a professional background in administration, she brings organization, clear communication, and a practical approach to her role, along with a deep commitment to supporting people through challenging circumstances. Meagen volunteers with the Stratford Connection Centre and is actively involved with a local women’s group working to address intimate partner violence. Inspired from an early age by her mother’s compassion for people experiencing homelessness, she believes strongly in treating every person with dignity, empathy, and respect. As Chair of Stratford Cares, Meagen brings a compassionate, assertive, and trauma-informed perspective to the Council, helping create meaningful dialogue while keeping the group focused on practical action and positive change in the community.

Rebekah Zinger

Administrator

Rebekah grew up in Milverton and has spent the past twenty years raising her family in Stratford, where she is deeply rooted and actively engaged in the community. With fifteen years of experience in Stratford’s financial services sector, she brings a grounded understanding of the complexities of financial hardship and the socioeconomic challenges facing local families. Rebekah is passionate about justice, democracy, and strengthening community connections. She is committed to building bridges across diverse groups, fostering meaningful dialogue, and driving practical, immediate change that supports the wellbeing of Stratford residents.

Rachelle Czartorynskyj

FOunder, Stratford Cares 100 Fundraising, Advertising & community relations

Rachelle has spent more than 25 years building relationships through her work in the mortgage and real estate industries, while remaining deeply committed to charitable initiatives and community involvement in Stratford. Her experience in fundraising, communications, and community outreach has shaped her belief that meaningful change happens when people come together with a shared purpose and a willingness to act. As Founder of Stratford Cares 100, Rachelle is passionate about bringing neighbours together, building strong local partnerships, and creating practical ways for people to make a difference close to home. She believes in the power of community-led action and is committed to helping build a stronger, more connected Stratford where compassion is turned into meaningful and lasting change.

Tama Smith

Research & Development, Council Growth

Bio coming soon.

Gwen Wylde

Community Awareness & Outreach Liaison

Bio coming soon.

Sai Kumar

Mutual aid & community liaison (homelessness prevention)

Bio coming soon.

Get Involved — Join a Subcommittee

We have several liaison positions open on the Citizens Council. If any of these speak to you, we'd love to hear from you.

1.Youth, LGBTQ+ & Marginalized People Liaison
2.Business & Landlord Liaison (business voice & accommodations)
3.City & Agency Liaison (trust, accountability, transparency)
4.Legal Liaison
5.Arts & Culture Liaison
6.Persons with Disabilities Liaison
7.DEI Liaison (diversity, equity & inclusion)
8.Workplace & Labour Rights Liaison
9.First Nations Liaison

Get Involved

Volunteer With The Council

Have a bit of time or a skill to share? Tell us where you'd like to help and we'll connect you with the right liaison or working group.

Full Name

Email Address

Phone Number (optional)

Area of Interest

How Would You Like To Help?

What community-led implementation looks like

Identify priorities from the community

The council gathers input from residents, people with lived experience, and local organizations to decide what to focus on first.

Convert priorities into plans

Liaisons and working groups translate priorities into practical steps — events, mutual aid, outreach, funding requests, and community trainings.

Mobilize people and resources

The council recruits volunteers, connects with service providers, coordinates community partners, and supports people to access resources.

Coordinate implementation

Instead of just recommending, the council helps run initiatives — tracking tasks, setting timelines, and producing updates so everyone stays aligned.

Measure progress and adjust

The council reviews what's working, what isn't, and changes approach based on community feedback.

Partner with government and agencies

Even when community-led, cooperation is often needed for referrals, permits, data-sharing, funding streams, or coordinated safety planning.

How We Help

What we will do to support the community

We act as a bridge and an on-ramp to help — making sure people's needs are heard, connected to the right supports, and followed through on.

Access & navigation support

Help people understand what services exist, how to reach them, and what to do next when they're stuck or ignored.

Bridging between the public and agencies

Gather community concerns and translate them into clear requests for partner agencies and the City, so issues don't get lost.

Follow-up and accountability

Support community members to ensure they actually receive responses and service, and escalate when systems fail.

Community dialogue on tough topics

Host listening sessions, forums, and guided discussions so residents can raise concerns safely and constructively.

Mutual aid coordination

Connect community members who need help with people willing to provide it — food, supplies, transportation, and accompaniment.

Clear referral pathways

Coordinate with our Legal Liaison, agencies, and supports to connect people to legal resources and other help when needed.

Inclusive, accessible engagement

Ensure outreach and participation are accessible, including for people with disabilities and those facing barriers to traditional services.

Public communication & visibility

Share accurate information, upcoming supports, and community updates — reducing stigma and confusion.

Our Process

How we provide this support

Intake & issue capture

Collect concerns, needs, and opportunities, logging what happened, who it affects, urgency, and any known contacts.

Triage

Sort items by safety, urgency, and feasibility, then route them to the right liaison, working group, or partner organization.

Prioritize

Weigh impact, potential to reduce harm quickly, partner availability, and current capacity to build a short priority list.

Convert to an action plan

Define a goal, target outcome, concrete activities, partners, resources, an accountable owner, and a timeline.

Tasking & resourcing

Break plans into tasks with owners and due dates, documenting decisions and responsibilities.

Execute with support & documentation

Leads and liaisons carry out tasks with partners, keeping brief records of what was done and what's needed next.

Community feedback loop

After key steps, gather feedback on what helped, what barriers remained, and what needs to change.

Safety, legal & accessibility checks

Involve our Legal Liaison and accessibility supports whenever an action touches rights, safety, or inclusive participation.

Review & adapt

At regular meetings, the council reviews progress, decides what to stop, continue, or change, and updates its priorities.

Reporting & public accountability

Produce a short public update covering progress made, remaining gaps, and next actions with timelines.

We can't make promises or guarantees, but we can still offer real support. Stratford Cares Citizens Council focuses on helping people who feel voiceless — by listening, helping them navigate the system, and amplifying their concerns and priorities to the City and partner agencies so they are heard, taken seriously, and acted on where possible.

Want to get involved or raise a concern?

Reach out to the Citizens Council and we'll connect you with the right liaison.