Employees:
First Impressions Coordinator: Michelle Barrett
Good day,
My name is Michelle Barrett, I have been working at Cowichan independent living since March
of 2024. I recently retired from the Canadian armed forces after 20 years of service and decided to move
to Vancouver Island to be close to my family. Since arriving in the Cowichan Valley I have been
volunteering with the Cowichan Valley Basket Society and am a member of the Duncan Elks Charity
committee.
My goal after retirement was to involve myself as much as possible and try to be of service to
the community I live in. I very much enjoy working as the First Impressions Coordinator and hope to
continue in this role for some time.
It’s very important to me that all members in the Cowichan Valley especially our Consumers feel
supported and have access to all available resources. Hopefully we here at Cowichan independent living
can do that and make their day-to-day lives a bit easier.
Community Relations / TPA (Third Party Advocate): Bev Lloyd
G’Day Folks,
My name is Bev Lloyd. I recently moved to the Island from Kamloops. I like to say I moved from the desert to the rain forest. I am still adjusting to the humidity.
Living in Kamloops and surrounded by fires the past 5 summers, I decided we needed a change. I packed up my house and dogs and made my way to Ladysmith. I love the environment here. CVIL and its services are very important to me and my family as my son was in a work accident at the age of 19 and is now paraplegic. Everyone here has been so wonderful not only to work with but in supporting those who live each day with barriers.
I have been working at Cowichan Independent Living since March 2024. My role at CVIL is both data entry and Third Party Advocate. Having spent the past 20 years in the hospitality it is exciting to be doing something new and giving back to the community.
Please stop by and say Hi! We look forward to seeing you.
Program Coordinator: Darcy Gala
I started with Cowichan Independent Living on March 6th, 2024.
I connected with the Cowichan Independent Living through having utilized its medical
loans services while looking after my grandmother with dementia. I also utilize stuffie
support aids:
“Mugman” from the Canadian hand drawn video game “Cuphead” who carries my name
tag due to my nerve pain and my partner Pokémon “U-Turn” that I carry around to help
deal with my chronic pain.
I am an artist and four-time winner of the National Novel Writing Month challenge of
writing a 50 thousand manuscript in the month of November.
I was a part of the Living Library speaking engagement through Cowichan Women
Against Violence to dispel stigma as a Human Book.
My title was “Coping Through Characters. A Journey Through Fandom and the Furry
Community”. Sharing my experience of how writing, art, and community aided me in
navigating my nerve pain/chronic pain from past work injuries. Discovering my passion
for peer support and the importance of bridging art with disability.
At the Cowichan Independent Living I am working to help the community in building
healthy creative tools in my youth character / fantasy writing summer program. As well
as promoting our Independent Living programs to reach a larger audience through our
Facebook and Instagram 🙂
Medical Loans: Karley Nunn
My name is Karley Nunn and I have been the Medical Loans
coordinator since 2021 I moved back to the island in 2019 after living in Vancouver for a
couple of years and started working for CVIL doing data entry before taking on the
position of medical loans coordinator. I mostly work in handling the equipment that comes in and out of
the office as well as the paperwork that comes with it.
I also help with odd jobs around the office and basic tech questions for people who don’t have a lot of
experience with computers.
I’m hard of hearing and grew up with deaf parents so I have personal experience with how disabilities
can impact day to day living.
I think it’s great how Cowichan Valley Independent Living is making an effort to help the people with
disabilities in the community.
We’ve been working hard to put together programs to bring in more community engagement and I’m
excited to see where that goes. I really hope they will bring more people in so we can see more people
get the support they need.
TPA (Third Party Advocate) Office Manager: Jean Scholefield
Hi, my name is Jean Scholefield, I currently handle a government ministry contract for CVILRC and help
wherever a need arises. I started in May 2013 at the front desk working my way up to Executive
Director. I recently stepped back from that role but have enjoyed being at Cowichan Valley Independent Living Resource Center no matter role I was in. I am also a volunteer for doing income taxes under CVITP offered by Canada
Revenue Agency here.
I have been married for 44 years, have 4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls, and 8 grandchildren, lucky me. My
youngest child has an intellectual disability, I always say my life with her has prepared me for being a
part of Cowichan Independent Living.
One of the best parts of here is the caring, compassion, resourcefulness and knowledge of the staff.
People who are willing to give extra to assist all who come into the Centre.
We have so many great programs that it would be great if more people could come in and participate.
Hoping to see you at Cowichan Independent Living
