STEFFANIE BJORGAN

Executive Director

Steffanie Bjorgan is Executive Director and Founder of Red Roof Retreat.

Steffanie earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Brock University in Child Studies and Education in 1990, and taught elementary school for 16 years. During that time, she participated in various pilot programs and in-services including ‘Early Intervention: Screening and Assessment” with the Learning Disability Association, “Teaching the Non-Verbal Child” with the Kitchener-Waterloo School Board, and “Non-Verbal Learning Disability and its Impact on Learning” with the District School Board of Niagara.

She served as Director and Chair for the Parent Advisory Group of the Niagara Peninsula Children’s Centre and was Parent Representative to the Advisory Board for CANCHILD: Neurodevelopmental Research Unit at McMaster Hospital in Hamilton.

Steffanie’s career has always been centered on the education of and advocacy for children. She began by teaching at the primary level for the District School Board of Niagara in 1990. Her focus grew in 1993 when her second son, Garrett, was born with Cerebral Palsy. In 2000, Steffanie and her husband, Moe, founded Red Roof Retreat to provide a place where children and young adults with special needs can “learn and grow in a safe, nurturing and fun environment”. In 2001 it acquired its charitable status and in 2006, respite services were added to provide weekend relief for families and caregivers.