Liaisons
Dedicated to Enhancing the Quality of Life For All Who Seek its Service...
The Liaison Program works in the community and Separate School System in Grande Prairie; i.e., Principals, Teachers, Families, and Students to help foster growth and development for all individuals who seeks its service.
JOANNE GIPMAN
Hello, my name is JoAnne Gipman, I am lifer at Catholic Family Services! The going joke is I am the “dinosaur” at the office, you know, kind of like part of the furniture!
Anyways, I am married with three adult children and very proudly just recently a grandmother of one gorgeous baby girl!
I also spend some of my spare time attending to my personally owned company, Foundations for Families.
I enjoy travelling, camping, backyard fires and spending time with family and friends.
I love my liaison position at Catholic Family Services, this school year I have been assigned St. Kateri, as well as the team lead position. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me, I would love to support you in any way that I can! Have a great year!!!
Katie Kluyt
St Joes
email: k.kluyt@cfsgp.ca
Hi! My name is Katie Kluyt and I was born and raised in Grande Prairie! I am the newest addition to Catholic Family Services as a Family/Community Liaison and I’m very excited to be apart of such an amazing team and community at Catholic Family Services. I graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology through Athabasca University. Outside of work, I love to be outdoors and am such a sports lover! I also love going for walks with my dog, travelling, and spending time with family and friends as much as I can!
SAGE BAGAN
ENF / St Gerard
email: s.bagan@cfsgp.ca
Hi! My name is Sage Bagan Curry and I was born and raised in Grande Prairie. I graduated through the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Education in 2014. Since graduating I have dedicated my career to helping children and families through different stages of their lives while working with various non profits around the city.
I have been with Catholic Family Services as a Family/School Liaison Worker since September 2018. I completely enjoy this position and getting to know the students and their families! I love to build relationships with games and humor while simultaneously meeting them where they are at.
TARA SMOKE
Holy Cross / Beaverlodge
email: t.smoke@cfsgp.ca
Hi I am Tara. I graduated with a bachelor of Science in Psychology. I started with Catholic Family Services on Oct. 2017. I am married with 2 elementary aged children. I enjoy spending time with family and friends. I love spending our time camping, playing sports, and socializing.
BONITA CALLAHAN
JP2 / St. Thomas More (Fairview)
email: b.callahan@cfsgp.ca
Hi! My name is Bonita Callahan and I have been with Catholic Family Services here in Grande Prairie since September of 2019 as a School/Family Liaison. I have the privilege to work with many teens and families to offer support in areas of specific emotional/behavioral needs to promote success in their lives.
I have been married for 25 years with 4 grown children and love spending time with my family. I have a Bachelor of Arts major in psychology from the University of Alberta and started my employment journey with Victim Services and Edmonton Catholic Services in a downtown shelter for youth. Other past work experience has included: Youth Worker/Leader in a group home for teens to help address emotional and behavioral issues, Program Coordinator for single moms to gain life skills, job skills and work placement opportunities, vocational counselor in the Winnipeg area, educational teaching of grades 1 through 10, and individual/marital counseling within a church setting.
My passion is to give the best support to each student/family that I work with to help them move forward in their lives and am thankful for the invaluable blessings I receive with each of my meetings.
JODI KURZ
St Clement / Ste. Maries (Spirit River)
email: j.kurz@cfsgp.ca
My name is Jodi Kurz and I am one of the Family/School Liaison Workers with Catholic Family Services. I have been working with this agency for three years since completing my Bachelor of Arts Degree at MacEwan University in 2016. Outside of work, I love to spend time outdoors walking my dog, camping, or spending time with my nieces.
SELENA TURNER
I have lived in the Grande Prairie area for most of my life, and am happy to be living here with my husband and my daughter. I graduated from the University of Lethbridge in 2016 with a Bachelor's degree in Health Sciences, majoring in Addictions Counselling. I have been working as a liaison with Catholic Family Services since September of 2016, and have loved every minute of this job. I enjoy being a part of the village that helps to raise a child, and being able to provide support to children and their families in our community.