Freedom Quest is an agency that is made up of creative, knowledgeable, and skilled individuals who have backgrounds in child & youth care, social work, counselling, psychology, and related fields. What these individuals share is a passion for supporting young people in talking about what is going on in their lives, thinking about what they might want to do next, and empowering them to move forward.
Executive Team
Tina Tew - Executive Director
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Tina is guided by a passion for supporting young people and families through adversities relating to trauma, substance-use, family violence, mental wellness, and injustice. She naturally works from a place of unconditional positive regard in both her clinical work as well as in her relationships with colleagues and community members. She is warm, creative, and committed to collaboration. She is grounded in the belief that multidisciplinary teams with diverse experiences, knowledges, perspectives, and worldviews are vital to providing a community with the best services possible.
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Jibin Joseph Puthenpurayil - Director of Finance & Facilities
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Jibin Joseph comes from Kerala, India, and moved to Canada in 2021. He enjoys playing soccer, listening to music, and spending quality time with his family — which he considers the most important part of his life. He speaks English, Malayalam, Tamil, and Hindi.
He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Commerce from India and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management from Selkirk College in Castlegar. His career began with South Indian Bank in 2018. In 2022, he joined Ashley HomeStore as a Bookkeeper and was promoted to Manager in 2023. Honesty and integrity are the values he treasures most. He respects everyone’s opinion, is a free-going person, and is always willing to help his colleagues while contributing positively to the workplace. Jibin loves working at Freedom Quest and, in his role as Director of Finance and Facilities, one of his goals is to ensure that the organization’s financial records are always accurate and impeccable. |
Debbie Olynyk - accreditation Administrator
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Originally from Victoria, BC, I made the journey from Maple Ridge to the beautiful Kootenays in 2024, always keeping family at the center of everything I do. My passion for helping others drives both my personal and professional life.
When I'm not working, you'll find me outdoors—whether I'm walking along the river, tending to my menagerie of cats, dogs, goats, and chickens, cooking up something new, or diving into my latest project. I believe life is about embracing new experiences and staying curious. Since starting my career on the frontlines in 2011, I've been fortunate to grow through various leadership roles including Program Manager, Senior Residential Manager, and Director. Each position has deepened my commitment to advocating from the heart for all those I support, their families, and caregivers. My approach is built on integrity, honesty, kindness, and humor—values I weave into every aspect of my work. I believe in being hands-on, transparent, and communicative while leading with clear purpose. As a strong advocate for social justice, I'm committed to continuously expanding my knowledge and exploring innovative solutions that make a real difference. At my core, I'm someone who leads with compassion, acts with conviction, and never stops learning. |
Leadership Team
Cindy Cropley - Day Treatment Coordinator & Youth Substance Use Support Worker Team Lead
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Cindy is proud to have been a part of the original group of Youth Workers who opened Freedom Quest in 2005.
Cindy has had many roles through her years at Freedom Quest and currently is the Coordinator of the Regional Alcohol and Drug Day Treatment Program (RADD) and is the Coordinator of the Youth Substance Use Counsellor team. Cindy loves working for youth and lives in appreciation and gratitude of their willingness to trust, share, learn and grow as they move through their desired changes while in our programs. Cindy provides support, education, and advocacy to youth and their supports. Cindy strives to create environments that are safe, caring, non-judgmental, empowering, and fun. Cindy believes in providing youth services that are as barrier free as possible which includes providing them respectful confidential services and meeting them where they are at mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and even geographically. Cindy is also proud to be a part of and a support to the team of Freedom Quest Counsellors who show up and give their very best to youth as they journey through change. |
Lynsey Souza - Youth Substance Use & Family Counsellor
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Lynsey completed a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Simon Fraser University, and a Master’s in Counselling (MC:AT) through Athabasca University, in conjunction with a Diploma in Art Therapy (DVATI) at Vancouver Art Therapy Institute.
Lynsey recognizes the importance of developing relationships with local services, and services beyond our local limits in order to work together to reduce barriers to youth accessing medical and mental health care. She looks forward to taking part in striving for continuity of care in the services available to youth and their families. She sees that this collaboration between service providers is integral to bridging the gaps that youth can face in accessing services. Honouring youth’s self-knowledge, and experience is central in the work that Lynsey does. She believes it is essential for youth to develop a sense of agency in making decisions for themselves, and to recognize their own power in that agency. Her role is to bring the resources to the table and invite youth to consider how they would like to use them in the context of their own lived experience. Supporting youth to identify how they see themselves engaging in support services, what they hope for, and what steps they would like to take in making change invites youth to develop awareness of their capacity to make intentional choices and take action in their own lives. Lynsey takes a youth-centered, relational, holistic and generalist approach to working with youth where the biological, psychological, social factors of their experience and life context are considered. |
Samantha Jackson - Residence Manager
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With many years of experience in residential care, Samantha is excited about her role as Residential Coordinator. She knows it is an amazing opportunity to provide youth in the West Kootenay’s with a stable, safe, warm, non judgmental, and caring home base. The home is where the day starts and where it ends, and Samantha will do everything she can to ensure youth living in Freedom Quest homes feel cared for and happy when they wake and when they go to sleep!
Samantha has been working with youth since 2012 and has had the privilege of working in many diverse roles throughout Canada and beyond. The majority of this work has been with youth aged 13-18 struggling with substance misuse, mental health concerns, sexual exploitation, and criminal involvement. Samantha also has a passion for recreation, especially outdoor recreation, and has been able to bring this into the work she does. She is excited to work with her team to make this a large part of daily life for the youth living in the home. Samantha feels privileged to work in this field and constantly strives to bring this gratitude to her relationships with youth. She sees all of the youth she works with as masters of their own destiny and endeavors to assist them in meeting their goals however she can. When she’s not at work, you can find Samantha on the side of a mountain, either skiing or mountain biking. Samantha loves to be outside, but also loves spending time indoors reading a good book. She is calm, funny, and comes with lots of fun quirks! |
Mandy Root - Prevention Coordinator & Nelson Youth Substance Use support worker
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Bio & photo coming soon...
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Staff Team
Substance Use Services Team
Holly Hume - Grand Forks Youth Substance Support Worker
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Engaging, fun, and thought-provoking, Holly enjoys facilitating workshops and creatively assisting Boundary area youth meet their full potential. Previous to joining Freedom Quest, Holly worked with Community Futures Boundary for 10 years as an Employment Counsellor, Workshop Facilitator, and Boundary Youth Success Program Coordinator and Lead Facilitator. Holly completed her Social Work Diploma in Calgary where she worked with various social services agencies with individuals, families and youth. Holly loves the outdoors and incorporating recreation into her work with youth. Holly is passionate about empowering and supporting youth.
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Lisette McCracken - Kaslo Youth Substance Use Support Worker
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Lisette is a Metis woman from the Foothills of Treaty 6 and 7 territory who moved to Kaslo, BC with her family in 2021. As a trained Indigenous Art Therapist, Lisette graduated and received her post-baccalaureate diploma from the Kutenai Art Therapy Institute in 2023 and is a professional member of the Canadian Art Therapy Association. Lisette joined the Freedom Quest crew in 2022 and through her role as a Youth Substance Use Counsellor, she works with youth both individually and in group supporting a diverse range of needs. Her passion is creating safe and inclusive spaces for youth to gather, connect, slow down and be their whole selves.
As a Metis woman, Lisette is a passionate advocate and ally for BIPOC and all marginalized peoples. She works diligently to create and hold safe, anti-oppressive, trauma-responsive, and inclusive spaces. Through her lived experience as a youth who struggled with abuse, poverty, homelessness, addiction, and displacement, she is dedicated to working with and supporting youth through a trauma-informed relational lens. While she maintains her professional/academic life, she is most importantly a mother of three children, is a self-taught artist/creator, and loves taking the path less followed roaming the natural world. |
Trail/Salmo Youth Substance Use support worker [position is currently vacant]
This position is currently vacant. For more information call 250.608.0997.
Nakusp Youth Substance Use support worker [position is currently vacant]
This position is currently vacant. Call 250.608.0997 for more information.
MEagan Zunti - Day treatment Facilitator
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Bio coming soon!
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CASTLEGAR/Slocan YOUTH SUBSTANCE USE support worker [position is currently vacant]
This position is currently vacant. Call 250.608.0997 for more information.
Kaleigh Herald - Therapeutic Recreation Programming Coordinator
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Kaleigh has a range of experience working with youth in the West Kootenay community. Kaleigh found a passion for inspiring and motivating youth after operating a skateboard shop in Castlegar and has turned to working in community services since 2023. The experience of having organic interactions and relations with youth in the community through skateboarding helped her discover her natural ability to connect and establish trust with youth.
Kaleigh has a background in Forestry with a diploma in Sustainable Resource Management which has equipped her with outdoor safety skills and knowledge. She enjoys camping, swimming, paddle boarding, exploring waterfalls, skateboarding, snowboarding, dirtbiking, gardening, live music, guitar and sitting around campfires with friends. Kaleigh is a strong believer in the idea that connecting with nature in addition to engaging in body movement and intentional mindfulness is fundamental for mental health. Kaleigh strives to further her knowledge in a variety of therapeutic activities that can help support her position and provide youth with empowering and meaningful experiences. |
Residential Services Team
Residence Coordinators
Nicole Johnstone
Residential Child & Youth Workers
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Coralie Drysdale
Jayden Godkin
Jeffery Andrews
Kirandeep Kaur
Harmony Faust
Mahendra Tomar
Sian Burke
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Akumah Palance
Chris Shortall
Mollie Jarrett
Lydia Neuman
Ernesto Realuyo
Kaleigh Herald
Bart Ujah
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Kawanjot Kaur
Timothy Thibeodeau
Richard Okru
Michael Cloutier
Brianna Jones
Ana Freitas
Tami Fedorak
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