Kelly Manoukas is President and Founder of Tomorrow’s Heroes. In October 2000, Kelly developed an idea that surfaced from a dream she had twenty years ago. “This idea was to be involved in a program that supports and promotes the health, safety, well-being, and security of children - our heroes of tomorrow.”

After 20 years in both the public and private sectors, she developed an in-depth understanding of the diverse issues faced by community agencies dealing with homelessness, poverty, violence, addictions, mental health, and illiteracy. Her experiences brought her to work with people of all ages; children, teenagers, adults and the elderly.

While participating in a junior/senior kindergarten program, Kelly studied the development of children through their artwork. During a two-year period, she taught the Greek language to children from 6 to 10 years of age. For five years, Kelly volunteered as a literacy worker with street youth in downtown Toronto and received Canada’s Literacy Volunteer Award (1990). The same year, she participated in a research study and the report “Drugs, Youth and the Street”, produced by the Addiction Research Foundation, credits Kelly’s work with street youth.

For ten years, Kelly worked as a Project Supervisor, in the non-profit sector for Ecuhome Corporation (funded by Ministry of Community and Social Services and the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs). She managed the operations of a regional housing program, providing support services for single adults living on low or fixed income, who faced social, psychological, mental, situational and physical challenges which presented barriers to self sufficient living. Her work involved case management, individual and group counselling, referral, advocacy, mediation, crisis intervention and conflict resolution. She also developed and implemented client assistance support programs including “relapse prevention” (addictions) and “life skills” (mental health).

Kelly also worked in the private sector in the capacity of Senior Account Manager for Warren Sheppell Consultants (WSCC), an Employee Assistance Program company. While there, she developed and managed the editing, design and layout of a reference guide for her position. During her research, she explored the Family Division Sector. This experience continued to reinforce her desire “to do something for the children.” Upon her departure, Kelly was instrumental in creating a partnership between Warren Sheppell Consultants and Invest in Kids Foundation (IKF) by promoting IKF’s “Parent Resource Package” (Years Before Five Resource Kit and Parenting with the Zap’s Family Video and Guidebook).

Kelly is an active volunteer member with various non-profit foundations and organizations. Currently, Kelly contributes her time on a volunteer basis to non-profit organizations relating to children programs, such as “Invest in Kids Foundation” and “Kids Help Phone Line”.

In the past fifteen years, she has been a member and volunteer with various organizations, such as the East End Community Health Centre (3 years), South East Toronto Mental Health Network (2 years), and Play Therapy International/Canadian Association for Child and Play Therapy (3 years). Further, she was a member of: the Discipline and Appeals Committee for the Ontario Soccer Association (7 years); a literacy worker with “Beat the Street” - Frontier College (5 years); a policy committee member with the Canadian Foundation for Children, Youth and the Law Inc. (2 years); a network member with Metro Toronto Special Committee on Child Abuse (2 years); and, an Events Coordinator c/o Ecuhome Corporation fundraising for Nissan Challenge and Child Find Inc. (2 years) to name a few. In 2001, she was given the opportunity to report/produce 5-minute stories with focus on children programs in the community, for a multi-lingual television program, CFMT-TV, Channel 47, Cable 4 (Greek Program).

She holds an Honours B.A. in Criminology and Sociology, specializing in Family Dynamics and Mental health (and a Minor in Greek) from the University of Toronto and Certification in Family Work from George Brown College.

This website is dedicated to Nicholas and Marika Manoukas.

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