Hélène Ménard is a person of possibilities. With over 16 years of volunteer work in her repertoire, she’s continuously finding ways to support the professional and personal development of vulnerable populations within Ottawa, through advocacy, fundraising, and financial literacy education. In 2012, Hélène noticed a hub of people, organizations, and government agencies who are all working towards providing financial health and wellbeing to vulnerable populations. When she looked into it, she realized that they weren’t working together and, in fact, were sometimes working against each other.
That’s when Hélène stepped up to the plate and became a founding partner of a collaborative network called Financial Literacy Action Network of Ottawa, or FLANO. In a space where community organizations often are forced to compete for resources, Hélène recognized the real need was to bring people and initiatives together.