Our Staff

The Mission of T.E.A.R.S. Team

GORDON LEWIS – Founder of Mission of T.E.A.R.S. and International Program Director of Mission of TEARS (Ontario)

A humanitarian at heart, he is a passionate orator and a selfless crusader for best practice principals for Intercountry Adoptions.

Gordon has a strong educational background in Theology and Psychology. He has more that two decades of work experience in the field of child warfare and development.

A strong advocate for systemic change, Gordon believes in working within the framework of existing systems to highlight areas that could benefit from improved process. This does not restrict hit to opt for change simply for change sake. He constantly and tirelessly works with other agencies and department for the proven effectiveness of any new practices or polices.

Gordon is a devoted husband, loving father and a grandfather. He believes in the role of family for the future development of our nation and supports traditional as well as the contemporary family values.

His contributions in the field of adoption have been instrumental in bringing joy to hundreds of families. His skill and experience is well known for supporting and assisting special case applicants in adoption.

He is also in the process of writing a resource book on adoption which will contribute the data base of written material on adoption in Canada.
 
E. DIANE LEWIS – Co-founder for Mission of T.E.A.R.S. and Mission of TEARS (Ontario)
 
Diane is very committed to the cause of children and her strengths in adoption come from personal experiences as an adoptive mother. Her strong counseling skills and understanding of the process and issues in adoption pertaining to child to parents have evolved first hand from working with Gordon in pioneering adoption programs.
 
She has become more involved over recent years with the management of overseas programs for children left behind in orphanages and never to be adopted. Her skills carried over from her teaching and work with disabled children here in Canada have allowed for development and support for those working with similar children in orphanages overseas.
 
Her role is now focused as the Director for International Aid for the charity. Program development and management for humanitarian projects overseas has utilized Diane's skills while complimenting those of her husband Gordon in his primary role in adoptions.
 
Diane's extensive knowledge and ability in both adoption and humanitarian programs has allowed her to easily move in and out of key roles in overall support and development of the agency or charity objectives.

ELAINE STERNALL – File Manager

Elaine come from a multi-disciplinary background; she is a trained RPN, worked as a dental assistant and holds a Diploma in Theology.

Elaine has been working with Mission of TEARS (Ontario) since 1999. She is a knowledgeable and valued member of our management service team. Her cheerful, friendly and hard working nature adds to her professional experience and work ethic. 

Keeping herself up to date on adoption issues and viewpoints on contemporary issues concerning family, community and society allows Elaine to better serve families. Her hands on day to day experience have made here capable in addressing critical areas and problem solving for all adoptive applicants. She has earned the respect of other professionals in this field and is known for accurate and prompt response to all inquiries.

Elaine's efficient handling of relative and non-relative adoption files combined with her office administrative skills have given the Mission of TEARS (Ontario) office a truly professional environment.
 
PENNY JAUNDOO – Accounting and Adoption Assistant 
 
Penny came to Mission of TEARS (Ontario) to structure our in house accounting and administration for reporting to parents, Provincial licensing officers and to our accounting firm. Her hours were to be part time only. Now five years later, Penny is still "part time" but works countless hours in accounting and administrative roles for both the adoption agency and the charity. She also handles a lot of non accounting duties including case development in initial stages for relative adoptions. Her naturally gained experience in adoption procedures allows for her to address most questions asked by clients beyond accounting.
 
Penny has applied her abilities in support of our overall service to adoptive applicants. This effort has broadened her capabilities to extend far beyond her initial "job description" and she is now a valuable and experienced part of our adoption team.