About Us

Arnica Foundation is named after Arnica, a flower commonly found in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Arnica is a flower with the ability to facilitate healing from the inside out, and for Arnica Foundation, represents the belief that girls with anxiety – based disorders can be healed – not just managed – with specialized treatment.
Arnica Foundation was created in 2021 to help address financial barriers to therapeutic treatment through sliding scale subsidies, and to increase the number of therapists who have the specialized skills required to work with these adolescent girls and young women.
Our Mission
Our Values
Our People

Stephanie Barnes

Bruce Barker
Bruce Barker established Haywire Creative in 1990, and specializes in advertising and marketing, primarily in the agricultural sector. His involvement in the non-profit sector stretches back to his…

Michelle De Souza
Born and raised in Calgary, Michelle graduated from the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. Following post-secondary, Michelle completed her Chartered…

Marti Bogue
Marti has been a Calgary resident for the last 20 years and has a strong connection to the vibrant, energetic nature of the city. She holds a Bachelor of Communications degree from Mount Royal…

Laurie Goodfellow
Laurie is Regional Vice President Prairies for RBC Private Banking. Private Banking serves high net worth individuals, families and family offices by providing comprehensive strategies and solutions…

Stephanie Barnes
As a young woman, Stephanie recognized that her 14 year history of disordered eating was taking over all aspects of her life. Emotionally exhausted, physically depleted and mentally overwhelmed from trying to “manage” her disorder for so many years, she finally sought therapeutic treatment that specialized in changing brain patterns to develop new healthy behaviours.
Now a mom and successful professional, Stephanie credits her recovery and newfound confidence to therapeutic programs that focus on healing and helping girls grow into emotionally strong and powerful women. Her wish is for all young girls who are struggling with anxiety-based disorders to have barrier-free access to specialized mental health therapy, regardless of their financial situation.
Residing in Okotoks, Stephanie is active in local sports and recreation, both as a participant and parent, as well as through volunteering on various boards and committees. You can often find her at the curling rink, attending sporting events or simply enjoying the outdoors with her young son.

Board Member
Bruce Barker
University days, and through the years has sat on the Boards of more non-profits in professional and community organizations than he can remember. Bruce takes great pleasure in helping start-up charities in the areas of brand development, marketing and governance. As a Founding Member of Arnica Foundation, Bruce has been involved in all aspects of its development from charitable application through to policy development.
A Professional Agrologist with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Saskatchewan, Bruce’s Saskatchewan farm roots eventually led him to write from his straw bale house in the foothills of Alberta, supervised by his chocolate lab, Lily.

Board Member
Michelle De Souza
Born and raised in Calgary, Michelle graduated from the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. Following post-secondary, Michelle completed her Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) designation. She has over 20 years of experience in Finance and corporate strategy that began in the oil and gas sector, and more recently supported technology and innovation ventures, as well as entrepreneurs. She joined RBC Dominion Securities in 2023 as an Investment Advisor to help families make smart wealth planning decisions. Michelle values all efforts in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Over the past 20 years, she has held several volunteer positions that support EDI initiatives and empower women. She chaired a group of women in the energy sector that included 13 major producers and midstream companies. Their mission was to influence corporate culture and business policies to be more supportive of women, that would ultimately result in a robust pipeline of female talent for senior leadership. During her time at the National Research Council, Michelle and team built a national collaboration group to support female-led Canadian start-ups to successfully raise capital. Currently, Michelle sits on a not-for-profit Board for Movement51, which is an organization that drives change in the areas of financial acumen, education, entrepreneurship, and investing through a gendered lens. Most importantly, Michelle is also a mom of two wonderful teenagers – they keep her on her toes and keep her busy! She also loves to play tennis, ride her bike and experience different countries and cultures when time permits!

Board Member
Marti Bogue
Marti has been a Calgary resident for the last 20 years and has a strong connection to the vibrant, energetic nature of the city. She holds a Bachelor of Communications degree from Mount Royal University as well as designations in design and marketing which are passionately employed in her residential real estate career.
In 2019, Marti founded Adaptable Living which provides home solutions to individuals and families with accessibility needs. In partnership with various industry professionals from architects and designers to contractors and builders, she helps families source, design, or build safe and comfortable living environments. She particularly enjoys helping seniors navigate the process of downsizing to age-in-place stress-free.

Board Member
Laurie Goodfellow
Laurie is Regional Vice President Prairies for RBC Private Banking. Private Banking serves high net worth individuals, families and family offices by providing comprehensive strategies and solutions for their wealth management needs. She is responsible for leading a highly enabled team to deliver trusted advice, tailored solutions and personalized service.
In a career spanning over 30 years at RBC, Laurie brings experience and understanding in leadership, financial services, sales strategy, project management, human resources and operations. Laurie is passionate about community, holding director roles on boards and chairing RBC’s Employee Giving Campaign. With the love of the outdoors, Laurie is known for planning adventures and cajoling her family into join her.