UMD ADVISORY COUNCIL

Vonna Bitove 

The lovely Vonna Bitove was born in Toronto as the eldest child of five to John and Dotsa Bitove. Vonna roots come from Gabresh, and Shestevo, in Aegean Macedonia, in present-day Greece. Her grandparents arrived in the early 1900s to North America.

Vonna comes from a family that is heavily supportive and involved with promoting Macedonian interests. Her father a successful business man has been a long time Macedonian advocate, starting an International Macedonian Lobby to assist the Republic of Macedonia in its efforts for international recognition as well as the first World Macedonian Congress to promote Macedonian interests throughout the world. Vonna herself has held leadership positions with the Canadian Macedonian Place Foundation and the Daughters of Macedonia, and has assisted various Macedonian Orthodox church communities and helped establish the UMD John L. N. Bitove, C.M. Macedonian Heritage Scholarship Fund.

Vonna is currently the Executive Director of the Bitove Foundation. Since 1999, Bitove has served on the Board of the Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation. A nurse by profession and a graduate of the Toronto General Hospital School of Nursing, Bitove has volunteered in a leadership capacity for a number of major fundraising events in support of the hospital, including The Wine Classic and the Dr. Michael Baker Tribute Dinner.

Through her family foundation, Vonna has been a long-time supporter of the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, having supported a number of areas, including the creation of the Bitove Foundation Professorship in Adult Congenital Heart Disease. In 2013, she helped establish the Dotsa Bitove Wellness Academy in honor of her mother. This Academy is a first of its kind in Canada and was created to provide care for those living with dementia.

Her volunteer work in many causes was inspired by the volunteer work done by her Mother and the generations of Macedonian women who came before her. Vonna has a hope that her work will motivate more Macedonian women to get involved in leadership roles in the community for the benefit of Macedonian people and future generations.

Being proud of her Macedonian heritage, Vonna has instilled that same love in her children John, Sasho, Jenna and Gabriel.

Vonna is an exemplary leader and pillar in the Canadian-Macedonian community, who has done so much to uphold the rich Macedonian heritage in Canada. Vonna is an outstanding individual who has not only helped improve Toronto and society-at-large through her pioneering work in the medical field as well as his philanthropy and tireless community service, but she has given so much to the Macedonian community and has helped raise the profile for all Macedonians globally.

 

UNITED, WE CAN!