Sharon Oosthoek is an award-winning freelance journalist who writes about the environment and about family life. Her work has appeared in New Scientist, The Globe and Mail, Canadian Geographic, cbc.ca, YES Mag, Today’s Parent, Canadian Family, ON Nature and Canadian Wildlife.
Sharon has more than 20 years experience working for daily newspapers, magazines, online news services and non-governmental organizations. Before becoming a freelancer in 2002, she was a reporter for The Hamilton Spectator for 10 years covering social trends, education and crime. She’s also the author of Kate’s Story, a book and CD about a young girl from Dundas, ON whose life changed dramatically the day she found out she had cancer.
Her work with non-governmental organizations includes newsletter and website writing. For the Alzheimer Society of Ontario, she has written the stories of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, as well as those caring for those with the debilitating illness. She has also written articles for the society detailing scientific breakthroughs and profiling Alzheimer’s researchers.
For Centennial College, Sharon not only taught corporate communications students how to write news releases and newsletters, she profiled faculty, alumni and students for the college’s website.
She has also worked with communications company w8nc on course description materials for York University and on an annual report for Closing the Gap Health Care Group.
Sharon is a board member of the Society of Environmental Journalists and is a member of the Canadian Science Writers’ Association.