Karen Stintz announced as the new CEO of Variety Village

Later, she called her new position the kind of challenge she welcomes.

"People believe it is a good fit," said Stintz, who was elected to council in Eglinton-Lawrence in 2003 and held her seat until last year.

"I don’t see it as that far from home, and I see it as an opportunity to do something that I love," she added.

"I have a passion around kids and fitness and sport. That’s what Variety Village is."

Current CEO John Willson will stay until the end of November, he said, to give Stintz "a full education of the place."

Willson, who arrived at the Village as interim CEO seven years ago as the Danforth Avenue facility was in a "very difficult financial situation," said he’s asked for a successor for 18 months and Stintz is wonderful choice.

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• Dec 31, 1969
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After running some annual deficits, Variety laid off 21 staff and suspended some programs during the recession of 2008.

Fundraising efforts at the time were also struggling, and supporters saw the denial of federal funds in 2009 to replace the Village’s power system, leaky roof, and obsolete windows and doors, as another blow.

The place has come a long way since, and finished the last year with a small surplus, said Willson.

"We’ve made tremendous progress here over the years, tackled most of the major structural and governance problems the place has," he said Thursday, but added this seemed like a perfect time to pass the torch.

In writing a job description, Willson recommended the next CEO be "very much of a generalist," rather than someone with specific skills in the field of disability.

It’s important to focus on the organization as a whole, and to make sure all programs are fully funded, he said. "If you stray from that fundamental rule, you can get into financial difficulty very quickly."

Charities, Willson said, "live or die on fundraising," predicting Stintz will improve Variety’s fundraising performance. "She’s got that tremendous energy."

Gary Crawford, the local councillor, said though Willson has done exemplary work, he’s excited to see Stintz at the helm.

"She knows how to get things done. She has a passion and vitality," said Crawford, who worked with Stintz to get a bus stop outside the Village in 2011 while she was TTC chairperson.

"She does care a lot about youth and what Variety does."

Crawford, who met Stintz just after the announcement, said the facility still has a long list of capital projects to be done. But with a new federal government and Bill Blair off to Ottawa as the new Scarborough Southwest MP, things are looking better for federal investment at the Village.

"That’s on top of my list. It’s on top of Karen’s list right now," Crawford said.

Willson said he still has "big dreams" for the Village, and so do other people. "There should definitely be one in the west end of Toronto," he said.