Board of Directors

Leila Alyssa Trickey

President

President

Leila Trickey

Leila joined the Board in 2019 and is an active member of CNH’s Anti-Racism and Equity Committee (AR&E). She holds a Master of Public Health and is dedicated to dismantling systems of oppression through intersectional research methodologies, policy advocacy, and equitable community and health practices.

Leila is a mother and community activist. In her current role as a Community Engagement Specialist with United Way British Columbia’s Hi Neighbour initiative, Leila seeks creative and innovative ways to mobilize residents and facilitate connections across unique and shared experiences. She has been a resident of the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood for four years, actively engaging in volunteerism, community activism, and civic engagement. She firmly believes in the resource-leveraging potential of communities and the power of storytelling for social change.

Samuel Cervantes

1st Vice-President

1st Vice-President

Samuel Cervantes

It’s been over a decade since Sam co-founded the Filipino Students Association at UBC and developed the Kababayan Academic Mentorship Program, serving newly immigrated Filipino high school students in partnership with the Vancouver School Board. With CNH, Sam is grateful for the opportunity to re-integrate community work as an energizing part of his work-life balance. He currently works as a Senior Manager with Pacific Blue Cross and is a part-time Sessional Instructor with Pacific Coast University.

Rachel Tuttle

2nd Vice-President

2nd Vice-President

Rachel Tuttle

Rachel is a program manager and learning advisor, with a focus on inclusion and community investment. She currently leads Diversity, Equity and Inclusion activities and learning and development at Gulf and Fraser credit union and spent several years running financial empowerment programs for Canadian credit unions. 

Having previously served as a board member with Little Mountain Neighbourhood House, including two years as Vice-President / President, and leading their Human Resources Committee, Rachel is passionate about neighbourhood houses and community. She lives in the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood, and her two young children have been expertly cared for at CNH daycare.

Davy Chiu

Treasurer

Treasurer

Davy Chiu

Davy created his first web page when dial-up was still cool. He leads large scale IT transformation projects as a professional project manager with the federal government and also consults privately with small businesses. He volunteers with Junior Achievement BC mentoring highschool future capitalists in the Company Program. Davy enjoys taking the family, wife and the boys, 5 and 2, around town by bike and getting ice cream. In his downtime, he likes to sleep.

Henry Lau

Secretary

Secretary

Henry Lau

Henry is a second-generation immigrant of Chinese descent and is deeply grateful to call the vibrant Renfrew-Collingwood community his home. From learning he shouldn’t be picking the flowers off the tomato plants in his school gardening days, to figuring out how to store a festival’s worth of lanterns underneath a swimming pool, the community has been a constant teacher that has helped him grow into a thoughtful community builder.

Over the years, Henry has developed a passion for community arts, food security, and the social determinants of health. He currently works in food systems planning with the City of Vancouver. In his spare time, Henry enjoys running as far as his knees will take him, dabbling in baking, and spending time with his and his partner’s two cats.

Greg Allen

Past President

Past President

Greg Allen

Greg is a lawyer with a broad-based practice at a litigation boutique in downtown Vancouver. He currently serves as the President of a small local non-profit which provides grants to organizations that research and combat childhood illnesses. Greg moved to Renfrew-Collingwood in 2012 with his family, from the wilds of Port Moody, and has enjoyed exploring the hidden charms of his new neighbourhood and its community. He and his partner have three young children who spend their weekdays learning and playing with the superheroes who work at CNH’s early learning and care centres.

Bleszeiry (Blesz) Hanggoy

Board Member

Board Member

Bleszeiry (Blesz) Hanggoy

Blesz is the eldest of three children. She was born in the Philippines and belongs to one of the Indigenous groups in Northern Luzon. Blesz attended the CNH newcomer program when she moved to Canada in 2015. She enjoyed it so much that she joined the summer youth program, which she’s still attending, while being involved in other community groups as well.

Blesz graduated from Windermere Secondary School where she played basketball and volunteered organizing and keeping scores of the official games. She’s now in college studying criminology and is looking forward to exploring her home country before visiting other countries after she graduates. During her free time, Blesz enjoys biking, playing sports, driving around exploring new things and playing with her younger sisters.

Justine Ma

Board Member

Member

Justine Ma

Justine is a storyteller at heart and worked as a journalist at CBC before diving into the world of health-care communications. Always keen to learn, she holds an undergraduate arts degree from UBC, and diplomas in Broadcast Journalism and Public Relations from BCIT and UVic. Justine has long called Renfrew-Collingwood home after growing up in the neighbourhood. She now raises her three children in the area as well. When she’s not busy working at her day job, Justine enjoys hiking, biking and traveling with her young family.

Linda Mim

Board Member

Board Member

Linda Mim

Linda is passionate about addressing inequities and discrimination against marginalized groups at a systemic level. She has previously advocated for the right to education for Indigenous students in BC, worked on global health issues in Switzerland, and supported students in a township school in South Africa. She is excited to bring her skills and experience in community development and addressing anti-racism to the Board. Her hobbies include cooking, exercise, and participating in community events.

Manoranjan (Mano) Rasiah

Board Member

Board Member

Manoranjan (Mano) Rasiah

Mano has had a long career in the banking industry. He also brings a broad multicultural world view gained from his work experience spanning banks in Sri Lanka, Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and Canada. He has resided and raised his children in Renfrew-Collingwood. He has also actively volunteered in cultural, community and non-profit societies in BC. In 2018, he joined the CNH Board of Directors to contribute his skills and financial expertise. Along with English, Mano speaks fluent Tamil and basic Sinhalese.

Puneet Mall

Youth Board Director

Youth Board Director

Puneet Mall

Puneet grew up in the Renfrew-Collingwood Neighbourhood. She started attending CNH at a young age and has spent countless hours creating memories and friendships at youth centre drop-ins, Night Hoops basketball, field trips, and many other youth programs, which have all helped her find many ways to volunteer and stay involved in her community.

Puneet joined the CNH Board of Directors in 2021. Giving back to her community has been one of her biggest goals, and being a part of the Board has helped her reach that goal. When Puneet isn’t volunteering, she likes to spend her time staying healthy by going on hikes, playing sports, cooking, and of course spending time with her loved ones.

Kristian Arciaga

Board Member

Board Member

Kristian Arciaga

Kristian is a lawyer who practices commercial real estate law at a leading full-service business law firm. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Science at UBC and Juris Doctor at the University of Ottawa.  Kristian was a director of the Federation of Asian-Canadian Lawyers (BC Chapter) from 2016 to 2018. He grew up in Renfrew-Collingwood, where he still resides, with his wife and toddler son, and they enjoy trying new restaurants in the neighbourhood and going to nearby parks.

Randy Yu

Board Member

Member

Randy Yu

Randy has 23+ years of corporate experience and brings deep skills in strategy development, planning, risk management and program governance. Currently Randy leads the Regulatory Affairs department at ICBC and he has previously held management roles at TELUS, PricewaterhouseCoopers and McKesson. He also brings strong academic credentials having a degree in marketing, MBA in finance, certification in project management and process improvement.

Randy lived and worked abroad for a number of years before returning to Vancouver in 2010 and settling into the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood. He is married with two children who attend the CNH before-and-after-school program. In his spare time, Randy volunteers as a career mentor and co-leads his neighbourhood block watch.

Management Team

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Betty Lepps (Executive Director)

DIRECTORS

  • Alison Merton (Early Years)
  • Kulwant Kaur (Operations)
  • Ryan Ng (Community Development – interim)
  • Sandra Bodenhamer (RISE Community Health Centre)
  • Sanjeev Karwal (Youth Services)
  • TBC (Community Services)

MANAGERS

  • Amir Sabbaghan (Annex/Recreation)
  • Ana Kazulin (Finance Child Care Program)
  • Ana Mateescu (Family Development/Homelessness)
  • Candice Li (Annex Facility)
  • Carol Mendes (Arts, Culture, and Celebrations)
  • Cynthia Dizon (Financial Controller)
  • Diana Taykandy (Operations Child Care Program)
  • Dovana Singh (Team Lead, Older Adults Programs and Services)
  • Elisa Casilla (Payroll and Benefits)
  • Helen Su (Navigation & Peer Support)
  • Ingrid Figueroa (Foodlands Manager)
  • Irene Mella (Administrative and Communications)
  • Jenny Eng-Chan (Information & Referral/Reception)
  • Jenny Shen (Social Prescribing Community Connector + Walking Club + Seniors Recreation)
  • Joy Que (Pharmacy)
  • Karen Caguioa (Immigrant Women & Youth Leadership Development)
  • Katty Mir (Family Services)
  • Kayla Isomura (Communications)
  • Kiran Momin (RISE Community Health Centre – on leave)
  • Maja Kovac (Youth Programs)
  • Maria Nombrado (Accounting)
  • Nilam Khoja (RISE Community Health Centre)
  • Qasim Ahmadi (Facility)
  • Ross Oh (Food Hub)
  • Ryan Ng (Food Justice)
  • Sabrina Bantog (Child Care HR)
  • Sandra Medina (HR)
  • Sandra Suazo (Settlement Team Lead)
  • Sarah Sheridan (Social Prescribing Community Connector)
  • Sonja Rietkerk (RISE Community Health Centre Clinical Lead & Family Nurse Practitioner)
  • Sue Woodland (Morning Star)
  • Susanna Chu (Housekeeping, Community Lunch & Wellness Programs)
  • Sylvia Barnett (Housing Support)
  • Tanya Findlater (Youth Services)
  • Yndira Arteaga (Volunteer)
  • Vacant (Occupational Health and Safety)

President & Executive Director’s Report

Written by Leila Trickey, President of the Board of Directors & Betty Lepps, Executive Director

As we reflect on the past year at Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH), we are filled with pride and gratitude for the incredible work accomplished by our staff and volunteers. This year has been one of significant growth, transition, and continued dedication to serving the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood.

A major transition this year was the retirement of Jennifer Gray-Grant, who led CNH as Executive Director for 13 transformative years. Her leadership has left a lasting legacy, and we are immensely grateful for her dedication and service. Her impact on both our organization and the broader community will continue to shape our work for years to come.

Since Betty Lepps stepped into the role of Executive Director on July 2, she has been embraced with such warmth and support by CNH staff. Betty would like to express how welcomed she feels—it truly already feels like home. The openness, kindness, and shared commitment of staff, volunteers, and participants have made this transition a joyful one. Together, we’ve all come to see that CNH is not just an organization—it is a place to belong, and Betty has quickly become an integral part of this close-knit family.

This year has also been a period of reflection and progress, particularly in advancing our commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. The ongoing work of the Anti-Racism and Equity Committee, along with the planned organizational equity audit, reflects our dedication to ensuring that these values are central to all that we do, and that we continue to be a place to grow. We see this as a crucial step in building an equitable and inclusive workplace, and toward becoming a transformative anti-oppressive organization.

The past year, we have made great strides across many areas that contribute to the well-being of the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood, including opening three new $10-a-day childcare sites, constructing a new accessible play structure, and opening the RISE pharmacy, which earned the BC Patient Quality Award for excellence in patient care. From expanding services to strengthening community programs, we have prioritized meeting the evolving needs of the people we serve. Our efforts continue to focus on promoting health, well-being, and social cohesion, which are vital to a thriving, connected community.

Looking to the future, we are excited and optimistic about the path ahead. Together with our dedicated team, partners, and volunteers, we are committed to building on these successes, strengthening our impact, and fostering even deeper connections within the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood. With this collective spirit, CNH will continue to be a vital resource and a welcoming hub for the neighbourhood for many years to come.

Meeting Minutes

From our Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Sept. 27, 2023.

Financial Report

From April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024.

Program Statistics

From April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024.

CNH in Action

A group of children from CNH’s child care program plant flowers outside of the CNH Annex as part of the opening celebrations of Collingwood Days on July 14, 2023.
One of our seniors at the free ukulele class in the fall of 2023.
Collingwood Days 2023.
Rani Wangsawidjaya performs a hula dance with program participants for CNH’s annual volunteer appreciation event on April 19, 2023.
Seniors’ trip to Deep Cove.
Seniors’ Musical Mingle.
On Sept. 21, 2023, CNH celebrated the opening of the Pharmacy at RISE Community Health Centre with staff, clients and community members.
Members of the CNH Board of Directors lead a tour of the Main Site with Vancouver city council members on July 4, 2023.
On July 4, 2023, Collingwood Early Learning and Care Centre hosted Parliamentary Secretary Ya’ara Saks for an announcement on federal funding for two projects through the Early Learning and Child Care Innovation Program.

Changing Lives

Staff & Contractor Recognitions

Guadalupe Chebib
Thomas Tsang
Julieta Hernandez-Ramos
Annie Yunling Luo
Chanelle Mark
Amir Sabbaghan
Ana Mateescu
Alexis Flynn
Nhan Lu

Rebecca Wu
Aurora Huang
Alissa Mele
Kayla Isomura
Odette Videla
Sonja Rietkerk
Estela Ibarra
Elaine Hui
Kiran Momin
Melika Mir Askari
Anna Liza Del Rosario
Claudia Yung
Sandra Bodenhamer
Cristina Juco

Selin Kün

Maria Noriega

Collaborative Partners

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to all of our collaborative partners who help us in a myriad of ways to support CNH’s success.

Collingwood Neighbourhood House‘s mission is to promote the well-being of the Collingwood community by providing leadership and working collaboratively with individuals, families, agencies and other groups to develop and support inclusive, innovative, sustainable initiatives and services that respond to the community’s social, educational, economic, health, cultural and recreational needs.