Starting June 7, Collingwood Neighbourhood House’s Main House on Joyce Street will begin a renovation project to upgrade our 30-year-old changerooms and construct two new offices. These improvements are part of our ongoing efforts to enhance accessibility, safety, and service delivery for the Renfrew-Collingwood community.
The renovation is expected to take 3–4 months to complete
During this time, the men’s and women’s changerooms, as well as the accessible washrooms on the main floor, will be closed and restricted
Alternate washrooms will remain available on the main and second floors
We do not anticipate any program closures during this time; however, access to the gym may be temporarily rerouted. At times, participants may need to use the Joyce Street exit doors for entry
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Thank you for your patience as we work to improve our facility and will continue to update our valued members as the renovation progresses.
The Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH) Board of Directors is proud to provide a scholarship of $750.00 in honour of a long-term staff Nina Vacca.
Nina passed away in 2021. Nina arrived to Canada as a refugee and was a lifelong learner; she pursued her Early Childhood Education Certificate later in life.
Nina worked at CNH as a manager of the LINC Childcare Program; she was also a childcare worker in the Families Branching Out Program and Family Place. She always showed a lot of love an care in the work she did with children.
Her contributions and work did not stop with her caring for children at CNH: she volunteered in her community every year to organize events for the Chilean community.
At CNH we want to celebrate Nina’s legacy by offering this scholarship to newcomer women and girls, including those who identify as trans or non-binary.
How to apply
Download and fill out the application at this link or get an application form from reception at CNH (5288 Joyce St)
Email the form to info@cnh.bc.ca or hand it into reception by deadline
Application Deadline
The deadline for applications is Tuesday, August 6, 2024 at 5 pm.
Written by Susanna Chu, Housekeeping and Wellness Program Manager
Our seniors are still talking about the CNH Holiday Luncheon, says Information & Referral/Reception Manager Jenny Eng-Chan.
“Entertainment, prizes, decorations, food, activities… it was if we were guests in your home,” one of them said. These guests, many of whom arrived early, were greeted by a musician on bagpipes. Inside, they discovered glittering holiday décor and floral arrangements—made by seniors in a workshop led by Ave Maria Garden volunteers—graced every table.
As CNH Executive Director Jennifer Gray-Grant acknowledged, the event was held on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples. She thanked special guest Adrian Dix, MLA for Vancouver-Kingsway, who had helped secure provincial funding to save the CNH Community Lunch program and make this holiday luncheon special.
A team of staff and volunteers served a delicious turkey lunch with all the fixings while a local quartet called the Backporch Serenaders set the mood with delightful old-time jazz. Long-time CNH volunteer and Elvis impresario Peter Yap dazzled the audience. His energetic rock-and-roll performance was followed by the graceful Hawaiian rhythms of RISE dietitian Rani Wangsawidjaya’s hula dances.
Volunteers Barry Londry and Martha Barrones shared their “Memories of Home”—Barry recalled hot chocolate and gifts with family, plus 15 years of celebrating with friends at the CNH holiday luncheon. Martha talked about advent, piñatas, and posadas in Mexico and Spain. She and Santa presented the preschoolers who performed next with a piñata for their efforts.
Finally, the Highs and Lows Mental Health Choir treated our seniors to holiday favourites and led them in caroling, with Santa joining the ranks of the singers. They ended with Silent Night in multiple languages. Throughout the afternoon, the guests were surprised and delighted by scratch-and-win games and many prize draws. One in four guests received a gift bag of donated self-care items. Heart to Home frozen meal delivery, Liberte Café and Restaurant, London Drugs, and Subway contributed gift cards. And as they have every year, Panaderia Latina Bakery provided 100 servings of luscious cakes. A $500 grant from VanCity’s Collingwood Community Branch and a $1500 donation from Safeway Collingwood provided six grand prizes—a plush blanket and cash—and a goody bag for each guest, including a Safeway gift card and care items. A gentle reminder to take care of themselves.
After attending many holiday gatherings in the neighbourhood this season, Peter Yap says, “The CNH holiday luncheon was the best.”
We are looking for Collingwood Neighbourhood House’s new Executive Director!
For the past 13 years, CNH has benefited from consistent leadership under our retiring Executive Director, Jennifer Gray-Grant. Throughout her successful tenure, CNH has expanded programs and services across 11 sites, employing 250 staff and contractors, and working with more than 200 volunteers. Additionally, CNH opened a new $5M community space in the fall of 2018, increased the annual budget from $4M to $12M, and established the RISE Community Health Centre in 2020. As she will be retiring this year, CNH is now recruiting a new Executive Director to guide and lead the organization through its next key chapters.
The Executive Director reports to an engaged and functional Board of Directors; a diverse blend of professionals and youth with varying tenures and rich experiences. Committed to service excellence, they foster a culture of inclusion and collaboration, ensuring an environment for confident leadership and innovation. The Executive Director is supported by 6 Directors on staff and an experienced management team of more than 30 individuals.
This Executive Director position is a senior strategic leadership role, and CNH will offer a salary budgeted between $148,000 to $156,000, in addition to extended benefits, vacation, and a pension plan.
The search process may include conventional longlist, shortlist, and committee interview stages. We will request for finalists to offer comprehensive recent references and to complete a background check.
At 87, Florchita Bautista doesn’t seem to be slowing down. After decades of work supporting labourers on the picket lines and amplifying the cause of Temporary Foreign Workers in Canada as a nun, she’s now taking her time focusing on her well-being.
Florchita, who first moved to Toronto from the Philippines in 1987 where she spent 15 years advocating for domestic workers, moved to Vancouver in 2001 after retiring from her role. She first heard about Collingwood Neighbourhood House’s recreation programs while attending service at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church. She had been previously exercising at the community centres in Burnaby.
“I was looking for a place where I can exercise. Then I heard [about] this one and thought, why don’t I try that one? I felt that my limbs are already starting to get rusty,” she said. Now she encourages her fellow seniors to get moving as well.
Florchita looks forward to attending the recreation classes as much as she can. She likes the flexibility that the programs offer, especially after she survived a heart attack.
“Even if I am not able to follow as vigorously as the others anymore, our facilitator/teacher is very nice. She tells me, ‘You do only what you can.’ The doctor also told me that. And if you feel you are already too tired, you start feeling it a little bit, stop. And that’s what I do. So I am not ashamed if I’m doing the other exercises already sitting down. I take myself for what I am.”
Florchita adds that exercising at Collingwood Neighbourhood House has helped her stay active and regain her strength.
“Especially after my heart attack, I was more or less just at home, but now, I feel that [the recreation classes are] really helping me.”
She also appreciates her fellow class participants for being understanding and supportive of her accessibility needs.
“They are very nice—they are the ones to take the chairs, to bring back the chairs. And they do not like me helping out to lift the chairs anymore, realizing my age. I really am the oldest among them,” Florchita says.
For more information about recreation programs at CNH, visit cnh.bc.ca/recreation. Portions of Florchita’s interview have been translated from Filipino.
April 16-22 is National Volunteer Week! We recently celebrated CNH’s volunteers at our Volunteer Appreciation Event at CNH to thank and honour them for their continued generosity in contributing to and building an interconnected community.
This year’s theme is “Volunteering Weaves us Together,” and this couldn’t ring more true to the hundreds of folks who poured in hours to volunteer for our programs and services. Our continued growth and expansion is thanks in huge part to our volunteers, who continue to generously share their time, talent, and energy to support one another and in turn, the community.
This week, we are sharing some stories from our staff—and the volunteers themselves—that celebrate these volunteers’ collective impact through their kindness, generosity, and commitment.
From Sandra Bodenhamer, Director of RISE Community Health Centre: Tess I has been a dedicated and passionate volunteer on the Advisory Committee since the very beginnings of RISE Community Health Centre. Last year, she created an opportunity for local artists to paint murals throughout RISE. As an artist herself, she donated a beautiful art piece called ROOTS which creates a soothing environment for clients.
April 16-22 is National Volunteer Week! We recently celebrated CNH’s volunteers at our Volunteer Appreciation Event at CNH to thank and honour them for their continued generosity in contributing to and building an interconnected community.
This year’s theme is “Volunteer Weaves us Together,” and this couldn’t ring more true to the hundreds of folks who poured in hours to volunteer for our programs and services. Our continued growth and expansion is thanks in huge part to our volunteers, who continue to generously share their time, talent, and energy to support one another and in turn, the community.
This week, we are sharing some stories from our staff—and the volunteers themselves—that celebrate these volunteers’ collective impact through their kindness, generosity, and commitment.
From Eda Ertan, Seniors Health/Literacy Manager: Alan Widdows started engaging with CNH as a Social Prescribing Program participant. Currently, he is bringing his love for reading by volunteering for the Literacy Outreach Program’s EAL Book Club. His deep knowledge and previous experience working with Indigenous communities and his purpose to contribute to meaningful causes made him a strong asset to CNH. In addition to his role at CNH, he volunteers his time on the Patient Advisors Network for the Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing to enhance the health and well-being of older adults in Canada.
April 16-22 is National Volunteer Week! We recently celebrated CNH’s volunteers at our Volunteer Appreciation Event at CNH to thank and honour them for their continued generosity in contributing to and building an interconnected community.
This year’s theme is “Volunteering Weaves us Together,” and this couldn’t ring more true to the hundreds of folks who poured in hours to volunteer for our programs and services. Our continued growth and expansion is thanks in huge part to our volunteers, who continue to generously share their time, talent, and energy to support one another and in turn, the community.
This week, we are sharing some stories from our staff—and the volunteers themselves—that celebrate these volunteers’ collective impact through their kindness, generosity, and commitment.
From Sandra Bodenhamer, Director of RISE Community Health Centre: “The RISE Community Health Centre Advisory Committee is a devoted team of volunteers that meet monthly. They report on community trends, and provide advice on how to improve health services. This summer, they helped run the RISE CHC grand opening event. They helped by providing Naloxone training, giving tours in different languages and sharing information about CNH.”
April 16-22 is National Volunteer Week! We recently celebrated CNH’s volunteers at our Volunteer Appreciation Event at CNH to thank and honour them for their continued generosity in contributing to and building an interconnected community.
This year’s theme is “Volunteering Weaves us Together,” and this couldn’t ring more true to the hundreds of folks who poured in hours to volunteer for our programs and services. Our continued growth and expansion is thanks in huge part to our volunteers, who continue to generously share their time, talent, and energy to support one another and in turn, the community.
This week, we are sharing some stories from our staff—and the volunteers themselves—that celebrate these volunteers’ collective impact through their kindness, generosity, and commitment.
From Maxx, a volunteer for the Youth Services Peer 2 Peer’s All Genders Program: “I was looking for a place that would be filled with queer people. I found CNH and I’ve been going to All Genders for over a year now. We’re like a little family, always there for each other.”
April 16-22 is National Volunteer Week! We recently celebrated CNH’s volunteers at our Volunteer Appreciation Event at CNH to thank and honour them for their continued generosity in contributing to and building an interconnected community.
This year’s theme is “Volunteer Weaves us Together,” and this couldn’t ring more true to the hundreds of folks who poured in hours to volunteer for our programs and services. Our continued growth and expansion is thanks in huge part to our volunteers, who continue to generously share their time, talent, and energy to support one another and in turn, the community.
This week, we are sharing some stories from our staff—and the volunteers themselves—that celebrate these volunteers’ collective impact through their kindness, generosity, and commitment.
From Dovana Singh, Better At Home Manager:
“Charis Chu is a Better At Home volunteer admin assistant extraordinaire. She has been volunteering with the Seniors’ Team for over 2 years now and is a behind-the-scenes all-star. She processes payments, tracks interactions, does all kinds of miscellaneous tasks, and is always timely. Thank you for all you do Charis!”
