Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH) proudly recognizes its long-serving staff members. At this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), CNH staff and contractors who have reached the milestones of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years of service and dedication to the neighbourhood house, were thanked by the Board of Directors.
This year, we recognize and celebrate Francisco Domingo for over 25 years of service!
Francisco first started at CNH as a board member in 1988. Despite language barriers, he always carried a sense of humour into this role. In these early years, Francisco and his family also participated in a range of CNH programs, including English and guitar classes.
In 1999, Francisco started as a building service worker at CNH and was involved with the building of the Joyce Street location. Francisco says the reason he has stayed at CNH for so long is because of the people.
In addition to the kindness he’s received over the years, he also enjoys CNH as a place to socialize and connect with others.
Congratulations, Francisco!
Learn more about career opportunities at CNH at cnh.bc.ca/careers.
Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH) proudly recognizes its long-serving staff members. At this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), CNH staff and contractors who have reached the milestones of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years of service and dedication to the neighbourhood house, were thanked by the Board of Directors.
This year, we recognize and celebrate Soudabeh “Soudi” Babaie, one of our childcare workers, for over 25 years of service!
Soudi (left) and her colleague, Sabrina Bantog, at CNH’s Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024.
Soudi started as a childcare worker at CNH on Oct. 11, 1998. Today, she continues to work in childcare at the Duke Street Early Learning and Care Centre where her years of experience complement her compassionate nature.
Described as caring, considerate and understanding among her colleagues, Soudi is also known for her sweet, gentle and loving manner with the children in our programs. Soudi credits her 25+ years at CNH to the support of her colleagues and has built many deep relationships as a result. Soudi’s colleagues say she is equally supportive and like family to many of the childcare workers at CNH.
Soudi loves running, reading, hiking, sewing and knitting, and plans to travel more.
Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH) proudly recognizes its long-serving staff members. At this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), CNH staff and contractors who have reached the milestones of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years of service and dedication to the neighbourhood house, were thanked by the Board of Directors.
This year, we recognize and celebrate Kulwant Kaur, Director of Operations, for over 30 years of service!
Kulwant Kaur
Kulwant loves working at CNH. She loves how the staff work internally like a family and also the difference CNH makes in the lives of the community residents.
When Kulwant arrived at CNH in July of 1994, it was love at first sight. Kulwant said she remains amazed at all that the staff do with and for residents and organizations in Renfrew-Collingwood.
Kulwant came to Canada from her native country, Malaysia, in 1991. At CNH, she started as an Office Manager, then an Office and Volunteer Coordinator for 10 years, and now, for the past 20+ years, she has been the Director of Operations. Along the way, she also served a couple of times as Acting Executive Director.
Looking back on her years at CNH, Kulwant recalls fondly working with former staff, such as former Executive Directors Paula Carr and Jennifer Gray-Grant, and Operations Directors, Oscar Allueva and Sandra Menzer. She has learned a lot from the past Executive Director, Paula Carr and says there is no university that could teach her what she has learnt from CNH.
Kulwant with Betty Lepps, Executive Director of CNH, at our Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024.
Kulwant’s favourite memory from CNH is the opening of the Joyce Street location and the Annex. She helped organize the move from the storefront to the new, big Joyce site. Kulwant was deeply involved in the building of the Annex, she said it felt wonderful to be part of the opening and to think of both the satisfaction of all that work completed and the possibilities the new space represents for our neighbourhood. Both the opening ceremonies were huge and felt very celebratory.
Kulwant expresses huge praise for the Operations team members, saying they are talented, hardworking and very dedicated to CNH.
In her free time, Kulwant loves to watch Bollywood movies, walk trails with her “Just Walking” group and have dinner with friends.
Her life goal was to fulfill her 60th birthday dream of visiting Paris but she could not at that time as we were in a pandemic. She is finally going to travel to Paris this year to walk up the Eiffel Tower, tour London and may also visit Switzerland.
Looking back, Kulwant notes, some people work at their jobs simply for their paycheck. Kulwant stresses that is not her motivation; she works from the head and the heart. As those who work with her would say, it shows. Congratulations, Kulwant on 30+ years at CNH!
Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH) proudly recognizes its long-serving staff members. At this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), CNH staff and contractors who have reached the milestones of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years of service and dedication to the neighbourhood house, were thanked by the Board of Directors.
This year, we recognize and celebrate Jenny Eng-Chan, Reception Manager, for over 30 years of service!
Jenny has a diverse and rich work history at CNH. With 30 years at CNH, she has developed a wide range of skills. Here’s a summary of her roles:
Summer Student at Kingsway Storefront Location
Public Relations Assistant for Joyce Site Building Project
Contract Position for Settlement Services Project
Acting Office Manager
Since 1995 she has been the Information & Referral/Reception Manager
Jenny’s varied roles showcase her adaptability and commitment to the organization.
Aside from Jenny’s wealth of experience at CNH, she also brings a delightful sense of humour that brightens everyone’s day. She’s known for adding witty messages to notes and managing the occasional chaos at the reception desk with a smile.
As the gatekeeper of CNH, Jenny loves her role, claiming she has the best seat in the house to witness all the interesting happenings in the lobby. She’s also famous for her file cabinet dedicated to treats— everything from chocolates for stressed-out staff to doggy biscuits for visiting furry friends.
Always ready to lighten the mood, Jenny has perfected the art of playful teasing with her colleagues, making the workplace a more enjoyable environment for everyone.
This captures her vibrant personality while highlighting her contributions. Congratulations, Jenny!
Garima Tiwari may be shy in the classroom but when it comes to volunteering at Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH), she couldn’t be more opposite.
Since moving with her family from India to Canada in May 2023, Garima, who recently graduated from Windermere Secondary School, says she’s faced language barriers, cultural adjustments and difficulties making friendships.
In part, Garima says she fears judgement from her peers but overall, she says she identifies as an introvert. “It’s hard for me to talk to new people but when I came here, I just started talking to people around me.”
Since Garima Tiwari first connected to Collingwood Neighbourhood House in October 2023, she eventually began volunteering for multiple programs, which includes the weekly setup of the program room at the Main Site for youth settlement activities.
While she acknowledges it wasn’t always easy for her to speak up at CNH, it has become easier over time. “Today, I am just talking,” says Garima. “Like, I talk well here and a lot, rather than in my school.”
After a visit from CNH staff at Windermere last fall, Garima says she chose to volunteer with the Women’s Leadership Development program, which has proved to be a transformative experience. In addition to shifting her perspective on life, Garima has a newfound ability to connect with others.
“I learn a lot with those women,” explains Garima. “Everyone has their own story and everyone has their own struggles.”
Organized by CNH’s settlement team, the Women’s Leadership Development program highlights the importance of cultural understanding, diversity and inclusivity in the context of leadership development for immigrant women.
Karen Caguioa, program manager, says Garima’s “natural leadership” quickly surfaced within the program where staff have witnessed Garima instill “energy and insight” into the group.
“Saturdays became her platform for learning workshop preparation and public speaking, [and] on International Women’s Day in March, Garima delivered a stirring speech, championing inclusion and social justice,” says Caguioa. “Her dedication earned her recognition as a role model for women of all ages.”
Using her experience volunteering with the program, Garima says she’s learned that every woman faces “a lot” in their life. And although most participants are older than her, she connects to their stories through her mother.
For herself, Garima recognizes that she is also a young woman with her own experiences as a newcomer. “I travelled from India to here so it’s a hard part for me, too,” she notes. “I left my culture, my friends over there, my language.”
In addition to volunteering with the Women’s Leadership Development program at CNH, Garima dedicates herself to setting up the program rooms every Thursday after school for settlement youth programs, welcoming and engaging with participants her age.
With aspirations of becoming a permanent resident, attending post-secondary and eventually studying to become a lawyer, Garima attributes her growth to CNH.
“I feel so blessed to return here,” she says. “When I come here, I talk a lot with different people of my age and with my elders, too, so I know I’m just improving myself over here and [CNH has] really helped me a lot.”
This story was originally written for our 2024 Annual Report, which highlights the experiences of program participants, volunteers and community members at CNH. Learn more about our programs for newcomers and immigrants at www.cnh.bc.ca/settlement.
When faced with free time after retiring in 2003, Eliza Ngan started visiting Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH) to pass the time.
“I live very close by… I [came to CNH] to do all kinds of exercise in the mornings, I also joined tai chi and yoga,” says Eliza. “I started coming here to socialize with a whole bunch of other seniors since they’re always close by.”
“I know everybody here, every one of them because I’ve been exercising here every morning for so long. The [faces of the] people may change but they’re so friendly.”
Eliza Ngan volunteers weekly at Coffee Social, a popular program at CNH that brings seniors and older adults together through coffee and conversation.
In addition to exercising, Eliza started volunteering for CNH two years later–and has been helping out ever since. She started helping in the kitchen on and off in 2005, then began facilitating the weekly coffee social program for seniors and older adults in 2017. Eliza says these activities helped shape her routine and socialization, especially since she lives alone.
“I’m by myself so I didn’t want to be alone. I like people, I like to socialize,” she says. “I like to keep myself busy. I still do my housework, change my sheets, do my laundry, everything.”
While Eliza says she appreciated the regimen volunteering at CNH gave her, she had to take a break in 2022 when she was recovering from health issues and dealing with subsequent issues. Despite this, she was back to helping at CNH as soon as she was cleared to do so.
“Really, I just wanted to do something and get out of my house,” she explains. “Whatever people ask, whatever I can do, I do.”
“I don’t mind the time, [even though I’m now] getting tired easier. I’ll keep coming and coming so long as I can [do it].”
Eliza encourages people interested in volunteering, especially younger folks, to help whenever possible.
“Just tell them what to do and be friendly. I’ll do what I can and help them, and make them feel good to be here,” says Eliza.
This story was originally written for our 2024 Annual Report, which highlights the experiences of program participants, volunteers and community members at CNH.Learn more about volunteer opportunities at CNH at cnh.bc.ca/volunteer.
When Julie Matson moved back to the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood with their partner in 2020, a member of their queer hiking group told them to check out the then-newly-opened RISE Community Health Centre where they were accepted as patients right away.
Thanks to the staff at RISE, Julie has been able to get a lot of support to navigate their chronic health issues stemming from intense childhood trauma, getting assistance with tasks like paperwork and being able to speak to specialists.
“I wouldn’t have been able to have access or been able to do the things that I’ve done without the support of the team at RISE because it would have been just so overwhelming… I felt so supported and heard when I was working with the people that I worked with,” Julie says.
Because of their own experience and their belief in the work that RISE does in ensuring that everyone has access to quality health care, Julie joined RISE’s Advisory Committee and has been part of it for over three years now. They appreciate that the committee’s membership does not only represent the clients of RISE but also the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood.
“Identifying as a queer, nonbinary person that lives with disabilities… it was really nice to see the representation that was also around me,” says Julie. “It’s a full range of not only the cultural communities but the diversity of people in how they identify and their work, which is what I think the neighbourhood actually is.”
“It’s also really nice to be able to have a place where my voice is being heard and listened to, and I can utilize my skillset that I developed in my professional life, in ways that will give back to my community.”
They also found the backgrounds of some of the committee members impressive. “There are some serious professionals. There are doctors and people with nursing backgrounds… I was very happily surprised by that, and gives me hope that people are caring in this world that we currently live in, where it feels like it’s really devoid of that kind of personal attention and care. It was really nice to see just this level of professionalism and experience that other committee members had,” Julie says.
For folks interested in getting involved with RISE or other CNH programs, Julie encourages volunteering as a way to feel connected to the community.
“By being connected to something like Collingwood Neighbourhood House, you actually do feel like you’re not only part of the community, but you’re contributing to the community, and then you’re seeing that represented back to you just through your involvement, and then you actually are–you truly do become part of the community.”
This story was originally written for our 2024 Annual Report, which highlights the experiences of program participants, volunteers and community members at CNH.Learn more about RISE Community Health Centre at cnh.bc.ca/rise.
Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH) proudly recognizes its long-serving staff members. At each year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), CNH staff and contractors who have reached the milestones of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years of service to the neighbourhood house were thanked by the Board of Directors.
This year, we recognize and celebrate Lisa Symons for 15 years of service. Here’s what Jennifer Gray-Grant, Executive Director of CNH, had to say about Lisa:
Lisa’s journey with CNH has followed a familiar path: first, her children got involved in programs. Then, she saw a volunteer opportunity and grabbed it. Soon, she was working as a contractor for CNH. In the blink of an eye, more than 20 years have passed, 15 of those as a CNH contractor.
When Lisa was bringing her children to CNH, she wound up chatting with staff. At one point, somebody recommended that she would be a great volunteer for the inaugural Neighbourhood Small Grants (NSG) committee. The NSG offers grants of anywhere from $50 to $500 to ad hoc groups of neighbours to create a project that improves their neighbourhood socially, culturally or physically.
Lisa tackled the role with enthusiasm, helping to create the promotional materials, figure out marketing, evaluate the applications and work with project organizers to support their success.
She has also held a few other small contracts with CNH, helping to organize community meetings and initiatives.
Lisa is such a natural relating to people that CNH recruited her to the Renfrew-Collingwood Community News, where she remains today, selling advertising for the newspaper. She’s a critical member of the newspaper’s team which works collaboratively to ensure that the paper represents the neighbourhood and recruit people to write for it. She’s well-known to local business owners and managers who hear from her regularly as she reaches out to organize their advertisements to run in the paper.
Lisa continues to volunteer her time with CNH, most recently doing volunteer grocery shopping for homebound seniors during the pandemic. She has also had a role in contacting seniors to let them know about CNH’s services and classes and helping to register them for programs.
Thinking about her 15 years with the Renfrew-Collingwood Community News, Lisa points out that while so many newspapers have closed, the Renfrew-Collingwood Community News has continued to publish. She attributes that success to the community members and businesses that continue to contribute to the newspaper.
As to why she has stayed so long at CNH, Lisa said: “The CNH environment’s inclusiveness and diversity makes it so rewarding; you feel it’s a special organization to work for. Many services and programs operate out of CNH, with countless employees, but as a part-time contractor I’ve always thought my contribution was encouraged and valued.”
Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH) proudly recognizes its long-serving staff members. At each year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), CNH staff and contractors who have reached the milestones of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years of service to the neighbourhood house were thanked by the Board of Directors.
This year, we recognize and celebrate Karen Wong for 15 years of service. Here’s what Renuka Bhardwaj, CNH Preschool Coordinator, had to say about Karen:
Currently working in administration support for CNH’s preschool and early learning care programs, Karen is a hardworking, reliable and passionate individual. She is especially great with children with special needs. I still remember she went back to school to get her special needs certification so she could support a particular child in our preschool.
Karen is also an executive member of the Vancouver branch of Early Childhood Educators of BC (ECEBC) and is always ready to help her coworkers.
Karen loves the family-friendly environment of CNH, which made her stay at CNH for over 15 years. She initially moved to another neighbourhood house but decided to come back because she loves CNH.
When I asked Karen about her favourite work-related memory, she said, “I love spending time with all the great colleagues every day. On graduation day, seeing children getting ready to move on to the next stage is a very special experience. I love our Pro-D outings.”
Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH) proudly recognizes its long-serving staff members. At each year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), CNH staff and contractors who have reached the milestones of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years of service to the neighbourhood house were thanked by the Board of Directors.
This year, we recognize and celebrate Jyotsna Patel for 15 years of service. Here’s what Sabrina Bantog, Child Care HR Manager, had to say aboutJyotsna:
Jyotsna has been a childcare casual with the Department of Early Years at CNH since March 4, 2008, where I have had the pleasure of both working with and supervising her. As a casual, she works in multiple programs, sometimes with very little notice for a shift start time. Jyotsna is flexible and always wants to work as much as possible. There have been multiple occasions when she has worked in the same program for months at a time.
Her colleagues describe her as being helpful and hard-working and say she is always friendly with the children and staff. She is very generous, kind and thoughtful. When asked why Jyotsna has stayed with CNH for so long, she said it’s because she likes CNH, she likes the children and she simply just wants to stay with us. Jyotsna says that when she started working with small children at CNH she just had to continue.
We thank and appreciate Jyotsna for her dedication and commitment and want her to know that she is so valued. Congratulations, Jytonsa!
