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Category: Community Stories

  • Thanking CNH’s Board of Directors

    Thanking CNH’s Board of Directors

    April 24-30 is National Volunteer Week! We recently celebrated CNH’s volunteers through a virtual Volunteer Appreciation Event to thank them for their dedication and generosity to the community.

    With this year’s theme being “Volunteering is Empathy in Action,” Collingwood Neighbourhood House’s volunteers have shown this in droves by supporting our programs and services. As CNH continued to deal with the impact of the pandemic, the organization relied on the assistance of up to 900 volunteers.

    We would also like to thank the CNH Board of Directors, who are local volunteers who bring their experience, expertise and passion to CNH. They dedicate time to Board and committee meetings and advise CNH on every aspect of its work. Throughout the pandemic, the Board Directors have gone above and beyond to dedicate their time and expertise to address challenges CNH has faced. Their contributions allow many people in our community to thrive. Thank you to our volunteer Board of Directors, and thank you to our volunteer community members, for supporting the work of CNH!

  • ‘This is where I belong’ : Celebrating CNH Volunteer Najia Elancel

    ‘This is where I belong’ : Celebrating CNH Volunteer Najia Elancel

    April 24-30 is National Volunteer Week! We recently celebrated CNH’s volunteers through a virtual Volunteer Appreciation Event to thank them for their dedication and generosity to the community.

    With this year’s theme being “Volunteering is Empathy in Action,” Collingwood Neighbourhood House’s volunteers have shown this in droves by supporting our programs and services. As CNH continued to deal with the impact of the pandemic, the organization relied on the assistance of up to 900 volunteers.

    In 2020, The Bhayana Foundation and the United Way partnered to select three people across Canada either volunteering or working in the non-profit sector. They wanted to highlight the important and deeply meaningful work being done by individuals in a sector that really doesn’t get the attention it deserves. 

    Najia Elancel was one of the three selected and was the only one chosen from Western Canada! Check out this video from Charity Village, which they filmed in 2020, which is a wonderful display of Najia’s journey as a volunteer at CNH. 

    From Najia herself:

    “I think once I walked in the door with my two little children, I think these people gave life back to me. […] I looked at them and I looked at their eyes, and I looked at myself and I went, ‘omigod, this is where I belong.”

    “It’s not like we choose to do what we do because we want to get awarded for it. We do what we do because we love to do it–and especially for me, I do it from my heart.”

    Congratulations on this award, Najia, and thank you for your service to the community!

  • “[It’s] some small thing I can do to help make the world a better place.” – Celebrating CNH Volunteer John Rothery

    “[It’s] some small thing I can do to help make the world a better place.” – Celebrating CNH Volunteer John Rothery

    April 24-30 is National Volunteer Week! We recently celebrated CNH’s volunteers through a virtual Volunteer Appreciation Event to thank them for their dedication and generosity to the community.

    With this year’s theme being “Volunteering is Empathy in Action,” Collingwood Neighbourhood House’s volunteers have shown this in droves by supporting our programs and services. As CNH continued to deal with the impact of the pandemic, the organization relied on the assistance of up to 900 volunteers.

    Here are some stories from our staff—and the volunteers themselves—on how they took the extra mile to bring heart to the community.

    From Dovana Singh, Better at Home, Navigation & Peer Support Coordinator:

    Sometimes, things come up and volunteers can’t deliver on a given week. John never fails to answer my call and if he can, he’ll take on more deliveries that week to help out. John is an exemplary volunteer and our program simply wouldn’t exist in its current iteration without his feedback and suggestions. Our seniors absolutely adore him and so do we. He deserves a huge shout-out for his ongoing dedication and care for our community. 

    When asked why he volunteers, John says, “[It’s] some small thing I can do to help make the world a better place.” Thank you, John!

  • ‘[She] brought tremendous fun and happiness to those who were homebound and isolated during the pandemic:’ Celebrating Alice Crestejo, CNH Volunteer

    ‘[She] brought tremendous fun and happiness to those who were homebound and isolated during the pandemic:’ Celebrating Alice Crestejo, CNH Volunteer

    April 24-30 is National Volunteer Week! We recently celebrated CNH’s volunteers through a virtual Volunteer Appreciation Event to thank them for their dedication and generosity to the community.

    With this year’s theme being “Volunteering is Empathy in Action,” Collingwood Neighbourhood House’s volunteers have shown this in droves by supporting our programs and services. As CNH continued to deal with the impact of the pandemic, the organization relied on the assistance of up to 900 volunteers.

    Here are some stories from our staff—and the volunteers themselves—on how they took the extra mile to bring heart to the community.

    From Jenny Shen, Seniors Wellness Program Coordinator: 

    Alice Crestejo is the host of the seniors Sing for Fun program. She jumped into the volunteer position with the CNH Seniors Team to start a brand new online/virtual singing program after in-person singalong became impossible two years ago, and then committed to the bi-weekly Zoom program enthusiastically and never stopped. As a senior herself, Alice took a lot of effort to overcome barriers like the lack of computer skills, with support from the CNH Seniors Team. She shared her singing talents with seniors and brought tremendous fun and happiness to those who were homebound and isolated during the pandemic.  When word spread, not only seniors from local communities came to join the online program, but also seniors from the lower mainland, and even from other cities like Toronto. Those long-time-no-see friends, neighbours, and family members never felt so close to each other to sing, laugh, and celebrate together with Alice.

  • Celebrating a CNH volunteer’s ‘drive’ to help others

    Celebrating a CNH volunteer’s ‘drive’ to help others

    April 24-30 is National Volunteer Week! We recently celebrated CNH’s volunteers through a virtual Volunteer Appreciation Event to thank them for their dedication and generosity to the community.

    With this year’s theme being “Volunteering is Empathy in Action,” Collingwood Neighbourhood House’s volunteers have shown this in droves by supporting our programs and services. As CNH continued to deal with the impact of the pandemic, the organization relied on the assistance of up to 900 volunteers.

    Here are some stories from our staff—and the volunteers themselves—on how they took the extra mile to bring heart to the community.

    From Ava Jung, Grocery Shopping Program Manager:

    Crispin has been a volunteer with CNH since the start of the pandemic. First signing on as an order taker for our Frozen Meals program, he also became an order taker and delivery driver for our Grocery Shopping program, and has provided integral help to get seniors the food they need each week! Even without a car, Crispin was determined to provide food support and started using the car share app MODO for his grocery deliveries, showing that nothing could get in the way of his “drive” to help others. Crispin’s favourite part about volunteering is that he can make a difference for the people in the community who are more vulnerable than he is. Thank you, Crispin, for your service!

  • ‘I witnessed the lives of many older adults transform’: Celebrating Masa Kateb, CNH Volunteer

    ‘I witnessed the lives of many older adults transform’: Celebrating Masa Kateb, CNH Volunteer

    April 24-30 is National Volunteer Week! We recently celebrated CNH’s volunteers through a virtual Volunteer Appreciation Event to thank them for their dedication and generosity to the community.

    With this year’s theme being “Volunteering is Empathy in Action,” Collingwood Neighbourhood House’s volunteers have shown this in droves by supporting our programs and services. As CNH continued to deal with the impact of the pandemic, the organization relied on the assistance of up to 900 volunteers.

    Here are some stories from our staff—and the volunteers themselves—on how they took the extra mile to bring heart to the community.

    From Masa Kateb, volunteer for the Choose to Move program:

    Volunteering for the Choose to Move program during the global health crisis has been inspirational. I witnessed the lives of many older adults transform, especially Lee! Her commitment to movement, health, and social connections was impressive! She even used her kitchen counter as a home-gym for stability and support.

  • Outdoor library box unveiled at CNH

    Outdoor library box unveiled at CNH

    By Sylvia Barnett & Jim Chow, CNH community members

    The ‘Take a Book, Leave a Book’ book box is officially installed on the front lawn at CNH! The book box was designed and built with the idea of promoting learning and community connection through literacy. Community members can take a book and leave a book!

    The bookcase was built by Jim YC Chow, a CNH patron, who sourced 98% of the upcycled materials from construction sites around the lower mainland that were going to the garbage facility. Chow designed and built the bookcase with tools from the tool library, CNH, and his own, on the fly as materials became available over the months.

    The project was initiated in the spring of 2021 by Sylvia Barnett, a community member, who ran the idea by Chow and got approval from the CNH board and grant funding from Neighbourhood Small Grants, a program by Vancouver Foundation, for miscellaneous parts, materials, and other expenses, such as transporting materials and purchasing plexiglass and paint from Lowes, which is located in the neighbourhood. 

    After months of meetings with CNH patrons on the design, logistics, materials, and artwork done by CNH’s Families Branching Out program, the official book box was finished on December 19, 2021. 

  • Finding purpose through peer education

    Finding purpose through peer education

    Ben Torry was in Grade 7 when he first participated in Peer 2 Peer, a peer preventative education program organized by staff at Collingwood Neighbourhood House.

    Six years later, he continues to volunteer with the program—even after recently graduating high school.

    “Back then, I was doing it because I was like, ‘Oh fun, I get to do stuff,’ said Ben. “Now I think as I’m maturing, I’m starting to understand the meaning of the work.”

    The meaning, he said, is helping others understand a range of social issues.

    “For lots of the kids, it’s like a culture shock,” explained Ben. “Their eyes are just being opened to this flaw in the system or this problem that we have in the world.”

    For Ben, he said he felt similarly when he was a participant in the program and eventually, a facilitator.

    Despite learning curves, he stuck with it and considers Peer 2 Peer to play an important role in his life. Ben even credits the program for helping him recognize one of his life goals: social work.

    “It’s just made me realize how important this kind of work is in people’s lives,” he said.

    To learn more about Peer 2 Peer, visit cnhpeered.wordpress.com.

  • Personalized care pivotal for RISE Community Health Centre client

    Personalized care pivotal for RISE Community Health Centre client

    Living alone, 60-year-old Evelyn has learned to take care of herself. Recently divorced and without family, she leans on a range of social services for support.

    For over a year, this has largely included RISE Community Health Centre. Operated by Collingwood Neighbourhood House, RISE provides primary care and health promotion services to residents of the Renfrew-Collingwood area.

    “Most of what I need is there so I don’t have to go from one place to another so it’s really awesome,” said Evelyn. “It’s excellent service for what they offer to the community.”

    For Evelyn, health is a top priority. The services she has accessed at RISE are essential but it’s the dedicated staff that keep her returning on a weekly basis.

    “If you ask help from RISE, they will not turn down on you,” she said, adding that staff are accommodating and always available to answer questions.

    “I won’t compare them to other places but I won’t stop going there,” said Evelyn. “They know me and I know them.” 

    “It’s good for the people in the community, in the neighbourhood.”

    To learn more about RISE, visit cnh.bc.ca/rise.

  • Forging friendships through food

    Forging friendships through food

    For long-time volunteers Susan and Tim Diewold, each week at Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH) is an opportunity to build relationships. 

    Twice a month, the retired couple prepares food for participants in the Morning Star program. During the pandemic, they began delivering meals and groceries to local seniors, too.

    “Volunteering is important and we’ve seen the positivity of it,” said Susan, 65.

    Working with other volunteers through Morning Star, the retired couple have been able to make friendships over the years. 

    Meanwhile, supporting CNH’s Seniors team through regular food deliveries has allowed them to foster relationships with program participants as well.

    “When we deliver food Thursday, we phone clients and ask what they want,” Susan explained. “They give a list and we incorporate that into our day.”

    “That’s been fun because we generally go to the same clientele.”

    For Susan and Tim, this means learning more about participants beyond their food needs. With one senior, this meant bonding over sports. With others, it’s listening to stories they choose to share.

    “It’s something we really enjoy during the week,” said Susan. “Thursday is ‘Collingwood Day’ so we try to do what we can.”

    For information about volunteering with CNH, please visit our volunteer information page.