Join us at Renfrew Community Centre for some incredible music by some of our featured performers!
Tag: Community Development
-
Collingwood Days: Refreshments & Socialize
Join us at the Collingwood Neighborhood House Annex for a refreshing break during the Collingwood Days Festival! This is a perfect opportunity to relax, enjoy some light refreshments, and mingle with fellow community members.
-
Collingwood Days: Hula & Storytelling with Rani Wangsawidjaya
Unlock a world of creativity and expression. Join us for a transformative experience that combines the art of movement with the magic of stories. Unleash your creativity and connect with the rich cultural heritage of hula and storytelling.
-
Collingwood Days: Family Storytime
Join us for a fun-filled program perfect for parents and caregivers with young children! Enjoy a lively mix of songs, rhymes, and stories in a welcoming setting that’s suitable for children of all ages and abilities. It’s a great way to learn and have fun together. Come along and make some joyful memories!
-
Collingwood Days: Movie Night in the Park
Bring your chair and get cozy at Gaston Park to watch School of Rock (2003) after dusk. Please note that the movie will only take place if the weather permits.
About the Movie:
After being fired from his own rock band, a struggling musician poses as a substitute teacher at a private elementary school. After getting to know his class, he does everything to form a band with them for a competition called “Battle of the Bands.” They do everything in order to prepare themselves for the competition without anyone else discovering the real truth. -
Collingwood Days: Festival Day
Join us for Collingwood Days’ Grand Festival Day at Gaston Park! Featuring music and dance performances, storytelling, poetry, workshops, stiltwalkers, games, food trucks, and more!
Indigenous Blessing and Artisans, Main Stage Performances, Roving Performers, Marketplace, Kids Zone, Food Trucks (Yo-Bones BBQ and Potato Corner)
Schedule
11 AM: Opening Blessings
12 PM: CCPC 30th Anniversary Cake
1 PM: Watermelon Eating Contest
2:30 PM: Raffle Draws
2:45 PM: Closing Ceremony
For more details, performer bios, and more, visit Collingwood Days’ website.
Performances by
MC HK (Master of Ceremonies)
CW Music School
Hula Dance
SEACHS
Elite Squad
Still Moon Arts Society (roving performers)
Indigenous Performers -
Celebrating National Volunteer Week 2024: “Every Moment Matters”
April 14-20, 2024 is National Volunteer Week! This year’s theme, “Every Moment Matters,” highlights the importance of volunteers and each contribution they make at a moment when we need support more than ever. Volunteers make a lasting impact in our community’s inclusivity, strength and wellbeing as they continue to generously share their time, talent, and energy.
We share some stories from our staff that celebrate these volunteers’ collective impact through their kindness, generosity, and commitment.
Morning Star Program
“Our Morning Star volunteer team is extremely dedicated and CNH is very lucky to have such wonderful volunteers. The team comes in every Saturday morning at 6 am to serve a hot breakfast to an unhoused and/or low-income community. The team is friendly and very welcoming to all of our participants and makes sure they all feel comfortable. This volunteer team is very special and we appreciate all that they do for our Morning Star program!” –Sue Woodland, Morning Star Program Manager
Seniors Programs
“Arleen Cruz is capable, ready and willing to do whatever is needed. She began volunteering at CNH when she was in middle school but joined the Seniors’ team last year. Whether she is volunteering with the walking club, teaching the ukulele, leading a singalong or showing movies, her love for seniors shows.” –Susanna Chu, Housekeeping and Wellness Program Manager
RISE Community Health Centre
“Local resident and volunteer Patricio Ibarra is one of the founding members of the RISE Community Health Centre (CHC) Advisory, which was formed in 2019. His accomplishments with the committee include helping to select the name RISE, helping to hire our first staff member Sonja Rietkerk, helping with the RISE CHC grand opening and helping to approve the proposal for the RISE CHC Pharmacy. Patricio brings a wealth of knowledge to the committee from his lived experience as an immigrant from Chile, active member of the Renfew-Collingwood neighbourhood and as former president of the CNH Board of Directors. In fact, Patricio has been volunteering at CNH for the last 20 years! Patricio is stepping down from the RISE CHC Advisory Committee this year, and we want to thank him for his longstanding commitment to CNH. Thank you, Patricio!” –Sandra Bodenhamer, Director, RISE Community Health Centre
Food Hub Programs
“Miguel has been an incredibly dedicated volunteer for our Food Hub food drop program for almost two years. What makes his commitment even more remarkable is that his mother, Esperanza, and his son, Anthony, are also actively involved in supporting the program. Miguel’s positive energy and warm demeanour have significantly contributed to the program’s success, creating an environment where participants feel valued and supported. He goes above and beyond to assist those in need and serves as a crucial link between participants and our staff. Miguel consistently shares valuable feedback and insights with our team, helping us continuously improve the program. His contributions are invaluable, and we are fortunate to have him as part of our volunteer team.” –Ross Oh, Food Hub Manager
These are just a few examples of CNH volunteers in our community. To learn about volunteering at CNH, visit cnh.bc.ca/volunteer.
-
Origami Circle
Happening every second Saturday of the month, the Origami Circle is a space where everyone can learn about the art of paper folding.
These sessions are free and all the materials are provided.
Registration
Online registration is now available through our web portal. Follow the link below or call 604-435-0323 to register on the phone.
For questions, please contact Yoko at 604-428-9142 or at ytomita@cnh.bc.ca.
-
Lisa Symons: A ‘critical’ team member of the RCC News celebrates 15 years at CNH
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.”
To learn about current career opportunities at CNH, visit www.cnh.bc.ca/about/careers.
-
Julie Cheng celebrates 25-year journey of art, literacy and community news 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, and 25 years of service to the neighbourhood house were thanked by the Board of Directors.
This year, we recognize and celebrate Julie Cheng for 25 years of service. Here’s what Jennifer Gray-Grant, Executive Director of CNH, had to say about Julie:
Around the time I met Julie, I invited her for lunch. She arrived at the restaurant on her bike, ordered a healthy meal and then talked about work but also about her children and partner. At the end of the meal she pulled a container from her backpack to tuck away her leftovers, so she wouldn’t waste food.
That’s pretty much what you need to know about Julie: she’s a healthy, thoughtful, prepared, principled person who is engaged in her work and is a loving partner and mom.
During her 25 years as a contractor at CNH, Julie has worked on a variety of projects. But first, she was a volunteer and sat on CNH’s Board of Directors; this was in the early 1990s when CNH’s main site was being developed.
As a contractor in the 1990s she worked on an arts-and-culture project that created, among other things, the Multicultural Archway in front of the CNH Joyce location. Julie recalls that the Building Community Through Cultural Expression project also spawned the annual Moon Festival and the Renfrew-Collingwood Community News.
She then worked on Multiculturalism Week where, as she distinctly remembers, the week’s activities ended on February 21; Her daughter Kate was born on February 22. Julie said Kate “still has wonderful timing to this day”.
Julie also served as Renfrew-Collingwood’s Literacy Plan Coordinator, a project that brought together 200 people to develop a literacy plan for the neighbourhood.
In 2007 Julie became editor of the Renfrew-Collingwood Community News a role she embraced with enthusiasm, working hard to reflect the neighbourhood in the pages of the newspaper. She also used a guiding principle she learned on the CNH Board: everyone has a gift to share. She turned that into a tagline for the newspaper: Every voice matters. Julie recently left that position but still retains the role of online editor.
Julie said her long relationship with CNH has been an amazing journey where she and her partner have raised their children. “CNH has been an important part of it.” As she looks to the future she said she’s looking forward to playing tennis, spending time in her garden and raising mason bees.
Thank you, Julie, and congratulations on this milestone!
To learn about current career opportunities at CNH, visit www.cnh.bc.ca/about/careers.
