.Join us for Tai Chi at Collingwood Days! Happening at MOSAIC (5575 Boundary Road) from 10-11am on Monday, July 17.
Online registration is now available through our web portal. Follow the link below or call 604-435-0323 to register on the phone.
Join us on Friday, July 14 from 10am-3pm to celebrate the opening of Collingwood Days Festival! There will be children’s arts and crafts, drum circle, storytelling, and spoken word on site. Hosted by Leona Brown.
Online registration is now available through our web portal. Follow the link below or call 604-435-0323 to register on the phone.
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!”
Volunteer Ludin Godinez struggled when she first arrived in Canada in January 2020: in addition to the COVID-19 shutdown in March, she had difficulty navigating a new country, a new language, and a new community.
But that all changed when she started volunteering for the community; first with the Food Bank, and then with Collingwood Neighbourhood House, where she fondly looks back on helping cook the holiday dinner at Family Place.
“I really enjoyed it. The chefs really knew what they were doing,” she said.
This later turned into her volunteering for the monthly Community Kitchen, where she once facilitated a session on Costa Rican food and made dishes for 17 people. Aside from the cooking, she loved the opportunity to talk about her home country.
“I really enjoyed sharing that part of me, and [having] the opportunity to cook my [cuisine]. It’s not just about you, but your culture,” she said. As of this writing, Ludin will be hosting another Community Kitchen session in late September.
Beyond being a wife and a mother, Ludin is also a student: she is currently enrolled in LINC to develop her English-language skills and is taking classes to become an Early Childhood Education Assistant, with the dream of opening her own home daycare someday. Ludin credits CNH staff member Hannah Balba in supporting her with her goals.
“She helped me with my cover letter, my resume, my driving test, and even printing stuff… the little things, even though they’re not her responsibility. I don’t see Hannah as an employee; I see her more as a friend,” Ludin said.
Ludin appreciates the opportunity to volunteer and be part of the community; she encourages others to get involved as well.
“Just do it. You can give back to the community and be part of that; you also receive more than you think you give. If you’re thinking you want to be a volunteer and you want to help—no, they help you.”
For more information about volunteering with CNH, please visit cnh.bc.ca/volunteer.
During his six years of visiting Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH), Gian Villanueva said participating in youth programs has built his confidence.
The 17-year-old said he wasn’t always one to approach new people but CNH changed how he interacts with others.
“I’ve learned a lot about being more sociable here,” he said. “Going to Collingwood and meeting new people that are [also] new to Canada changed me into that person, being able to talk to them more comfortably and treat them as a friend right away.”
The Grade 12 student said he moved to Canada from the Philippines in 2016. In the same year, he recalls a visit to his elementary school from CNH staff. Eventually, he made his first visit to the neighbourhood house with friends. Gian said he enjoyed it so much that he knew he would be returning “all the time.”
True to his word, Gian continued to return each week to participate in settlement programs and other drop-in activities for youth.
“It was really fun and you actually got to play sports, open-gym and do cool things,” he said. “That was also one of the ways I could spend my time since I didn’t really have electronics and since I just came to Canada.”
Today, Gian said not much has changed. He continues to play a variety of sports in the gym and experiment with new dishes in the kitchen, though he has recently started to volunteer at CNH and said he would like to eventually find a part-time job at CNH, too.
“I guess my entire life in Canada would be so different if I wasn’t introduced to Collingwood,” Gian said.
Described by CNH staff as “always super helpful” in supporting wellness activities and cooking in the kitchen, as well as “instrumental” in the seniors’ snow shovelling project this year, finding ways to volunteer or participate at CNH has simply become routine for Gian. It’s also family, he said.
Throughout his time at the neighbourhood house, Gian said he feels that everyone is treated like family, regardless of their background. He said that the Youth Services team, staff, participants and volunteers are considered equals.
“I can call Collingwood my second home now, which is nice,” he said, adding: “If I didn’t learn about CNH when I came here, I’d probably be doing nothing right now. I’d probably just be working but I’m so glad that I found out about CNH . . . and that [staff] encouraged me to go here.”
For more information about our youth programs, email Sanjeev Karwal at skarwal@cnh.bc.ca or call 604-435-0323.
At the start of the pandemic, life was lonely for Alice Crestejo. Like for many others, Alice found stay-at-home orders and physical distancing challenging. So when staff at Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH) established a virtual singing program for seniors, it didn’t take long for Alice to jump at the opportunity to host it.
As an award-winning singer and performer with a repertoire of songs from the 1950s and 1960s, Broadway musicals, classical music and Italian opera, it was a perfect match. Organizing this program, however, did not come without its obstacles.
Prior to the pandemic, seniors would meet regularly at CNH for karaoke. Once the pandemic started, In the virtual version of this program, called Sing for Fun, seniors were invited to participate in a singalong, or even sing solo.
“To start the Sing for Fun program was not easy,” Alice said. “After finding music that people are familiar with and editing the lyrics of each song to match the music, I had problems transmitting the music and my voice over Zoom in a clear manner.”
“I tried different ways and [staff] even offered to buy a microphone for me, which I declined.”
CNH staff were “so kind,” said Alice but eventually, she had the system figured out. It took a few tries and a few classes learning to use Zoom but the result was worth it, she said.
Jenny Shen, Seniors Wellness Coordinator, agreed.
“[Alice] shared her singing talents with seniors and brought tremendous fun and happiness to those who were homebound and isolated during the pandemic,” Jenny explained. “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.”
No longer in isolation, Alice said she has enjoyed volunteering as Sing for Fun host.
“The past two years have gone by very quickly,” Alice said.
“I really enjoy doing the program as much as the participants,” Alice said. “It made me forget about the loneliness we were in during this pandemic.”
“CNH has been my sanctuary for two years. I am the one who should thank CNH for that opportunity.”