Celebrating 15 year milestones at CNH

By Collingwood Neighbourhood House

Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH) proudly recognizes its long-serving staff members. At the 2022 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.

Sheri Parke is celebrating 15 years with CNH. Here’s what Sheri’s supervisors, Emily Rees and Irene Mella, had to say about her:

“Sheri Parke is a key part of Collingwood Neighbourhood House. She started her work at CNH in 2007 as the Neighbourhood Small Grants Program Coordinator, helping residents apply for neighbourhood small grants for projects that build community. In 2016, she started working as a casual Office Assistant in the admin office at the Joyce St location and would eventually become regular administrative staff in 2018. Sheri is also a highly engaged member of CNH’s Joint Occupational Health & Safety Committee, and volunteers to pick up bread from COBS Bread for the Families Branching Out program on Fridays.

“We are grateful that Sheri is hard working, creative and friendly with all staff. Sheri is always willing to lend a hand, steps up to take the lead, and has been a constant in the admin office, even during COVID while most staff were working remotely. Irene says, “I trust Sheri to hold down the fort, and I value her ability to problem solve and think on her feet.”

“When asked why she stayed so long at CNH, Sheri says, “I really appreciate the super friendly working environment. It also matters to me that CNH is diverse, inclusive and cares about their staff. I also enjoy being in the building when it is alive with hustle and bustle, delicious smells coming from the kitchen and happy activity everywhere.”

“Sheri’s favourite work-related memory includes working on special events with the Admin Team. Sheri says, “I believe it is really important to gather and celebrate together with the community. My favourite is always the Neighbourhood Small Grants (NSG) Celebration dinner held each year at CNH. I get to engage with so many new and returning participants who are genuinely excited to share the results of their NSG project. When we ask people to turn to someone new and introduce themselves and share their project success, the energy level immediately sparks with excited conversations and laughter. People meeting one another at gatherings like these is very rewarding for me. We are so grateful to work alongside you, Sheri! Congratulations!”

Also celebrating over 15 years at CNH is Candice Li. Here’s what Candice’s supervisor, Jenny Eng-Chan, had to say about her:

“Candice is one of our vibrant and boldest members of the Reception team. You can hear and feel her presence even before seeing her! I mean this in a positive way. She is confident and has that one-of-akind personality. This was first evident upon interviewing her. I recall that entire day was strange—the other interviewer had to cancel at the last minute and the room that I had booked to do the interview went into overtime. I was scrambling to find a place to conduct the job interview.

There were limited choices: it was either the women’s changing room or the main kitchen! Obviously, I picked the kitchen. Candice was adaptable to the situation and continued to be unfazed at the noise and the interruptions. And this quality made her a perfect addition to the Reception Team.”

“Along the way, I have learned that Candice had an aptitude for configuring programs and she loves to use her analytical CSI skills. When it was time for us to transition from our old-fashioned way of receiving and preparing payments received at the front desk to a more modern Point of Sales system, Candice was right there tackling the job. She was one of the key players involved in implementing our very first Point of Sales system, and if that wasn’t enough, she took part in building the second one, which we are using today. Candice constantly thanks me for her white hairs but I had promised Candice that there will not be a third time for at least another 10 years and by then, either we would have all retired or our hair would have naturally turned white, so I can’t be blamed for this.”

“Besides her work, Candice has this talent of being able to transform almost any fruit into her “special juices,” also known as wine. She loves to test out the potency of her creations on her reception teammates and this is a part of the reason of why the Front Desk staff is always so pleasant. On that note, my wish for Candice is for her to continue perfecting her juice-making skills and testing them out on us. Cheers to many more years.”

For information about careers at CNH, visit www.cnh.bc.ca/about/careers.

June 2023

Collingwood Days 20th Anniversary July 14 - 22nd, 2023

Our community has been celebrating Collingwood Days for 20 years!!

Everyone is invited to join in the festivities that are occurring between July 14 – 22nd. A full schedule will be included in the July issue of this newspaper. The QR Code will link you to the website and check it often for updates. There will be 2 movie nights July 14 and 21st the Festival Day will be on July 22nd from 11 –4pm. There will be something for everyone. Main Stage performances, a Kid Zone, Food Trucks, Marketplace, roving entertainment and much more

If you’d like to participate, please go to the website or click on the QR Code. We are always looking for volunteers, marketplace vendors and sponsors.

Calendar of Events

June 18

Father’s Day

June 19

Juneteenth

June 21

Indigenous Peoples Day

July 1

Canada Day

July 14 -222

Collingwood Days 2023

(see ad in this issue for more information)

Safety Survey 2023

A report will be going out to all Collingwood BIA Members. We appreciate your time to fill out the Safety Survey. We have many resources in our community. First, if it is an emergency and occurring at the time call 9-1-1. If the incident has already happened call non-emergency 604.717.3321. You can also report a crime online at www.vpd.ca. The Collingwood Community Policing Centre is a located at 5160 Joyce Street, they can be reached at 604.717.2935. Reporting is important for the Vancouver Police Department to have accurate data of our neighbourhood.

We are very fortunate to be in one of the lowest crime areas in the City. Thank you to our Collingwood Guardians who patrol the BIA several times per week. If you see the Guardians in their red jackets, don’t hesitate to speak with them to share any concerns you have. To learn about the Guardians go to www.collingwoodcpc.com

Jr. BIA and Scholarships

The Collingwood BIA Scholarship application will be available March 12–May 31, 2023. If you are a Grade 12 student attending Windermere Secondary School, contact info@shopcollingwood.ca There are two $500.00 scholarships available.

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