ROUNDHOUSE SOCIETY

Welcome to our 2022 Spring and Summer seasons. Temperatures are still in the single digits at publication, but slowly rising while the days grow longer. As we move through spring into summer, we look with interest at the latest guidelines from the PHO and attempt to navigate them, with an eye to returning to our usual programming levels. Littles (0-5 yrs) are ready to learn everything, so why not another language during French Circle Times (p 19). Our Elsie Roy Elementary School lunch programs are back up and running (pp 27-28), and we’re very pleased to offer lots of camp options for the summer (pp 29-31). Friday Youth Night has something for everyone – crafting, movies, games (pp 34-35). We’ve got some new programs for adults including dance fitness Bollywood-style (p 42)! We’re very excited to once again have the Pie Eaters Intergenerational Queer Meet-up for a chance to have your story recorded (p 56). Performances and exhibitions—we know you've been missing them, and our arts programmers have been working hard to bring them back. RHYTAG, our youth theatre residency, has live performances after two years of pivoting online (p 10); VanCAF, a comic arts extravaganza particularly focussed on local artists, is back (p 12); and, Pagtitipon celebrates the art of the Filipino-Canadian community (p17). These are only a few of the events we have until the end of August (pp 8-17.) The Roundhouse is an original community hub in Yaletown, and 2022 marks the 25th anniversary of the Roundhouse opening its doors to the public as an arts and recreation centre. The pandemic put a slight crimp in our plans to celebrate that milestone, but stay tuned for announcements later in the spring! I can never say enough about how important volunteers are for the Roundhouse. As programs and events start to pick up, volunteers are needed in greater numbers. Contact Silvia Rubino at silvia. rubino@vancouver.ca for more about our volunteer programs. And we also have a volunteer Board. Drop me a line at president@roundhouse.ca if you have an interest in joining our energetic and involved Board!

Adrian Mitescu President, Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Society

CANADIAN HERITAGE GRANT ANNOUNCEMENT

The Roundhouse Society is very pleased to announce that the Roundhouse is the recipient of a $35,000 grant from the Department of Canadian Heritage, under Recovery Funding for Professional Arts Presentation Organizations, administered by the Canada Arts Presentation Fund (CAPF), and funded by the Government of Canada. This financial support will go some way to alleviating the financial stress that the Roundhouse has undergone due to the pandemic. As we received word only days before the program guide’s publication deadline, the Board was just getting started on where to apply the funds to support the Society’s efforts. In general, the funds are slated for operational improvements. As decisions are made on actual allocations, we will update the Roundhouse community on the website. Many thanks to the dedicated staff and Board members for their hard work securing this welcome funding. In particular, we'd like to recognize staff members DB Boyko, who played an instrumental role in shaping the application, and Maria Castillo, who pulled together the financial report. As well, we are grateful to Board members Andrea Han, who cast her keen editorial eyes over the application, and Adrian Mitescu, who assembled and submitted the application. Their dedication to the project was key to its success.