Archive

Longtime volunteer Keiko Honda was recognized for her contributions at the Kerrisdale Community Centre Society’s summer social in late July. After 14 years of dedicated service, the last 12 of which she sat as the Community Engagement Committee chair, Honda is stepping down from her society role. “Volunteering has introduced me to an incredible diversity of people,” she says. “Together, we’ve brought to life exciting projects like the community e-zine Kerrisdale Playbook and The Opera Zone.” Honda remains dedicated to fostering community through

Upon witnessing just how much hearing aids can improve a person’s life, Dr. Katarina Vavrovicova set out to pursue a career in audiology. Growing up in Bratislava, Slovakia, she went on to graduate from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania with a doctoral degree in audiology in 2006. Since then, Vavrovicova has been working with physicians and the medical community in the Vancouver area, all the while gaining extensive experience in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of hearing disorders.

After volunteering in an elementary classroom while in high school, and encouraged by her mentors, Ginny Chiu knew she wanted to pursue a career in education. “Almost everything we do revolves around some form of reading and writing, so teaching students to read, write and think critically is an important skill set to have – not only in school, but in life,” says Chiu, who has both a BA in English and BEd from UBC. Teaching

Teaching Zumba classes at the Kerrisdale Community Centre for 12 years, Tanya Hillson draws deeply from both her Caribbean heritage and Latin dance background. “My family comes from Trinidad and Tobago, which is the birthplace of soca and calypso music, the steel drum and limbo, and home to the world’s largest Caribbean carnival,” says Hillson, who was born and raised in Vancouver but frequently visited Trinidad as a child and teen. “Latin dance is also popular on the

Julien Toscano-Saoui has entered the building as our new food services coordinator. Working in Vancouver’s restaurant scene since he was 16, he fully embarked on his culinary journey at Mahoney’s Tavern (Vancouver Convention Centre location) before moving on to help open Tap & Barrel‘s North Vancouver location, oversee Tacofino‘s food trucks, work as chef de partie at Kitsilano’s Oddfish Restaurant and, most recently, as sous chef at Yolks on W. Broadway. Only a few weeks into his new Kerrisdale Community Centre Society role, Toscano-Saoui says: “I like it, it’s exciting, it’s fun.