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 13 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.

Music instructor Joseph Young can’t say enough about the humble ukulele. “One of my favourite things about teaching the ukulele is the community surrounding it,” says Young, who has been teaching music for almost 20 years. “The uke community in the Lower Mainland is robust and welcoming across the board, and getting to introduce people to it is a pleasure.” Skilled at playing a variety of instruments, including the guitar, piano, saxophone and, of course, ukulele, he

Say hello to Richard Pelcz! Teaching boxing at the Kerrisdale Community Centre for the last year and a half, the Hungarian-born instructor was bitten by the fitness bug early on. Moving to Canada with his family at age 10, he was first introduced to judo, then taekwondo, before running dojos in the Fraser Valley. Boxing since he was 23, Pelcz won the 1993 Golden Gloves Championship in Portland, Oregon, in the 168-pound division. He also earned his third-degree

Celebrating International Women’s Day with a shoutout to all of our female instructors, including Group Fitness teacher Nevada Banks (photo, above). Growing up dancing, Banks has worked as a fitness professional for the past 16 years. Teaching at the Kerrisdale Community Centre for over a year now, she is passionate about creating movement classes that are fun and inclusive for every kind of body. “It can be intimidating to try something new,” says Banks, adding that group settings can give

On behalf of the Kerrisdale Seniors Centre membership, thank you for participating in the recent Seniors Council election process. We encourage your continued participation in our community in such a proactive and positive manner. And many thanks to our volunteers who helped make everything run smoothly, including Edie Bonvillain and Yee Wong (l-r in photo and reel). Election Results for Kerrisdale Seniors Council 2024-2026Number of eligible voters: 2,373Number of ballots cast: 113 (4.7% of eligible voters)Two-year term: Rosemary Cryer, Richard Dopson, Lee-Ane

Say hello to Lai Chun Cheung, a master instructor (or sifu) in tai chi and health qigong. Trained by world-renowned tai chi and health qigong masters from China, Cheung (whose personal name is Lisa Low) has been participating in international health qigong seminars, masters training and World Health Qigong Tournaments for over a decade. Most notably, she won one team and two individual gold medals at the 7th World Health Qigong Tournament held in the Netherlands in 2017 (photo, above). Recognized across Canada, Cheung is

Congratulations to Yvonne Davis (middle, photo above), named 2023 Volunteer of the Year at the Kerrisdale Community Centre Holiday Party! Presented by Kerrisdale Community Centre Society president Kathy McKay (left) and seniors recreation programmer Austin Su, the annual award honours an individual for their outstanding spirit, knowledge and hours of service at the centre and/or in the community. Relocating from South Africa, Davis became a society member eight years ago when she joined the Busy Bees volunteer