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Meet Me at KCC!

Suzanne Stothers is a regular visitor to the Kerrisdale Community Centre. She says that for her, it is a central hub to meet people. She laughingly explained: “It happens several times a week, where I will be making plans with a friend and will say: ‘Meet me at KCC!’.” (Editor’s note: This sounds like a perfect advertising slogan for the community centre. We love it!)

At KCC, Suzanne uses the pool and comes for the seniors’ lunches, but she admits that her favourite place at KCC is the library. “I read quite a bit and I will always gravitate to a room filled with books,” she said. “The library is quite well-stocked and there is always something new to read – which is important when you are a reader. I consume quite a few books in a month – and it’s nice to know I can come here and always find something that will appeal to me.”

She also feels that the centre is a key element at the foundation of “community.” She explained: “This is a diverse community with many different people living here – new immigrants, young families and seniors. When you think about the programs and services that are offered at Kerrisdale, it is a big deal for each of us. We are made to feel welcome – like we belong – no matter who we are. I think that is something pretty special, and it’s important to all of us.”

Now retired, Suzanne says that the community centre has become even more important in her day-to-day life. “I know so many people here,” she laughed. “And even those I don’t know well, I often see out and about in the neighbourhood and we wave and say hello. It’s a very welcoming place and that spills out from inside this building to the whole area.”

What Suzanne Wants the Park Board to Know

“A real community culture isn’t something that you can control and regulate. That’s not how it works. I don’t understand why the Park Board wants to come to our community centre and try to make us into something else. We are who we are – and we are a successful, well-run centre. If it’s not broken – why are you trying to fix it?”

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