KNH Annual Report 2011 Web

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Annual ReportAugust 27, 2011


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Kitsilano Neighbourhood House Annual Report 20112

Kitsilano Neighbourhood House is a non-profit organization dedicatedto meeting community needs, cultivating a sense of belonging andconnection to community for residents of Vancouvers Westside.

Our VisionVancouvers Westside is a safe, healthy and vibrant community where everyone thrives.

Our MissionWe are dedicated to strengthening our community through leadership, collaboration and opportunity.

Statement of DiversityWe are children, youth, adults and seniors of all races, all religions, all cultures, all abilities and all economic levels

We speak many languages

We are men and women of all sexual orientations

We value diversity

We endeavor to reflect the diversity of our neighbourhoods in our membership, our Boards of Management, ourvolunteers and our staff

We respect all neighbours

We expect that all who come to our House, all those who provide or receive services, will extend thesame respect to all those they meet here.

Greetings from the Executive Director

Kits House experienced over 14,000.00 visits last year. Its amazing what a strategic plan, afew dedicated staff (23) and over 350 high-energy, committed and skilled volunteers can ac-complish.

Kits House is all about connection and according to the Vancouver Foundations VitalSignsReport Vancouver residents agree and report that, Regardless of our religion, race, colour,age or gender, we all want to feel that we belong, and can make a contribution to our society.By developing connections with each other, we build trust, and this is what keeps our commu-nity strong and vital. In 2010/11, Kits House worked together with the Westside and providedopportunities for people to come together to learn, have fun and to contribute to the healthand well being of the Westside. Some community members came to Kits House becausethey needed information. Some needed food. Some housing. Some child development and

family support. Some came to knit with their friends. Some needed the support of peers who were facing similarchallenges. Some wanted to give back. Some needed to arrange some support for their families. Some came toteach. Some came to learn. Some came to plan. Some blogged, painted, counselled or gardened. Some joinedus in celebration. Some worked on community projects. Some came for coffee others for tea. Some came for allthese reasons some came for one. What they all had in common was a desire to be connected, to be listened to,to be valued and to contribute to their neighbourhood. These outcomes are what make Neighbourhood Housesso valuable. We are a resource for community to support connected, safe and vibrant neighbourhoods.

Thanks to all of the above Kits House achieved some significant milestones this past year: Our Dunbar child-

care program is operating in the black after a number of years of being in the red, City Council voted to approverezoning for the Kits House Redevelopment, the 8th and Vine Seniors Housing and Housing for People with Dis-abilities started construction, and we have increased our work with newcomer families and individuals by 75%.

Lastly, it is generally accepted that change is constant in any Neighbourhood House. When you add redevelop-ment to the mix the change can sometimes seem overwhelming. Kudos to the staff, volunteers and communitymembers who continue to not only hang in, but lend a hand and provide words of encouragement as we enterour 4th year of redevelopment planning. A special thanks to Kits Community Centre, Maple Crest, St. Marks andTapestry; who have generously opened their spaces to house our programs while we are redeveloping.


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Kitsilano Neighbourhood House Annual Report 2011 3

Message from the Board Chair, Andrew Lyons

Once again it has been a pleasure and an honour to serve on the Kitsilano NeighbourhoodHouse (KNH) Community Board. Seeing the continued growth and quality of the programsand services offered at KNH provides all the motivation one needs to remain committed toour goals of serving the community.

We are grateful for the ongoing support that we receive from the community, our partnersand corporate neighbours. Looking ahead, we are energized about the potential to grow

our relationships with our corporate neighbours and to establish new ones as we connectwith the Westside business community.

Our flagship event, the Autumn Fair, continues to be a highlight each year. This past eventmay have been the best yet! Once again we had fantastic weather, events for all agesand our very own Queen of Leaves all helped contribute to the success. This would not be

possible without the contributions of many staff and volunteers, thank you!

KNH has achieved several significant milestones over the past year as we continue to progress on the rede-velopment of our facilities. City of Vancouver zoning approval anchors this list as a strategy turning point in theproject ending over three years of work by staff and volunteers. Pre-construction activities have started withground breaking in the Fall and a targeted completion of Summer 2013.

I would like to welcome our new board members who have joined over the past year and thank them alongwith our current members who continue to serve on the Board. Your Community Board remains committed toserving the patrons of KNH and supporting the KNH staff.

On behalf of the Community Board, we look forward to continuing working together with staff and other volun-teers in supporting our neighbourhood and ensuring it remains a thriving, healthy, safe and vibrant communityfor everyone.

Message from the Board Treasurer, Roger Foster

The 2011 fiscal year has been another busy and exciting year for Kitsilano NeighborhoodHouse (KNH). The programs offered by KHN are an integral service element to whatmakes Kitslano such a great place to live.

Being part of the KNH team has been a tremendously rewarding experience for me andIm continuously impressed with the dedication put forward by the KNH staff, the executivedirector and the volunteers.

From a financial perspective KNH had expenses in excess of revenues for the fiscal yearending March 31, 2011 of $20,467 as compared to revenues in excess of expenses of$58,602 for the year ended March 31, 2010. The deficit for fiscal 2011 was anticipated,and was largely due to costs incurred for KNH house redevelopment and will be deductedfrom KNHs house fund.

The financial performance of KNHs programs were in line with our budget forecast with the exception of oneof our childcare programs which was disrupted by KNH plans to relocate the program during the house rede-velopment. While we anticipate the redevelopment will affect the manner and location of where some of ourprograms will be offered we do not anticipate the programs to be financially affected.

Overall, while we continue to investigate various financial resources to support and expand upon ourcurrent programs, KNH believes it is well positioned to continue with the current programs that it offeredduring fiscal 2011.


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Good Neighbour Awards 2010

Association of Neighbourhood Houses of BC Champion AwardRecipient, Andrew Lyons

The ANHBC Champion Award recognizes an ANHBC Board Volunteer who has expended asignificant amount of time and commitment to innovation, support and promotion of the As-

sociation of Neighbourhood Houses of BC.

Good Neighbour Award Recipient, Alexander Bowie

Alex participates in several programs at Kitsilano Neighbourhood House including specialevents, seniors support, food security and operations. His leadership skills and compassion-ate nature are a great fit for the organization. He is a considerate and thoughtful listener witha very good understanding of diverse groups of people, always showing tact and profession-alism in a variety of situations. His reliability and sensitivity are of great value when dealingwith seniors and those with disabilities, always displaying patience and empathy. He com-municates well and displays a good work ethic and is a valued member of the community ofKitsilano Neighbourhood House.

Youth Good Neighbour Award Recipient, Laura Finkler-Kemeny

Laura has volunteered at Kitsilano Neighbourhood House since the spring of 2009. Herparticipation in the Youth Advisory Group has superseded expectations. Laura assisted inthe Groups success by encouraging other young volunteers to participate in NeighbourhoodHouse activities and her contributions are significant to all youth-led and house-wide eventssuch as the Autumn Fair and community potluck dinners. Laura also volunteers tutoringseniors in computer skills. She truly believes that community action will solve communitychallenges and is always researching ways to support Kits Neighbourhood House. Laurasets a high standard for volunteerism and inspires not only her fellow youth volunteers, but

all of the volunteers that come to Kitsilano Neighbourhood House.

Learning, Volunteering and Sharing Wisdom

Communities thrive whenits members have ample opportunities tocome together in common spaces for fun activities or to deal with serious issues.We also know that a community who knows its neighbours is perceived as asafer community. Kitsilano Neighbourhood House worked with the community toprovide many opportunities for people to come together in 2010/2011 including:

Intergenerational, Multicultural Community Quilt Project

This project touched people of all ages and backgrounds. Led by a CommunityArts Facilitator and the Seniors Advisory Committee, this project brought togetherstudents from Kits High School, Lord Byng Secondary, Crofton House, Prince ofWales, Point Grey Secondary, St. Georges, U Hill, West Point Grey Academyand Magee, newcomer families from UBC drop-in program, children from KitsHouse After School Care, Kits House parent & tot drop in, seniors and commu-nity members.

The idea behind this intergenerational project was to come together as a community and create an expression ofwho we are as individuals and as a group. It was a beautiful way to embrace our unique stories and backgroundsand mend them together and create something new and even greater.


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Learning, Volunteering and Sharing Wisdom

Building a Welcoming and Inclusive Neigh-bourhood on Vancouvers Westside:

On November 27th, 2010, over 50 diverse communitymembers, volunteers, service providers, political and

government representatives explored important questionsabout the experience of being a newcomer, what createsa welcoming community, and how we can celebrate diver-sity on the Westside of Vancouver.

PLUS we celebrated the Official Launch of the multilin-gual Newcomer Guide to the Westside the culminationof the Newcomer Asset Mapping Project! Learnings fromthis dialogue event will be shared in a report and educa-tional posters on the topics ofSharing & Celebrating:DIVERSITY, PARTICIPATION and OUR CULTURES.

Through the power of collaboration, supportive funders and fantastic participants, volunteers and staff, Kits

House has greatly increased our capacity to serve newcomers in our community. We continues to collaboratewith settlement agencies and service providers to develop newcomer supports on Vancouvers Westside ac-cording to community identified needs such as language practice & learning, support and inclusion opportuni-ties, Increased community literacy for newcomers and access to activities, information, resources& referral.

Findings from the newcomers dialogue workshops helped to createa Newcomers Guide to the Westside of Vancouver and an onlineCommunity Resources:

How do I get a copy of the Newcomers

Guide to the Westside?Available in English, Chinese, Korean,Farsi, Spanish.

In person: Visit Kits House at 2325 W. 7thAve & Vine to pick up your free copy avail-able in five languages.

Online: Visit www.kitshouse.org to download printable guides in 5 lan-guages.

Paper: To receive additional copies please contact 604-736-3588 andinclude your name, contact information, mailing address & the language(s)and quantity of guides you are requesting.

PLUS visit the NEW Kits House Community Resources web page to find in-formation about community services, settlement, education, health & more!www.kitshouse.org/community-resourcesTranslation available.

See our previous Westside Guides: 2008 Check it Out: Youth Guide to theWestside and the 2009 Seniors & Elders Guide to the Westside.


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Leadership, Collaboration and Opportunity

The Kitsilano Youth Advisory Group

Comprised of a group of 17 youth from diverse ethnic backgrounds (Chinese, Philipino, Korean, and 3 of

Western European heritage) between the ages 14-18.

DEVELOPING A STRONG KNH YOUTH VOICE THROUGH A SOCIAL MEDIA & BRANDING PROJECT

This year, the Youth Advisory Group , worked on a social media project to promote the voice of youth on the

West Side as well as to promote Kitsilano Neighbourhood House across the

community.

As part of voicing themselves, the youth had a branding professional come in

and speak to them about the power of strong visual design. The youth were

very excited about this class and held a competition amongst themselves to

create a KNH Kits Youth logo. The attached logo was the winning selection that

represents the youth on all social media pages and which has been printed to

t-shirts that the youth sold at their annual Youth Talent Show as a fundraising

initiative for future youth programming.

The social media channels the youth chose to develop were:

1. a wordpress blog: http://kitsyouth.wordpress.com/2. a new facebook page3. twitter account: @Kitsilano_Youth

The youth advisory members selected seven themes to write about and invite comments and feedback from

the public. The themes included:

Student Finances, University Budget Planning, Education, The Arts and Their Importance in Society for Youth

and in Building Welcoming Communities, Politics 101, Sustainable Practices, Diversity - Inclusiveness vs

Racism, Urban Lifestyles of West Side Youth.

The youth posted 20 articles between March and May, 2011, and received 38 comments from the public. Two

of the youth that are ESL worked with the other youth and the youth facilitator to improve their written skills

in English to post articles they felt proud of. Their confidence in the written and spoken English skills went up

substantially by the end of the program.

Most of the youth had not worked on the twitter platform prior to the KNH Social Media program and did not

understand its power as a media channel. However, once they saw the responses to their tweets and how

it brought traffic to the blog, they began to tweet more consistently and some even established individual

accounts.


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Now that I have beenparticipating in all the

activities in this program,I have gained confidence

and I am not afraidanymore of talking with my

childrens teachers.Welcoming Neighbours Participant

I love that it is a safeplay environment that

it is so relaxed andfriendly. Its wonderfulto be able to get out

of the house and visitother parents wile

my child is having ablast!

KNH P&T participant


Leadership, Collaboration and Opportunity

Supporting Healthy Family Development

KNH Family Programs provide quality support, resources andactivities that meet the needs of local families and children 0 to6 years. Using a participant-directed model of service delivery,we aim to empower our participants to identify programs andservices that support healthy early childhood development and

enrich our community.

We focus on outreach and support of vulnerable familiesthrough our Strengthening Connections and Family Support ini-tiatives. Vulnerable families include newcomers to the Westside,low-income families, single-parent households, or families who

may be facing other barriers and need access to local resources, services and support.

A highlight from the Strengthening Connections initiative funded by UnitedWay is our Family Peer Support volunteer training program. This annualcapacity building program has been a great success, training 31 parentsand caregivers over the past 4 years. Volunteers have shared their experi-ence and leadership skills to help strengthen communication, facilitatecross-cultural exchange and support community building. Many volunteers

have continued to support Kits House through participation in communityevents, translation and administrative duties. Through this program andour commitment to building capacity in community, 5 volunteers have sincebecome Kits House staff in various areas such as childcare, family and new-comer programming.


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Partners 2010 - 2011

Funding

BC HousingCity of VancouverGovernment of CanadaHuman Resources Development CanadaMinistry of Children and Family DevelopmentEmbrace BCMinistry of Housing & Social Development

Vancouver Coastal HealthVancouver Community NetworkVancouver School Board2010 Legacies NowWelcome BCCanWest Global FoundationUnited WayCoast Capital SavingsVancouver FoundationDirect Access Gaming

Community Partners

Westside Family Place, UBC Acadia Block, Local Schools, Jericho Garrison, Kitsilano Community Centre,

Kitsilano Public Library, South Vancouver Neighbourhood House, Settlement Workers in Schools, UBC LegalAid Program, Village Vancouver, Kits House Staff and Participants, City of Vancouver, SUCCESS, WestsideFood Security Collaborative, Steeves Manor, South Granville Seniors Centre, Westside Youth Networking Table,Jewish Family Services, Association of Neighbourhood Houses, Vancouver Coastal Health, Westside ServiceProviders, Welcoming Communities Steering Committee, UBC AMS Connect, govolunteer.ca, ESL schools, KitsMental Health Team, Choices program for disabled adults, Jobs West, UBC Internship Program, BC Paraple-gic Association, BC Housing, Sunset Seniors Centre, First Nations Friendship, Urasenke Vancouver, Vancouver

Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society, Vancouver Heritage Society, Vancouver Natural History Society, WestpointGrey Community Church, Fairview Baptist Church, Crossreach Adult Day Centre, Tapestry, Shoppers Drug Mart,Foot Care Solutions, Noodle Box, Celsia Florist, Jacksons, BWIN Working Committee - Consortium of Neigh-bourhood Houses, Canadian Immigrant Magazine, Immigrant Services Society (ISS), MOSIAC, Pacific Immi-grant Resources Society (PIRS), Pacific Spirit Health Centre & Vancouver Coastal Health, Program Participants,Program Volunteers, Province of British Columbia, Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS), SFU Dialogue & Civic

Engagement Program, SUCCESS, Sustainable Cities UBC - Community Service Learning Initiative, Universityof BC (Acadia Park), Vancouver Courier, Vancouver Parks & Recreation, Vancouver Public Library, WestsideService Providers Network, Westside Youth Networking Table AMSSA - Affiliation of Multicultural Societies andService Agencies, The Ripple Effect Society, Pacific Gateway ESL College, Canaglobe ESL College, BC Hous-ing, PALS Adult Program, Developmental Disabilities Association, UBC Summer Arts Internship Program, UBCGlobal Career Development Internship Program, UBC Immigrant Vancouver Ethnographic Field School, TenThousand Villages, Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company, Emily Press Labels, Marty Pospischil Real EstateTeam, Starbucks, Green Zebra, Ace Cycles, Bard on the Beach, Capers Whole Foods Market, Centre Distribu-tions, Bond Repro, DAVIDs Tea, Saje Natural Wellness, Silly Goosy Designs, Swimco, TELUS Corporation, TerraBreads, Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver Canadians Baseball, Vancouver Maritime Museum, Vancouver Plan-etarium, Varsity Ridge Bowling, Wild Coast Productions, Woofgang Pet Supplies, Dr. Christian Guenette, Van-couver Whitecaps, CKNW 980AM, CAP, SPEC


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Executive Director

Catherine Leach

AdministrationJulia de Winter Operations Manager

Susan Coburn Relocation Coordinator

Michael Petrachenko Accounting Clerk

Allison Reynolds Front Desk Support Worker

Julie Rieter Front Desk Support Worker

Kendal Gerus Front Desk Support Worker

Tamara Ling Administrative Assistant

Family Programs

Sandra Petrozzi Family Programs Coordinator

Patricia Paz Strengthening Connections Facilitator

Wen Zhang Family Worker

Feng Qian Family Worker

Brigette Bouchard Family Worker

Youth Programs

Chelsea Calder Youth Organizer

Kate Castelo Youth Organizer

Community Programs

Emily Palmer Volunteer & Literacy Coordinator

Jenn Beavington Community Organizer

Kate Castelo Community Organizer

Patricia Paz - Welcoming Neighbours Facilitator

Julie Rieter Community Support Worker

Gordon McGee Food Collaborative Organizer

Seniors Programs

Julie Wall Seniors Coordinator

Vinyse Barber Senior Support Worker

Barbara Kendall Steeves Manor Worker

Childcare Programs

Lisa Paul Childcare Coordinator

Deanna Canning Childcare Supervisor

Kira Froese OSC Program Lead

Amrit Aujlay OSC Assistant

Kendal Gerus OSC Assistant

Nicolas Narvaez OSC Assistant

Jessica Will OSC Assistant

Brenda Gibson OSC Assistant

Lindsay Kesler OSC Assistant

Margot Byrom OSC Assistant

Angelo Moroni OSC Assistant

Kate Mosley OSC Assistant

Sarah Kraus OSC Assistant

Melis Garipoglu OSC Assistant

Georgia Quinn OSC Assistant

Sarah Endicott OSC Summer Student

Alfred Sin - OSC Summer Student

Barb Corbin Preschool Teacher

Ann McQueen Preschool Teacher

Michelle Milne Preschool TeacherMarie-Claire Bergman LCM Assistant

Jackie Boutsarakis - LCM Assistant

Pierrette Cournoyer LCM Assistant

Kitsilano Neighbourhood House Staff 2010 - 2011


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Kitsilano Neighbourhood House Community Board 2010 2011

Andrew Lyons Chair Person, Board of Directors RepresentativeChristy Clark Vice Chair Person, Board Development LeadRoger Foster - Treasurer

Alessandra Morzan Secretary, Board DevelopmentKataneh Sherkat Community LiaisonJohn Bader Building Committee

Margaret McGann Marketing LeadBrita Cloghesy-Devereux Community LiaisonManni Bojnordi Board MemberNiveria Oliveira MarketingTamara Little Marketing

KITSILANO NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE

STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

Year ended March 31, 2011

REVENUES 2011

Interest & Investment Income $ 4,730

Province of BC 515,394

Federal Government 20,911

United Way 120,159

City of Vancouver 90,271

Gaming 65,000

Earned Income 343,717

Donations and Fundraising 52,161

Other Contributions and Miscellaneous 3,218

TOTAL REVENUE 1,215,561

EXPENSES

Salaries and Benefits 709,935

Building Occupancy 65,670

Office Expenses 40,890

Purchased Services & Subcontracts 111,355

Program, Food & Transportation 64,902

Other Expenses 34,082

Capital Expenses 209,194

TOTAL EXPENSES 1,236,028

OPERATING SURPLUS (DEFICIT) $ (20,467)

In picture left to right- top to bottom:Brita Cloghesy-Devereux, Catherine Leach (Executive Director), Alessandra Morzan, Kataneh Sherkat,

Andrew Lyons, Roger Foster. Absent on day of shooting:Manni Bojnordi, Niveria Oliveira, Tamara Little


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Childcare:

Licensed Childminding (Highbury and 4th location)Kitsilano Neighbourhood House Community Preschool- (Highbury and 4th location)

Dunbar Kids Club: Kindercare and Out of School Care- (Dunbar location)Kitsilano Kids Club: Kindercare and Out of School CareKitsilano Kids Club Summer ProgramWestside ECD Network 4 Community Table

Family Programs:

Parents & Tots Drop-InStrengthening Connections Newcomer Parents & TotsProgram (UBC partnership)Mama and Papa GooseNobodys Perfect Parenting WorkshopFamily Support Worker

Youth Programs:

Pre-Teen MomentumYouth Volunteer Skills ProgramYouth Advisory CommitteeWestside Youth Networking Table

Seniors Programs:

Kits House Seniors Advisory CommitteeOsteofitWestside Seniors Links Program

Westside Seniors Peer Support ProgramTuesday Seniors Drop InOut tripsKnitting CircleSteeves Manor Community Resource Centre- (3rd and Alma location)Westside Seniors Empowerment Coalition

Community:

English Conversation CirclesImmigrant Womens Support GroupLunchtime Meditation

Monthly Community PotluckAutumn FairInformation and ReferralWest Coast Childcare Resource Center Caregivers Drop InIncome Tax Clinic for those on a low incomeUBC Law Students Legal Advice ProgramWestside Food Security CollaborativeGamblers Anonymous

AlanonGarden CollaborativePublic Access Computers and TutorialsSingle Moms GroupWomens Mental Health Support Group

Classes:

Tai Chi ChuanKarateTesshinkan KobudoKarate for KidsLaughter Yoga

Kitsilano Neighbourhood House Programs 2010 - 2011


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Connecting with other families in thecommunity, giving my children the

opportunity to meet and interact with otherstheir age.

KNH P&T participant

It is educational and really relaxing kind ofsetting! We shared things about our kids. I

truly appreciate the patience of the staff anddedication!

MPG participant

That it is casual, easy going, stress free,a lot of activities, like games, circle time,crafts, early morning books for the early

kids Family Camp participant

Collaboration of families acting as one,looking after each other

Family Camp participant

This lady, Amberly, is a jewel to me. I can-not find the words to express my peace and

joy she has brought to my life. I love herdearly and I thank you and God for sending

this angel to help me.Seniors Links participant

2305 2325 West 7th AvenueVancouver, BC V6K 1Y4Phone: (604) 736-3588Fax: (604) 736-3640Web: www.KitsHouse.org

Documents

KNH Annual Report 2011 Web