Community Centre Society Board of Directors
Please look through the array of fantastic programs, events and services outlined in this brochure for Fall 2016 We have an outstanding array of new programs available for you this fall as well as your long-time favourites. You’re sure to find something that appeals to you and to other members of your family.
For example, preschoolers can make cookies and cinnamon buns in Mini Bakers or sing and dance in Drama Bugs
For children 6 – 10, there is the new Youth Band with longtime Kerrisdale instructor, Dylan Cramer for those in Grades 6 & 7, a Musical Theatre program, new Bricks 4 kids that shows 6 – 10 years how to enhance their skills with LEGO and go beyond. ‘
For youth 9 – 15 who are waiting to take the Bronze Medallion, Kerrisdale is offering the Junior Lifeguard club where they can learn important lifesaving and first aid skills while becoming better swimmers. Teen Ballet is for 13-17 years who are new to ballet but always wanted to try it, and Intermediate dance class teaches different styles with a new combination each class for 11 – 15 years.
Adult & Seniors can now enjoy Kundalini Yoga, Fall Drawing Techniques to capture autumn’s changing light, Nature Sketchbook Journaling, and Calligraphy.
Patron Survey
Thanks to the 774 Kerrisdale patrons who completed a Needs Assessment survey in June and July. The information you provided will help your Board of Directors determine what adjustments in programs and services are needed to better meet our patrons’ needs. One of the things we’ve learned is that over half of our patrons get their information from this program brochure so it’s important that we don’t cut back its distribution as was being considered. We also learned that almost half our patrons come to the Centre two or three days each week, almost 60% live in the Kerrisdale area with another 25% coming from Dunbar, Kitsilano and Marpole-Oakridge, and three-quarters find our membership fees to be reasonable.
A New Face at Kerrisdale
The Kerrisdale Community Centre is pleased to welcome Hardeep Bassram as the new programmer at Kerrisdale. Hardeep comes to us in early August from West Point Grey Community Centre to replace acting programmer Erik Price who will be moving to West Point Grey. Hardeep grew up on the west side of Vancouver and is pleased to be working at Kerrisdale. Please welcome Hardeep and help him get to know Kerrisdale. Our thanks to Erik who has spent several years at Kerrisdale in different roles. He will be missed.
Arbutus Greenway
You will have noticed that the railway tracks are no longer running down the Arbutus Greenway. A number of volunteers in our neighbourhood, and in other neighbourhoods north and south of us, have been campaigning for many years to achieve this. One of them is Hans Finken who has worked with the Arbutus Greenway Improvement Society as its co-chair for fifteen years to have the City gain control of the long unused and neglected railway tracks and turn it into a greenway for cyclists and pedestrians. The City was able to buy the property from the CPR in March this year and is designing a consultation process to determine its development. The Community Centre hosted one information meeting in April at which Jerry Dobrovolny, City Engineers spoke about the City’s plans for the greenway. More information and consultation events are expected in coming months. Watch the Community Centre reader board for announcements.
Role of the Kerrisdale Community Centre Association.
The early planners of Vancouver’s community centre system believed that the best service to each of Vancouver’s neighborhoods would be achieved if each community played an active role in managing its community centre. Our community centre is jointly managed by the Kerrisdale Community Centre Society and the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation under the terms of a contract called the Joint
Operating Agreement (JOA)
Direct participation by residents in the running of public recreation facilities is what makes Vancouver’s community centres truly centres of activities for the residents of each community. The Kerrisdale Community Centre Society, through different committees of the Board of Directors and in cooperation with Centre staff, arranges for all the programs and other activities presented by the Centre; it purchases furniture and equipment; it prints and distributes the program brochure in print and on line; and from-time-to-time contributes to the physical upgrading of the facilities. Be a proud member of the Kerrisdale Community Centre Society and continue to support our Society to ensure excellent programming chosen to meet the needs of our community. Consider joining a Board committee; you’ll learn about the community and make new friends.
What do you get for your membership fees at the Kerrisdale Community Centre? When you pay your membership fee each year, you become part of the decision making structure for your community centre. You have the right to raise issues and to vote at the Annual General Meeting of the Society, to stand for a position on the Board of Directors, to participate on any Board committee: Program, Facilities, Finance, Pool and Arena, Youth, Community Garden, Seniors Council and others. In this way you can influence what happens at our community centre.
For information about what your Board of Directors is doing, please check the Society bulletin boards directly across from the front desk in the main lobby and in the seniors centre; both are updated monthly.
Keith Jacobson
Vancouver’s community centres lost a tireless advocate for keeping communities in community centres as Park Board has tried to take control away from them in recent years. Keith Jacobson was a long-time member of the Board of Directors of the Killarney Community Centre serving as vice-president, president and treasurer. He was a strong voice in the City-wide community centre associations group and an active campaigner for a seniors centre in southeast Vancouver for more than a decade. Vancouver’s community centres are better because of him, and his vision and dedication will be greatly missed.
What will you do at KCC this fall?
Respectfully submitted
Kathleen Bigsby, President