Dear Readers, In this last issue of 2014, reflecting its theme of community, we searched some of the larger-than-life voices in our city – influential filmmaker Pia Massie, eclectic home-school teacher Peter Lambert, Kerrisdale Community Centre’s beloved programmer, Kristi Douglas, and visionary urban garden project leader, Cinthia Page – to share their causes and passion.  Our hope, and theirs, is to offer a reminder that this holiday season, we lucky Vancouverites have many ways to actualize our dreams into the reality of our life. Look no further!  Recently, with my 9-year-old Maya, I participated in the Kits Banner Painting, which is funded by the City’s Neighboughood Matching Fund. The banner designs were selected through a contest that is open to all members of the community to represent their hopes and dreams.  So fascinating how this city compels Vancouverites to get involved in a myriad of self-expression opportunities. Finally, on behalf of Kerrisdale Community Centre Society, I would like to give a big thanks to our dedicated staff writers, a bright UBC grad and soon-to-be-graduated, Haley Cameron and Dave Wheaton, whom I am humbled by their talent, drive, enthusiasm, and work ethic. They certainly have kept raising the bar by delivering all interesting articles for the whole year of 2014.  Sorry to see them leave the Team, but I wish Haley and Dave all the best for the future! With December only 2 weeks away, the holiday planning will soon be in full swing! I hope everyone will enjoy the fun and festivities of the season.     Warm wishes, Keiko Honda Editor-in-Chief Chair, Community Engagement, Kerrisdale Community Centre...

By Haley Cameron Photo Courtesy of Pia Massie   Pia Massie was working on independent film No Words Will Ever Do in Geneva when she decided that Vancouver would be her next home. “I had moved almost every year for thirty years,” Massie says. For the fearless artist/activist, who calls herself a fish in need of water, Vancouver seemed an obvious choice. “I flew here for five days twenty-eight years ago and immediately knew I wanted to stay.”   Proximity to the Pacific wasn’t all that made Vancouver appealing. Massie wanted to live in an English-speaking city with a thriving film community. In the end it was the community as much as the ocean that solidified the deal. “It makes it easier to do your work as an artist knowing that there are others working on the same thing; there’s a place for dialogue about effort,” she shares. Thanks largely to a supportive local film industry, Massie was able to focus on the documentary stories she felt passionate about. Apart from a six year hiatus that took her back to her hometown of New York City, Massie’s love of the west coast has supplanted her nomadic ways, making Vancouver her true home.   Massie has always been one for recognizing great opportunities as they arise. Perhaps most notable in her captivating story are the two years she spent training under National Living Treasure calligrapher, Shiryu Morita. Massie was working at an art gallery in Kyoto, Japan when the honorable Sensei happened to see her work and requested to teach her. That she had no formal training in shodo, a form of Japanese calligraphy, and had no intention in seriously pursuing the art form, didn’t stop him. “My boss explained that to refuse Morita Sensei...

By Mormei Zanke Photo courtesy Kristi Douglas Whether you’re looking for a little community spirit, a place to make a new friend, or even some straight up R&R, look no further – the Kerrisdale Community Centre’s got your back!   The KCC offers more than 400 programs in one season and is always coming out with new fresh ideas to keep people involved. They offer youth, adult and senior programs ranging from anything to Ballroom Dancing to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.   Everything at the KCC runs so smoothly that it’s easy to forget who’s behind the organization that makes the facility function.     Kristi Douglas is the Centre Programmer at KCC and she as well as a dedicated staff team and the non-profit Board of Directors are the people responsible for making the magic happen at KCC.   “I grew up in Kerrisdale, came here as a child. I always had a great draw to the Community Centre, I would always do things here,” says Kristi.   Kristi even took a dance class at the centre when she was six. She continued to take classes in her childhood and even throughout university was the Kerrisdale Community Centre tennis instructor as well as a daycamp leader. Her involvement strings from a great passion for the community and a desire to give back.   “I have a deep passion, having come through these doors and taking these programs, I have an appreciation for the past and care for the participants and people that take the programs. I make sure we offer the best we can for them.”   Kristi didn’t always know her future lay in recreation. In fact, she had no clue that was even a possible career option.   “I thought maybe teaching,...

By Dave Wheaton Photos Noriko Nasu-Tidball Peter Lambert arrived at Keiko’s house dressed in his outdoor gear, sporting long blonde hair and big yellow backpack. After making introductions and settling into the living room Peter reached into his yellow backpack and pulled out a strange green vegetable, covered in dull spikes, looking like the kind of thing that might electrocute you if you got too close.  “I have no idea what it is, so if you guys know anything that’d be good”, he says. Peter had gotten the fruit one day while picking apples around the Point Grey area. The lady who had given it to him spoke no English. It might seem like an odd thing to hold on to, this unidentifiable vegetable, but for Peter this strange food is a chance to learn. Why bother with Wikipedia when you have the chance to actually hold a foreign object, and find out for yourself how it works? It’s this attitude of “learning by doing” that makes Peter such an inspiring person. “It’s a fun thing” he says, “You get to meet some good people and make some connections. You see them on the street and get to say hi”. Peter shows how incredibly powerful it is that two people who can’t communicate through language can gather around a piece of fruit and share an instant connection.                   Other odd mysteries from Peter’s yellow backpack included the bark of a cedar tree, two varieties of amaranth seeds, a piece of shaped and smoothed wood, and some children’s toys. For everything in the bag Peter had a similar story of learning and connection.                   Peter pulled out a couple of the children’s toys, a small puzzle and a plastic alien attached to a parachute. “We...

By Dave Wheaton   You may have noticed an increase of community gardens in Vancouver over the past couple of years, and with the positive impacts they seem to have on the community, it’s no surprise. Gardens can turn a vacant space into a sanctuary, provide a great place to get together with friends, and make connections between neighbours. And let’s not forget the obvious – local gardens grow some of the tastiest produce available. There’s nothing better than digging in to a plate of fresh food, and you can’t get any fresher than community gardens. So it shouldn’t shock you that over the last five years, Can You Dig It project co-ordinator Cinthia Page has personally been involved in three dozen projects all over the local mainland that create community gardens in urban places, transforming vacant spaces into thriving community sites.   The Kitsilano community garden, located next to the community center, is built into a small tightly wound space that borders the community center. At first, it might seem like an unusual place for a garden. It’s much smaller than you’d expect and isn’t shaped like the gardens we’re used to seeing. But this is exactly the type of place that Cinthia hopes to find when starting a new project. “We are using pieces of land we wouldn’t have thought of using before”, she explains “But if we’re going to make this work we have to be more creative with how we use space”. The Kitsilano community garden is well worth a visit. If you go, you’ll see garden plots that have been elevated and shaped to get the most possible surface out of the small piece of land. It’s this exact sort of creativity that allows these urban plots to flourish...

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