settlement services / 移民安顿服务 / خدمات الإسکان و الاستقرار / servicios de asentamiento

My name is Liliane Li, and I am from Mainland China. I grew up in a poor but friendly mountain village, and I completed high school in a fabulous boarding school. I started to work in a French joint venture company after graduation from university, and I worked as a Human Resources manager before I moved to Canada in 2006. I benefited from an open, innovative, growing, and full of hope environment, and I used to work at a fast pace in my home country.

I was lost when I had to start an entry-level job in Vancouver. I felt ashamed taking courses at an adult high school to improve my English. Yet I embraced the diversity and integrity in the new society, which allowed me to practice my English with whoever I met on the streets. I was very lucky to start my new career as a settlement worker after completing a community counselling program at VCC.

I joined the Frog Hollow settlement team in 2016. I enjoy my new learning journey every day and am grateful to work with a very supportive team that I learned to slow down. I am enthusiastic about helping people and connecting newcomers to different resources, supporting families that are experiencing a challenging time, and empowering new immigrants to integrate into local society. If you are newcomers, you are welcome to connect with us.

Nothing is impossible. If I can do it, you can do it too.

My name is Maria Helena Morales. I grew up in Bogota Colombia with my parents and four siblings. Always passionate about children, education and supporting people and families. My background is in ECE, Educational Psychology, and General Psychology. I have also worked as a teacher focusing on young children for many years.

I came to Canada with my husband and my three wonderful children some time ago and after looking for a place where I could find my dream job, I came to Frog Hollow NH as a volunteer in one of the first language groups. I also worked as a childminder at the Satellite Daycare where I had a very special connection with the little children and with the amazing staff that I keep in my heart.

Later on, Family programs opened their arms and gave me the opportunity to work as a Family/Settlement worker supporting mainly my lovely Spanish-speaking community. I am also one of the facilitators in the family drop-in and La Colmena where my heart and passion for children make them my favourite programs. But I can’t put aside another beautiful program which has all my energy and dedication that I run with a marvellous volunteer. It is called “Alelies “. It is a Women (50+) group where connection, friendship, empowerment, personal growth, and support play a very important role.

I have also co-founded “Cacatua, a children’s entertainment initiative where I interact with puppets to have fun with little ones and see them smile.

I’m passionate, enthusiastic, compassionate, creative, empathetic and with a good sense of humour while trying to enjoy life in the best way possible.

Working with the community I have found the meaning of life. Helping and supporting others. Thank you Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House for being the place where I found it.

I was born in Damascus and spent my childhood there.

My educational background is in mechanical engineering, and I worked in that field for 15 years at the historical Syrian railway station.

I’m married with 1 daughter and 2 sons. My family and I decided to immigrate to Canada in 2003 to better my family’s future. I began learning English, and then I studied early childhood education to support children and their families.

In 2015 I received a diploma in social services to assist vulnerable persons. In 2016, the influx of Syrian refugees moved me into the settlement sector to support and guide newcomer families. Thus, ever since 2017, I have joined the Frog Hollow Settlement team.

Moreover, some of my hobbies include travelling and discovering new places. I love yoga and have been practicing it for the past year. Finally, I love being outside and walking in nature.

Hola/Hello, I’m Rocio Quevedo, aka Chio, born in a little desert town in Mexico, where black widows, scorpions, and little lizards were our entertainment in the backyard.

As you can imagine living in Canada has been a culture shock, even after living here for more than a decade. I have my moments when I miss the desert sun. Yet, it has been a wonderful journey living in this part of the world.

After getting married to a Canadian and moving from Vancouver to Toronto, Toronto to Calgary, Calgary to Winnipeg, and Winnipeg to Vancouver, my mom is right by saying, “Mija, you are at the right place, with the right people”.

As a lover of nature and a former ESL teacher with a bachelor of arts in English language teaching, majoring in bilingual education, I am passionate to learn more about culture, languages, and everything that connects us and makes us human. This passion has walked me through many different paths in life, among them dance instructor and performer, cook and server, co-owner of distribution house, and educational assistant.

I feel so fortunate to be at Frog Hollow as Family Programmer and Volunteer Coordinator having my heart filled with love every day and being lucky enough to help people feel the same way.

I am a mother of a very fun, 5-year-old, little scientist, wife of my best friend, and furry mama of a 13-year-old maltipoo named Cheeks. It is a pleasure to meet you.

Hi! My name is Erika Infante Pizarro.

I am the Newcomer Employment Specialist for the Working Opportunities for Women Program (WOW), coaching one-on-one pre-employment readiness assessment for newcomer immigrants and refugees. I am using models that clearly address the clients and give a sense of hope that they will be able to face and deal with whatever confusion they encounter on their career path.

I have 9 years of experience working in the non-profit sector as a Business Coordinator, Home
Visitor, Outreach Support Worker at PIRS. I have also been working with the ANH family.

Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House was the first place to meet people and feel belonging to the
community as a new immigrant. I was the first generation of the Pathways Program in 2012 at Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House. As a result, I felt confident applying for my first not-for-survival job in the HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) Program, from which I later received the MOTHER MATTERS AWARD in 2016. The reward recognized prominent Canadian mothers who have demonstrated commitment and dedication to their communities as well as the courage and determination of hippy families and serve as models in leading social change.

I am happy to be part of Frog Hollow, completing the circle of my career by helping and welcoming
newcomers and guide them to success in the new Canadian life.

I am grateful to have a family. My spouse always supports me and my 2 little ones Adriana 12 years old, and Isabella, 8 years old.

My Name is Parvin Fatemi; originally from Iran and moved to Canada in 2010. I speak and read 5 languages fluently (English, Farsi, Dari, Azeri and Turkish). I got my Master of Science in Midwifery in Iran. Since 2015 I have been working directly with people in settlement and re-settlement service settings and provided help to a wide variety of individuals from various cultural, ethnic, and educational backgrounds.

I enjoy working within the community, re-settlement and settlement services, helping the newcomer immigrant & refugee families, Youth and Seniors, determining what their needs are, and then finding the right services to match.

Now I have started my work with Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House as Dari speaking Settlement and Employment Worker. I have a very nice feeling starting this position with Frog Hollow and joining its wonderful team, in which I would contribute my knowledge and skills to support the vulnerable Afghan refugees.

“Inspiration does exist, but it must find you working. ” – -Pablo Picasso.

Hi there! My name is Wanda Chow. I am the Newcomer Language Facilitator for Working Opportunities for Women (WOW), a new Frog HollowEmploymentprogram for women who want to pursue a career in childcare. In this role, I will develop and teach the English language curriculum and also assist clients with employment advising.

I have over 10 years of experience as an ESL instructor in the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program. Most recently, I worked in Employment at MOSAIC as an ESL Specialist/Language Coach, where I developed curriculum and provided occupation specific language training to help women succeed in the senior healthcare sector. I am proud to say that for each of the three cohorts of women I helped teach, 100 percent of the clients who wanted employment were successful in landing a target job. In addition, I also substitute for six different LINC providers, such as Collingwood Neighbourhood House, ISS of BC and Douglas College. I also enjoy my work as a speaking examiner to rate English language ability.

In my life before children, I worked as a News Producer for CTV Television, CBC Radio and Global Television. I once worked under cover for a story. I had to pretend to rent a U-Haul van while secretly videoing the “bad guy” using a purse rigged up with a hidden camera slung across my 8-month pregnant belly!

As an ESL teacher, I really love making a genuine connection with my learners and seeing them blossom and gain confidence in their abilities. I like to read, swim, do yoga and meditate. I aim to create value from all experiences and transform them into ways to learn, grow and create happiness for myself and others. Last but definitely not least, I have a great husband, two children in their late teens, and a 13-month-old Labradoodle named Abby.

My name is Wyman, and I came from Hong Kong and moved to Canada a few years ago.

I speak English, Cantonese, and Mandarin fluently. I got my bachelor’s degree in Social Work in Hong Kong. In the past 7 years, I have served as a registered social worker in non-profit organizations in Hong Kong attached to different schools. I believed in person-centred therapy, worked with families and children in different areas such as welfare needs, parenting, and emotional and family issues, and offered supportive counselling and outreach.

I started my work with Frog Hollow Neighborhood House as a Family and Settlement Worker. I would be grateful to work with the last, the least and the lost within the community to improve their quality of life. I have a very nice feeling about starting this position with Frog Hollow and joining its wonderful team, where I would contribute my knowledge and skills to support vulnerable families.