OFTEN THE challenges that ac-
company stepfamily living can be
frustrating and scemingly im-
possible to deal with in a positive
and productive manner. Yet many
blended families function well.

Understanding Your Stepfamily
is a three-week counselling
workshop that teaches parents and
step-parents specific skills for at-
taining peace and harmony in the
blended family home.

This skill-building workshop is
being offered by North Shore
Family Services Saciety (NSFSS)
on three Wednesday evenings
from 7 to 9:30 p.m., starting on
Feb. 10, at Carson Graham sec-
ondary school. The cost of the
workshop is $36/single and $62/
couple.

Sunday, February 7, 1993 - North Shore News - 29

Understanding family dynamics

Instructor Susan Gamache, a
practising counsellor whose area
of expertise is stepfamily issues,
will draw from her own research
and introduce alternative ways to
effectively deal with some of the
problems that arise in stepfamilies
today.

According to Gamache there is
a tendency for people to focus on
the loss of the nuclear family unit
instead of appreciating the
tremendous potential for gain in
the new family arrangement,

“The reality is the blended fam-
ily cannot recreate the biological
family dynamic, and nor should it
be expected to. {t’s like trying to
play a song without the proper in-
struments, Eventually we all have
to learn to play a new song,”

says Gamache.

The workshop will consist of
several interactive components in-
cluding informal presentations
outlining some of the current con-
ceptual attitudes towards blended
families today, opportunities for
people to share personal experi-
ences, and discussions about cre-
ative relationship-building — skills
between parents, partners and
children and the joys of forming
new familial bonds.

NSFSS is a United Way
member agency dedicated to
enriching and strengthening family
life. For more information about
Understanding Your Stepfamily
and other NSFSS courses, call
988-5281.

NEWS photo Mike Waketloid

PHIL KELLER, Nerth Shore Credit Union chief executive officer,
says it is important for the North Vancouver-based financial in-

AT’S

stitution to get involved in community events.

Credit union head Phil
Keller: in his own words

What is an average day like for
you at work?: ‘“‘There probably
are not many average days. I’m in
at about 7:30 in the morning.

“The first thing I do is organize
my day, look at the kinds of
obligations and commitments that
I-have.on that day. I try and get
everything organized and out of
the way by 9 a.m.

“After that I want to be avail-
able to my people who want to
talk to me about programs that
they’re managing or new devel-
opments that we may be working
on.

. “Pll be on the phone with other
credit unions who we’re working
jointly on some projects with. |
may have a few members call me
with questions. \

“On an average day I have a
couple of meetings during the day
with some of my managers. By
the end of the day 1 make sure
everything is cleared up. General-
ly, | am out of here between five
and six.

“At night | may have commit-
tee meetings or a board of direc-
tors meeting."

What do you like to do to relax
when you’re not working?: “‘I Jike
to play golf in the summer. I'm
not a great golfer, but I’m an avid
golfer; a golf maniac, you might
say. -

“In the winters I play racquet-
ball. I’m a member of the North
Shore Winter Club. I’m a walker.
1 walk almost every morning.”’

Preschool to hold open house

GRAND BOULEVARD Parent
Participation Preschool is having
an open -house on Wednesday,
Feb. 10 between 7 and 10 p.m. at
Queensbury’ elementary school,
2020 Moody Ave., North Van-
couver,

The non-profit preschool is one

of If parent-participation
preschools on the North Shore, all
of which are part of a provincial
network of parent-participation
preschools.

Unlike commercial preschools,
parents participate in classroom
activities under the direction of a
qualified teacher, and are respon-
sible for ‘the administration and
operation of the preschool.

Monthly parent education sem-
‘inars are given on a variety of

“QUALITY WORKMANSHIP
PRECISION REPAIRS

topics by experts in the field.

Many of the parents associated
with the preschool! work outside
the home, yet find time to par-
ticipate in their children’s educa-
tion.

-The open house is an opportu-
nity for parents of young children
to visit the classroom, meet the
teacher, and talk to some of the
parents and children who attend
the preschool.

The children in this year’s class
have gone on several field trips,
including a visit to St. Martin's
Church Hall to participate in the
Seniors’ Hub Christmas program.

For further information about

‘the preschool or the open house,

contact Karen Nelson at 987-2612.

‘SATISFACTION GUARANTEED

FREE ESTIMATES & 26 HR. INFORMATION
CONSULTATION 299-9000

From page 18

for seniors; good footwear essential;
N.S. locations, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Info:
N.S. Neighbourhood House, 987-
8138,

Feb. 12--Ongoing. Craft circle. 1-3
p.m. N.S. Neighbourhood House,
55 E. 2nd St., N.V. Refreshments.
Donations of craft supplies welcome
and volunteer craft instructors are
needed. Info: 987-8138.

“SATURDAY

Feb. 13--Ongoing. Vancouver rape
relief training session for volunteers.
Info: 782-8212,

“SUNDAY

Feb. 14--Ongoing. M.S. Society self-
help groups for varying needs. Info:
437-3244,

For more Coming Events see first
page of Classifieds, What's Going
On, or Kids’ Stuff. For arts and
entertainment listings see the
Around Town column in Wed-
nesday’s North Shore Now sec-
tion,

TOUGH TRUCKS SINCE 19.1.7