IT SEEMS preposterous to think that a sedate seniors’ tea held last week at the Delbrook Community Centre and a. Capilano-area youth riot 17 years ago are in any way con- nected, but they are. The two are tied together by the Capilano Community Services Society, a volunteer service organization formed to address the community's needs, for both the elderly and the young. The society is the direct outcome of efforts made by local residents, merchants, church people, youth workers and others to turn around a community in crisis. While maintaining a strong in- terest in youth programs, the society has also broadened its scope to address such issues as the transportation needs of the elderly and handicapped, child minding, community schools and social ser- vices. The group is responsible for starting the first information cen- tre on the North Shore and issuing the first directory of services for the community. The society has been funded by the Ministry of Human Resources since 1976, . But stresses society executive director Alice Hargreaves, ‘‘The Ministry provides the funds for the executive director position, everything else is volunteer bas- ed.” The proclaimed purpose of the society is to involve residents in the shaping and enrichment of com- munity life by providing volunteer opportunities for volunteer service within the neighborhood; coor- dinating community services; working. cooperatively with the broader community for the resolu- tion of common probiems. According to Hargreaves the backbone of the society is built on the combined time put in by more than 70 volunteers. By MICHAEL BECKER " News Reporter The society was housed in an old North Vancouver District Fire Hall until 1982 when the operation ex- panded into the community wing of the Delbrook Community Cen- tre. The society rents space from the North Vancouver Recreation Commission and provides management and administrative assistance to eight other agencies sharing the facility. “Among others, we have eight handymen, 12 volunteer drivers, over a dozen youth program vol- unteers and 15 switchboard volun- teers who double up providing ser- vices for the other tenants in- cluding Big Brothers, St. John Ambulance, North Shore Crisis Services and Volunteer Grand- parents, who also rent space from the Rec Commission,’’ said Hargreaves. Three key programs for the elderly offered by the society are a seniors’ phone check, a volunteer driving service and a handyman service. Local resident Paul Benoit, a laid-off trucker on UI, has been volunteering as a handyman for the past year. “t help with just about everything — floors, leaky taps, fixing lawnmowers. I'll get old some day and I hope that some- body might do the same for me,”’ he said. Benoit draws on his mechanical background and past experience building houses. Jean Taylor is one of six home volunteers currently involved in the #3 he “The changes in my thighs actually changed my wardrobe. | used to wear baggy clothes for camoullage. | could never have reshaped tny thighs with diet atone. l used to fluctuate 5 pounds over a weekend an it could never make this rnuch difference. Now / wear knit dresses and tailored pants." ty See ee a eae CAPILANO COMMUNITY Services volunteer Jean Taylor, left, and society executive director Alice Hargreaves take time out for tea and sandwiches at a recent Seniors’ Tea for volunteers and seniors held at Delbrook Community Centre. The society provides a wide array of services for seniors and young people. seniors’ phone check program. Volunteers collectively contact ap- proximately 16 local seniors who are isolated, lonely or shut in. Said Taylor: ‘We phone to check to see how they are. [t's a possibility for us to address their needs. It’s also a reassurance. When you feel secure and reas- sured about things, it’s easier to handle your health care.” The free service involves volun- teers making one call a day to every client, Monday to Friday. invvodticest lente