The Vancouver Foundation Vital Signs 2010 Team is part of the Grants & Community Initiatives department with a portfolio called Partnerships & Projects. This portfolio includes projects such as Vital Signs, Neighbourhood Small Grants, the DTES Small Arts Grants Project, and partnerships with Enterprising Non Profits, Social Venture Partners, and Artists in Education.

The Vital Signs Team was asked, “If you could be any animal, what would you be?” And so these photos are temporary profile pictures for the team.

Lidia Kemeny, Director of Grants & Community Initiatives has been at Vancouver Foundation since May, 2008. Lidia has spent the previous 16 years before Vancouver Foundation at BC Children’s Hospital. Lidia led SafeStart, the provincial injury prevention program, as Executive Director, and for the last 5 years, she also served as the Director of Child Health Advocacy for the Hospital. Lidia is Chair of The Kindness Foundation, has two teenage daughters, bikes to work and has a passion for healthy, active living.

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Meriko Kubota, Manager of Grants & Community Initiatives has been at Vancouver Foundation since March, 2008. Before coming to Vancouver Foundation, Meriko has worked abroad as a Special Needs Program Coordinator and Art and Music Instructor, as well as the International Internship Coordinator for the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at UBC. Meriko loves every project in her job description that covers neighbourhood programs to arts and culture funding to disseminating data and bringing partners together. Meriko enjoys yoga and running and is also trying to make music lessons accessible through Give Music.

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Trina Prior, Manager of Grants & Community Initiatives has been at Vancouver Foundation since April, 2010. Trina has spent the past 10 years with BC Children’s Hospital, first with the SafeStart, the injury prevention program and then with the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation as an Event Planner and Fundraiser. Trina enjoys the diversity of her job at Vancouver Foundation, working with great community partners, believing in the work that is done, and she appreciates the provincial focus of the organization. Trina’s also an avid traveler, and shows her love of the outdoors by hiking, biking, running and kayaking. She has been on mountain bike trips in Chile, Tanzania, Bhutan, and a number of BC and US locations.

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Onjana Yawnghwe, Assistant of Grants & Community Initiatives has been at Vancouver Foundation since April, 2010. Prior to joining Vancouver Foundation, Onjana has worked as a Corporate Administrator, ESL Teacher, and Graduate Teaching Assistant. A few of the highlights of working at Vancouver Foundation are the varied nature of the job, the interaction with people, and assisting in projects that help the community. Onjana has a MA from UBC, and likes to write in her free time. Her work has appeared in several anthologies and many literary journals. She co-founded a micro press called Fish Magic Press which specializes in fine, handmade publications.