Almost 300 seniors, friends and family members enjoyed the 4th Annual MOSAIC of Seniors Multicultural Seniors Day on August 22, 2015.The event was held at Bonsor Recreation Complex in Burnaby, and in addition to the keynote presentations about elder abuse, guests were treated to multicultural dance performances, a free lunch, and access to information at 17 booths staffed by senior-serving businesses and organizations.Christine Spinder from the BC Community Response Network (BCCRN) gave a presentation on how to talk about elder abuse, while the BC Centre for Elder Advocacy & Support (BCCEAS) talked about programs and services available to seniors who are in abusive situations. To ensure that this important information was accessible to newcomer seniors, MOSAIC volunteers provided language support, and event giveaways included a program book with a list of must-know resources in Korean, Farsi and Chinese.Entertainment was provided by Taiwan Vancouver International Folk Dance Club, Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Society; Sampaguita Filipino Folk Dancers; and Kesseke Yeo.The event was also a day to acknowledge the contributions of seniors in our community. Along with certificates from Burnaby MLAs, MOSAIC awarded the Seniors Champion Award to Ehsanollah Soltani, and Congratulatory Certificates to Sharvin Baghaee and Felisa Ching.Ehsanollah, who is a professional artist, overcame a hand injury to paint a mural for the Vancouver Seniors Club community garden and also donated a painting to fundraise for MOSAIC. He also represented MOSAIC on the judging panel, alongside judges from Emily Carr University for Art and Design for a youth art gallery that raised over $2,000 in support of the David Suzuki Foundation.Felisa has been an active volunteer with MOSAIC since 2011, often in roles that require long-term commitment, such as computer instructor, community buddy, ESL teaching assistant and more. She is known for her dedication and her students love her very much.Sharvin first became involved with the Afghan Women’s Group at MOSAIC in 2010 and has been a participant in many of our activities since then. Beyond her involvement with MOSAIC, Sharvin dedicates much of her time to the community, volunteering, participating in community groups and charity events. She generously offers her services on an individual level as well, by accompanying her peers to medical appointments for moral and/or language support.
Sherman Chan, Director of Family and Settlement Services, present award to Sharvin Baghaee
