A Journey of Community
‍Growth and Support

East Vancouver was considered the more affordable area to live even then, in a province that had a population that just topped 2 million. It has been traditionally home to lower-income, working-class families characterized by a diverse mix of cultures and lifestyles. In 1968, the most notable building being developed on the “East Side” was the Pacific Coliseum where, that same year, musician Jimi Hendrix rocked the stage with his innovative rock/jazz sound in front of thousands of passionate Vancouver fans.

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From a small bog near Skeena Terrace Housing Complex, large families of singing frogs were serenading one another. Their croaks were clear, strong, and undeniably irritating to the local residents, but paralleled the underlying struggles of the community.  A group of concerned citizens came together at Skeena Terrace to brainstorm an action plan that would raise funds for community programs, focusing on the support of local families and alleviating the challenges of day-to-day life. Driven by their grassroots spirit and a shared dream, this team successfully raised their voices and garnered support to get the Thunderbird Community Centre built. With inspiration from their local amphibian neighbours, they appropriately named themselves the “Frog Hollow Neighbourhood Group.”

In 1977 Frog Hollow joined the Association of Neighbourhood Houses of Greater Vancouver. From their humble beginnings in the 60’s, and congruent with the values of the original Frog Hollow Neighbourhood Group, the new “Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House” helped grow the vision by establishing public recreation programs, nurseries for working parents, ESL and adult-literacy classes. It also introduced social workers to strengthen support for the community and participation in the programs flourished.

Frog Hollow completed construction of its current facility on Renfrew Street at 5th Avenue to meet the growing needs of the community. The new location introduced a preschool, after-school programming and a part-time Family Support Worker. Small grants allowed for the addition of a community law office, youth services and self-run seniors programs. This was a time of significant contribution from the seniors community. Under the leadership of Pak Lee, seniors developed a Seniors Lounge with many social and educational activities.  Three self-run senior groups began and continue to this day.

In 1994, a small staff of approximately 12 welcomed Gary Dobbin as the new Executive Director. Frog Hollow grew rapidly over the next two years and began to expand its services to include a full-time youth worker, an off-site Daycare, ESL classes, a youth employment program and family support through the Community Action Program for Children (CAPC).

Frog Hollow has grown through seasons of challenge in steady, incremental steps with the support of devoted staff and volunteers and through government funding, foundational grants and corporate partnerships. In 2001, Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House celebrated the opening of a second-floor addition to their main facility. This increased their capacity for service to their neighbourhood by adding programs for family support, youth and childcare, and an expanded emphasis on building community capacity.

We officially launched the Reggio-inspired Learning Centre in 2017, a vision brought to life by Gary Dobbin, Anna Cuomo and Maryam Naddaf. Inspired by years of integrating the Reggio Emilia approach into our childcare programs at Frog Hollow, they wanted to share this empowering educational philosophy more widely. The Learning Centre supports educators, parents, and caregivers across BC by offering guidance on the Reggio Emilia approach, BC Early Learning Framework, and Indigenous worldviews. Through workshops, resources, and consulting, we help communities and children blossom, fostering collaboration and innovation in early childhood education that enriches families across the province.

Frog Hollow celebrated the retirement of Executive Director Gary, who had been with us since 1994. His leadership shaped our community for nearly three decades. We now welcome Norm Leech as our new leader, guiding us into an exciting new era of growth and continued impact.

We proudly opened Sunrise Welcome Place - Settlement Integration Services Centre in 2023, expanding our settlement and integration services to Hastings-Sunrise neighborhood. This welcoming space offers personalized support and community-driven programs for newcomers. With six private rooms, childminding areas, and multi-functional workshop spaces, Sunrise Welcome Place provides a warm and inclusive environment where newcomers can connect, learn, and grow. Led by a team of dedicated staff and volunteers who speak over 13 different languages, it’s a hub of belonging and ensuring that individuals from diverse linguistic backgrounds receive personalized support.

Today Frog Hollow operates in multiple locations across the neighbourhood. Staff has grown beyond 120 and budgets over $8.5M. Programs include Childcare, Settlement, Social Housing, Employment, Youth, Seniors, Families, Food Security, and more. Frog Hollow’s long history of serving community needs and its multi-generational relationships with local families, built on trust and respect, puts us in a unique position to organize and advocate for the critical needs of this diverse community. Our focused work on Decolonization has allowed us to build bridges and stronger relations with the Indigenous community across all our programs and projects. This work has guided our conversations to build understanding that the systemic injustices that challenge us all, have shared roots in colonized systems. It is in everyone’s interest to discuss solutions that work better for everyone. Frog Hollow has embraced a more proactive role in facilitating social change, creating platforms for community engagement and advocacy. We have bigger and more ambitious dreams to drive meaningful transformation in our neighbourhood and beyond.