Team
Janice Lambert
Executive Director
Janice has been a licensed Early Childhood Educator with her post basic Infant Toddler Certificate since 1981 and worked in a variety of settings during her career, the past 21 years in two non-profit settings. Born and raised in England, Janice moved to Canada in 1983. Janice enjoys volunteering for an animal organization, reading and can ‘Tat’ (ask her and she will explain!)
Valerie Allen
Ruth Taverner
Program Director
Ruth has worked with children in Alberta and BC for over 20 years in various capacities, including teaching visual arts in public and private schools and working as a birth and postpartum doula, supporting new families in their homes. She has four grown children, and a fur baby (dog). In her spare time, Ruth enjoys knitting, hiking in beautiful BC and watching British dramas.
Victoria Liu
Family Support Worker
victoria@richmondfamilyplace.ca
Victoria was born and raised in China and came to Canada in 2016. She is a certified Early Childhood Educator in B.C., in addition to obtaining a Master of Education degree from Thompson Rivers University. Victoria has worked in various childcare centres in Kamloops and Richmond. Her teaching philosophy focuses on creating an inclusive learning environment for every child, encouraging them to grow through purposeful learning, doing, and playing. Victoria is fluent in English and Mandarin. In her spare time, she likes traveling, reading, and hiking.
Diane Castillo
Family Support Worker
Diane comes from the Philippines and moved to Canada at a young age. She grew up in Richmond and still lives here with her husband and 3 sons. In 2007, she received her Early Childhood Education and post-basic Special Needs certificate at Douglas College. Earlier in her career, she worked at different centres as a one on one teacher, working with children with special needs. After a few years, it led her to work for a non profit organization where she supported refugee families and their children for 8 years. When working with children, her main goal is to provide an enriching learning experience that builds a strong foundation of support for the rest of their lives. Strongly believing that learning should always be fun, Diane loves finding new ways to motivate and excite children into loving to learn.
Elaine Chiu
Family Support Worker
Elaine has been a preschool teacher for 10 years with a psychology major and Early Childhood Education background. She believes in the Chinese saying ‘ failure is the mother of success’ and that ‘the sea of learning has no end’. Those two mottoes sum up her philosophy in parenting. She was passionate in becoming a good mother with the birth of her first girl, but very soon found the adventure of parenting never too easy for any parent. With much sweat, she proudly earned her 2nd degree in child protection from the University of Victoria in 2011 after ten years of virtual learning while she put on the hats of a busy mom, wife, daughter and a part time teacher. After all these years, she is excited to be given an opportunity to support families in her community using her knowledge and experience.
Rachel Gilder
Family Support Worker
Over the past 4 years, Rachel has enjoyed being a member of the Richmond Family Place Family! Along with her work, Rachel is currently studying to accomplish her Degree in Criminology from Simon Fraser University. In her spare time, Rachel enjoys spending as much time as possible outdoors.
Emily Yacobian
Family Support Worker
On Maternity Leave
Emily loves being around kids and helping people. She has been with Richmond Family Place since 2017. She started as a peer support worker and In 2019 she became a family support worker. She is continuing to work on her education and is currently taking ECE and in the future she wants to pursue a degree in social work. She can both speak English and Spanish fluently. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family and going to the beach.
Family Support Worker (Saturdays)
Hala Alhafez Kapani
Program Coordinator Early Years Refugee Program
Hala has worked with families and children since 2002. She is certified in Early Childhood Development, Play Therapy and Child Brain Development. She is a certified facilitator to deliver parenting programs for parents with children birth to 12 yrs. Hala enjoys walking, decorating and reading.
Maha Abd El Hammid
Family Support Worker Early Years Refugee Program
Maha has many years of working and volunteering with families and children through the Richmond School District and Richmond Family Place. She has attended many training’s and workshops including trauma and mental health. Maha was a Peer Support Worker at Family Place for many years and she is the Educational Coordinator at Iman school (Heritage Arabic language). Maha loves reading and enjoys walking in Richmond parks and trails.
Nada Ghanim
Family Support Worker Early Years Refugee Program
Nada has great experience working with children and was a teacher for several years. She currently teaches Arabic on Saturdays and enjoys walking and exploring nature with her daughter.
Crazila Stephan
Family Support Worker Early Years Refugee Program
crazila@richmondfamilyplace.ca
Crazila started working with children and families in 2014. She has lived in Canada since 2005. Crazila’s background is a journalist covering special needs and social matters. She enjoys writing, reading and walking with her family.