Five Hole For Food

Dixon Tam manages communications and operations for Five Hole for Food. He has been with FHFF since 2010 and assisted with its inaugural campaign. Dixon is a veteran journalist who has worked for several Greater Vancouver newspapers and is currently a member of Simon Fraser University’s public affairs and media relations team.

On top of being an ardent Team USA supporter and Vancouver Canucks fan, Dixon can be found dedicating his Sunday’s to the Miami Dolphins and is a rare breed of baseball fan that will actually watch all 162 Seattle Mariners games just as a warm up to the playoffs.

As a gadget guy you’d be hard pressed to find him without some Apple product and we’ve lost him to the Apple Store on many an occasion (one reason FHFF’s route purposefully avoids any and all Apple Stores across the country). As a big fan of 80′s music there’s nothing more he wants than to be able to rock hair the way Europe did.

Follow him on Twitter @DixonTam

Gina brings energy, creativity and a high degree of organization to FHFF. With a wealth of experience in the PR world she’s been involved in everything from Communities Against Preventable Injuries to work with the Olympics. She’s worked with various TV outlets and the Campell River native is a proud graduate of BCIT’s Broadcast Journalism Program as well as a member of the Canadian Public Relations Society.

When not working (it’s true, this does happen from time to time), Gina enjoys spending time with her pug Leo walking along the beaches of Kitsilano. Gina is also an avid world traveler with a passion for languages and immersing herself in new cultures.

Follow her on Twitter @ginavesnaver

Crystal is passionate about bringing people and ideas together and that is what compelled her to get involved in Five Hole for Food. After the exchange of a few DM’s, she was hooked, dove in headfirst and never looked back. With a serious penchant for social media, public relations and multi-tasking, she work as a Public Relations Manager during the day, Managing Editor of Vancity Buzz during the night and will clear her schedule for some food or fashion therapy at any time of the day.

Crystal also secretly wants to join the FHFF road team with her road trip partner Denise as the two follow behind in a hot pink vehicle. Were this to happen they would be fueled by Denise’s phenomenal baking. Brownies and cookies for over 8,000 km!

Follow her on Twitter @cwistal

Laureen has a few loves in her life including food, sports, volunteering and communications. She is excited to be involved with Five Hole for Food because it provides her with the perfect venue to bring those loves together. Having gained experience in communications in the public, private and not-for profit sectors, Laureen has had the opportunity to work with MPs and Ministers, Olympic gold medalists, as well as judges from the Provincial and the Supreme Court.

When not working at her day job in Risk Communications with Health Canada, Laureen enjoys travelling, volleyball, shooting zombies on her xbox, cooking, and solving the Rubik’s cube in under 3 minutes.

Follow her on Twitter @laureent

Lesley Chang is a recent graduate from Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Public Relations diploma program. Her journey into public relations began in 2009, when she volunteered as a live blogger for the CPRS National Conference in Vancouver. Having gained experience in communications and marketing in the public, private and non-profit sectors, Lesley has had the opportunity to work with MPs and ministers, leadership teams of small and medium enterprises as well as large volunteer-driven teams for non profit organizations.

While not interning at her marketing position with Hemlock Printers, Lesley is gearing up to join the Five Hole for Food crew as their media point person on the ground. She looks forward to not only this summer, but what the future has in store for her.

Follow her on Twitter @LesleyChang

Phoenix Lam is a self proclaimed cat lady who loves to watch hockey.  Having grown up in Vancouver, Phoenix is an avid Vancouver Canucks fans (though secretly in the 90s, she also loved the Colorado Avalanche).  She rates Team Canada winning gold at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver as one of favourite memories.  While she doesn’t play hockey, she does enjoy drinking a pint at the local watering hole and cheering on her team with fellow Vancouverites. She names Trevor Linden as her all time favourite Canuck.

Phoenix’s favourite movies include, Step Brothers, Anchorman, and anything to do with zombies.  Her favourite zombie flick is a Norwegian film called Dead Snow.  She once took a Facebook Zombie Apocalypse Survival quiz and scored 92%.  Should a zombie apocalypse occur, the best way to reach her is through her twitter account.

Follow her on Twitter @PhoeLam

Joyce is thrilled to be part of the FHFF team to help with sponsorship and logistics. Since attending the first Five Hole for Food event in Vancouver, she was impressed by the energy and enthusiasm a hockey game could bring to the crowd. Hockey just brought everyone together on Granville Street and it was very special to watch. She looks forward to being part of this unique national wide initiative that brings joy to all hockey fans and helps the local food banks. Although she is not a hockey player herself, she enjoys watching the game and being part of the excitement, especially, when the home team’s winning!

Follow her on Twitter @JoyceWu88

As FHFF’s food banks coordinator, she puts the ‘Food’ in Five Hole For Food. In her spare time she spends hours in the kitchen preparing treats for FHFF meetings and occasionally enjoys bothering Dixon Tam at their workplace, SFU. Denise is known for her incredible baked goods which can often be found at FHFF meetings diverting the conversation from actual planning. Although she isn’t currently on any hockey rosters, she was the star defenceWOman on her 7th grade lunchtime floor hockey team. Other interests: event planning, volleyball, ultimate frisbee, hiking, long walks on the beach, etc.

Follow her on Twitter @denise_luong

If there’s one thing Katrina loves, it’s hockey. The Toronto native has been playing it for as long as she can remember. Since hockey though she’s taken up floor ball and emerged as one of Canada’s premiere players representing Team Canada at international tournaments. When she’s not playing the hockey derivative, floor ball, she’s on the ice snapping wrist shots top shelf. Katrina’s enthusiasm and energy bring success to a robust sponsorship team.

When Katrina can’t be found working she’s usually taking up one of the many sports she loves including hockey, baseball, tennis, basketball, cycling,  and skiing. When not doing one of those she’s likely behind her camera in the photography world or travel on and adventure.

Follow her on Twitter @katrinagalas

A graduate of the SFU Business and Communication Joint major program Aaron has acquired a range of experience and a diverse perspective that lend themselves well to his role in sponsorship with FHFF. In his off time Aaron is an avid hockey player himself, having played for the SFU Men’s Ice Hockey team for 5 years, and enjoys as many days snowboarding on the local mountains as he can. In his professional life Aaron has worked with numerous agencies, and small businesses often in relation to sport. His current roll with 5TSports Grouphas allowed him to hone his  sponsorship activation skills and he looks forward to flexing this muscle to help fill up local food banks across Canada.

Follow him on Twitter @aaron_brady

Born and raised in Vancouver, BC, Justin Yorke has always had a deep love for hockey. This is clear by his love for the Canucks and his involvement with the Central Hockey League’s Quad City Mallards. He has promoted and organized events for thousands of people featuring the likes of former Vice President Al Gore and General Colin Powell and helped oversee the launch of an online store for a national clothing retailer. In addition to his vast experiences with the Mallards, Justin brings a savvy and exuberance to the FHFF team. Justin is responsible for developing corporate partnerships. When not hard at work you can often find him watching or playing hockey, it’s just a part of every facet of his life.

Follow him on Twitter @JustinYorke

Alissa coordinates FHFF’s social media platforms, and helps connect to bloggers and other social media rockstars across Canada. Alissa has worked with a number of non-profit, health care and social change organizations to design, implement and run successful social media campaigns. She is extremely passionate about helping change agents harness the power of social media for social good- and her energy is contagious!

Although she can’t skate, Alissa is a hardcore Canucks fan. When she’s not working or volunteering she’s swimming, running, at Bikram’s yoga or secretly dreaming she lived in a sci-fi movie.

Follow her on Twitter @alissasadler

Veronica became a Canucks fan at an early age when her dad put in front of the TV in her highchair and gave her a slice of pizza. To this day she still enjoys watching the Canucks play. She also works at SFU in the public affairs and media relations office with Dixon and hopes to be a student at SFU in the future. She is really excited to be a part of the awesome FHFF team.<

Veronica likes listening to music (even when Dixon plays 80’s music at the office), laughing, traveling and watching movies and episodes of How I Met Your Mother. Her hero is Steve Nash.

Follow her on Twitter @vaarstad

Marc Smith is the owner of Amuse Consulting Inc. a boutique event planning company in Vancouver that specializes in helping clients achieve results and better relationships through their events. Marc is passionate about Social Media, Community, and the meeting new people.

Having hosted events like Twestival, Marc aims to bring his event planning expertise to Five Hole for Food as they take the act of giving and make it an event. Marc’s energy and passion have seen him spear head a variety of fundraising and community efforts and his drive takes Five Hole for Food to the next level.

Follow him on Twitter @Amuse_Events