Seniors Group in Victoria, BC Keeps Going, and Going
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VFCSA members at their annual picnic on August 17, 2025
Tita Quigley, president of the VFCSA takes a turn to announce final details of an association trip in September, and to welcome a group of dancers led by Tina Rezvani. Tina, also a senior and a retiree, volunteers her time to lead the group in dance numbers for different occasions.
It is the yearly picnic of the Victoria Filipino Seniors’ Association (VFCSA). This year the picnic is at the Gorge Park in Esquimalt, British Columbia, and the weather has cooperated. VFCSA members, who came as early as eight in the morning to set up, found a shady corner of the park, with some level ground for dancing. They set up a tent and a couple of tables and people brought lawn chairs. Altogether there are more than 50 gathered at the park. A few wheelchairs are in evidence, but there are attendees flitting about and dancing who are already in their 80s.
In former years, the men and women at the picnic staffed the health care system and the hotel industry of Victoria, British Columbia, as nurses, care aides, housekeepers, and medical technologists. Those who arrived in the 1960s established the Victoria Filipino Canadian Association (VFCA) in 1969.
The VFCSA came into being in the 1980s, when some of the pioneers began to feel the need for an organization dedicated to programs for VFCA members who were aging out of the workplace. Since its inception, the VFCSA has been a haven for senior members of the Filipino community in Victoria. The organization shows no signs of slowing.
So far this year, the seniors have already packed numerous activities into their calendar. Following a yearly tradition, they held a Pabasa (reading of the Passion) at the Bayanihan Center in April. In May, they joined the VFCA and other Filipino organizations in a parade celebrating Victoria Day, walking several kilometers and in costume. They also sponsored a well-attended Hawaiian dine and dance party and participated in a Flores de Mayo at St. Andrew’s Catholic Cathedral in Victoria.
VFCSA members participating in a Flores de Mayo at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in May 2025.
In June they danced and managed a food booth at the VFCA’s two-day Mabuhay celebrations at Centennial Square. In July they joined the VFCA’s picnic at Beckwith Park. This coming September they are going on a group pilgrimage to the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Mission, BC. They customarily sponsor a Halloween party in October and have their own Christmas party in December.
In their monthly meetings, they have had sessions on computer literacy and keeping fit. Bingo is a regular feature, as are sing-alongs and birthday celebrations. They attended the “Maria Cacao” performance of the Bayanihan Creative Collective in March, and a concert of the MeN ensemble, visiting from the Philippines, in June.
VFCSA officers and members at the Bayanihan Centre of Victoria.
The picnic on August 17 was a potluck event, as are many of the VFCSA’s get-togethers, but the VFCSA has received funding from United Way to subsidize some of their activities.
Statistique Canada notes that immigrants in Canada, particularly recent arrivals and older adults, often experience higher levels of social isolation and loneliness compared to the Canadian-born population. A Canadian government study has found that immigrant and refugee seniors have higher rates of social isolation, and higher rates of depression, social anxiety and other mental health issues. Socially isolated seniors also tend to be sedentary and develop poor health habits, including poor nutrition. Social engagement has the opposite impact, with research showing that connections and community improve the quality of life for older adults.
With a group like the VFCSA, Victoria’s seniors enjoy social interaction and access to support and information. Through the roles they play in the organization and the activities they take part in, the seniors come to have a sense of purpose and self-worth. Singing, dancing, acting, and taking trips are major sources of well-being, but even simple tasks like setting up tables, cleaning up after a feast, and cooking for a group give the seniors a sense of agency and importance.
“There’s a group of us who call ourselves the ‘Delicious Culinary Group,’” says Connie Custodio, who started her involvement with the VFCSA to support her mother. Now she is a senior too. “We do the cooking for most of our events. We go grocery shopping the day before, then from 3 to about 10 pm we do food prep. We start cooking at 7 am the next day. After cooking we do the decorations and then go straight to the event. Walang pahinga (no rest), but we love it. We have been doing this year after year after year so we all know where to go and what to do. “
“Without VFCSA we would be sitting at home, doing nothing, and feeling old and lonely. But here we are, meeting with friends and having a good time. Because of the VFCSA I feel I have a group I belong to, and friends, and I am not alone,” says Miriam Pardillo, an officer and long-time member of the VFCSA. In her 70s, she was at Gorge Park at 7:30 to set up picnic tables.
VFCSA members dancing at the Mabuhay celebrations of the Filipino community of Victoria in June 2025.
“Many of us have worked with seniors and we know how important it is to stay active and to have exercise. Through VFCSA we can have both! We are doing for ourselves now what we taught our patients to do to stay fit!” says Luz Santos, who worked many years in health care.
“We are all getting on in years, and we have to make the most of these years in our lives. Here we can sing, and we can dance, and meet friends. This is so important at our age,” adds Leonor Santos (no relation to Luz), who worked as a nurse and a midwife.
“Without VFCSA we would be sitting at home, doing nothing, and feeling old and lonely. But here we are, meeting with friends and having a good time.”
Members of the VFCSA have seen members fall ill, and some have passed on, but through life’s transitions they can truly say that they are not alone. They have their regular meetings that they look forward to and numerous fun activities ahead. Most importantly, they have each other and live their lives being seen and known and appreciated.
Their adult years were marked by very hard work and even sacrifice; now in their 70s and 80s they can spend long hours just chatting with their friends, catching up on the chismis, eating out or cooking, or kicking off their shoes to do yoga, zumba and line dancing. The VFCSA is a model for immigrant communities of belonging, participation and engagement.