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The DECA Board is full of new, interesting, smart and fun-loving members. We are introducing you to them, one by one, week by week.

So far, you have met Mark (“I buy my wife flowers”) Rollo, Linda (“I borrow books from a box up the street”) Ballantyne, Corinne (“I used to dance professionally and now I love cheese”) McCabe, Jodi (“Don’t ask me how old I am, damn I miss pasta”) Shanoff.

But are any of them 57 and still playing recreational soccer?

Oh, yes, AUDREY KVEDARAS. It is time we meet you!

My name and age is… Audrey Kvedaras, age 57.

One thing people don’t know about me is…. I love to play soccer in the Leaside women’s recreational soccer league.  I play with a great group of women ranging in age from 18 to about 60!  It’s a lot of fun and mothers and daughters play on the same team.

I moved to Danforth East because…  About 25 years ago we were looking for a house in the west end and friends who lived in the east near Coxwell told us about a lovely area of reasonably priced houses north of the beaches, near the Danforth. We loved the old trees and the proximity to the subway…When we moved in there were older residents in the area who remembered when there were still some industrial uses. They told us about a dairy nearby and the removal of the railway spur lines that created some of the unusual lot configurations.

I was dying to join the DECA board because… for a couple of years I was reading the DECA Diaries posts and was so impressed with everything being accomplished!  I wanted to contribute to continuing the positive impact DECA was having on the area.

The thing I love most about the neighborhood is… the sense of community and the people.  The people here spend time with their neighbours on sidewalks, porches, in parks, on car-free days, and at street potluck dinners that bring everyone together.

My biggest local pet peeve is… how difficult it is to cross the Danforth.


My neighborhood secret is… the ravine next to the Merrill Bridge Road Park and the dog park. In this small patch of wilderness you sense the original topography of Toronto before the rail line and the roads and housing developments. A thin stream supports a range of brilliant yellow plants in the spring and irises in the summer under a canopy of mature trees. Rory, our 11-year-old Golden Doodle, enjoys being loose in the dog park with the other dogs and is then willing to take a break to walk with me through the ravine.

The place I go to on the Danforth that you’ve likely never frequented is…. the Danforth Village Quality Fruits and Vegetables (2515 Danforth Ave), east of Sobey’s on the Danforth. A part of my weekly routine for years, I’m often there picking up a good-sized bunch of fresh basil or stocking up on plums and apricots to make into tarts on the weekend. The other place I shop at often is Vincenzo’s Supermarket (2406 Danforth Ave). I try to keep well stocked with their delicious olives, pastas, olive oils, cheeses…

My dream plan for this year as a DECA board member is…. to contribute to the Danforth Planning Study that envisions a vibrant main street where people are accommodated whether they walk, bike or drive, where there are places to sit and chat, find shade and get out of the rain and where you meet your neighbours and people from elsewhere in a range of shops and cafes. It will be a unique place in the city.

Save the Date for the 2015 Danforth East Community Arts Fair!

We’ve been introducing you to our new board members, one by precious one.

Remember? You’ve met Mark Rullo, Linda Ballantyne, Corinne McCabe….

Next up: JODI SHANOFF.

My name and age is…

Jodi Shanoff and I am barely in my 40’s. (I’m just getting comfortable with the concept.)

One thing people don’t know about me is…

My husband used to pitch in the minor leagues for the Jays.  Despite the now-decades that have passed since that experience, I still find it effective to use sports metaphors when trying to convince him of something.

I moved to Danforth East because… 

It was the only affordable place for a newly-wed couple to buy a home in Toronto 9 years ago. I grew up in the west end (St. Clair & Dufferin) and had spent very little time in the East, but quickly fell in love with our strip of the Danforth when I needed somewhere to walk babies.

I was dying to join the DECA board because… 

My family’s recent decision to renovate our current home rather than move to a new neighbourhood crystallized for me the need to put roots down in my community.  I’m going to be here for a while, so I might as well help to make it a great place.  My professional life has also nudged me into the field of public participation, and grassroots groups like DECA are vital to ensuring meaningful public engagement.

The thing I love most about the neighborhood is… 

I can walk from my home to get anything I need — groceries, kids’ shoes, a cheeseburger, a good bourbon cocktail… and I always feel welcomed by each of the stores and purveyors.

My biggest local pet peeve is… 

The vacant “Crossroads Tavern” that’s been empty and decrepit since we moved into the neighbourhood.

My neighborhood secret is… 

Paul’s Spaghetti for mother’s day. It is one of the finest east end family establishments EVER, up on Cosburn, east of Greenwood. (Sorry, it’s not in DECA territory.) I defy you to find a finer grilled calamari.  I think about it all year round.  Now that I’m in my 40’s, I can’t eat pasta like I used to.

The place I go to on the Danforth that you’ve likely never frequented is…. 

The discount shoe store just west of Woodbine.  I never leave there empty handed.

My dream plan for this year as a DECA board member is….

To leverage the group to mobilize a few more episodes of public engagement with residents.  DECA is a credible local group and has a lot to offer in terms of bringing neighbours together to form views and positions on some of the important municipal issues facing our part of the Danforth.  Recent visioning exercises and charettes are evidence that when DECA puts out the call for residents to come together to talk and plan, people listen.