Who We Are

ABOUT US

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Harbourside Youth Foundation is driven by a team of passionate fitness enthusiasts. We are coaches, nutritionists, teachers, and athletes—all committed to helping young people access the benefits of holistic wellness. We know that active, healthy youth have better focus in school, higher self-efficacy and are more resilient overall and we want that for as many kids in our community as possible. 

Long before our launch in 2020, our founder had a vision of creating a philanthropy to support youth in CrossFit. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she saw the obstacles youth already faced multiplying in scope. Mental health problems in younger and younger age brackets are steadily rising, and many families are coping with intense financial hardship. She was emboldened to make moves. 

We knew that getting kids into a fitness program would help them build a strong foundation. Regular fitness provides youth with mentorship, instruction and support on goal setting, social interaction, and personal growth & development. All of these things increase self esteem and confidence, which are building blocks they can use to create better lives for themselves. 

This is why we exist: to cover the cost of fitness memberships for local youth and help set them on a path toward success. Get to know our team below.

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Who We Are

MEET OUR TEAM

Founder

Founder

SHARON THIELMANN

Sharon, our founder, is passionate about fitness and wanted to create an avenue for youth to access sports programs. As a mother of 3 and fitness enthusiast, she has witnessed the benefits firsthand and wanted to bring this to the community. Sharon has had a long standing career in Interior Design, but is no stranger to Crossfit, having been a vital part of a gym for over 10 years, competing in numerous competitions. Her passion to see other peoples lives transformed by Crossfit starts with her own life-changing transformation. She has experienced the benefits of regular exercise, community, focus and fortitude and is eager to provide youth access to all of these benefits, as she wishes she had at that age.

Most of the time you can find Sharon playing and caring for her 5 granddaughters as she keeps up with their active little lives. Sharon also loves exploring the great outdoors in the Pacific NorthWest on her mountain bike or canoeing with her husband and putting her fitness to good use.

Board Member

Board Member

ANNIKA TREFFNER

Annika has been a leader in active and healthy lifestyles for over 30 years. She graduated from UBC with a degree in dietetics in 1985, and spent the majority of her career working in long-term care. Anyone who knows Annika can tell you she loves genuine connection, giving hugs, and believes that life should be lived to the fullest. In addition to strong connections at work, Annika has built a community through her volunteering. She has been a puppy raiser and supporter of Pacific Assistance Dog Society, and she is also a board member of Tiny Tales Pony Rescue. Annika has been a part of the CrossFit community since 2006, and enjoys working out with her friends and her daughter.

Board Member

Board Member

BRI LOEWEN

Bri joins our team with a background in health and wellness and a passion for helping youths lead fulfilled and healthy lifestyles. With education in Kinesiology, Psychology, and Nutrition, she brings valuable knowledge to our organization. She has worked with an organization that supported at-risk youth, helping them get active every day, whether that be enjoying nature, or learning how to workout. This experience enabled her to witness firsthand the extraordinary power that looking after of one’s body and mind had on improving their life.

Bri is also an outdoor enthusiast! During the Summer, you will rarely find her at home but rather exploring the backcountry, hiking and camping, mountain biking or playing soccer.

Board Member

Board Member

CHRIS SCHAALO

Chris joins Harbourside Youth with a background rooted in strength and conditioning, and a passion for seeing people succeed whether they believe they can, or not. With education in Kinesiology, psychology, sociology and nutrition, he’s worked in the health and fitness industry for over 15 years, with a wide variety of people with different goals, backgrounds, and lifestyles. A passion for volunteer work, mainly in 22 years of youth football coaching will provide a skillset to strongly support the mission of our organization.

Board Member

Board Member

ALEX SCHAALO

Alex wears a number of different hats in her life at the moment, however; right now she mainly goes by ‘Mom’. Alex spent the better part of her 20’s as a competitive crossfit athlete while launching a startup business with her family. She brings business acumen, strategy, and event management skills to the Harbourside Youth team. Her experience in the competitive crossfit environment has continued to help streamline processes for HSY and how they sponsor youth in need.

Board Member

Board Member

PETE WILLIAMS

Peter is a teacher of over 20 years with experience in all grade levels k-12 and administration. He runs school wide fitness programs at his current elementary school and is also a Crossfit kids coach at his past two Crossfit gyms – Crossfit North Vancouver and Train West Van. He has a wide range of sports in his background such as hockey, football, baseball and numerous water sports. He had the privilege of playing vastly football at Simon Fraser University and is currently the captain and coach of his old-timers hockey team! In his later years he became involved in Crossfit and immediately loved the program, community and sport. He has experience competing at the regional level and at local masters competitions. He is the proud father of two young athletes who both participate and excel in Crossfit.

Board Member

Board Member

PHYLLIS DELLENEY

Phyllis is an elementary school teacher in the North Vancouver School district. She has been teaching for over 20 years and has a range of experiences at all grade levels from k-12. Phyllis is an accomplished athlete having been a professional mountain biker, a varsity track athlete and a varsity soccer player. Phyllis started Crossfit in 2010 and immediately loved the fitness program and community. Phyllis has competed in numerous Crossfit competitions from the regionals level to masters level. Six years ago, Phyllis became a Crossfit kids instructor and helped coach and run successful programs at her respective gyms – Crossfit North Vancouver and Train West Van. Phyllis is the mother of two young Crossfit athletes who are also very accomplished and who also love the sport.