Archway Stories
Every year, thousands of people walk through our doors seeking support and resources. Here are a few stories of how we’ve played a role in assisting members of our community as they forge a path forward.
Employment Programs Help Job Seekers Navigate the Changing Economy
How different employment programs at Archway have helped job seekers during the pandemic.
Syrian Refugees Families Thriving and Giving Back
Syrian refugee families are giving back to the community in ways they were supported when they first arrived.
The Diversity Education Program sees a Spike in Incident Reports
A look into the increase of incident reports of both racism and discrimination towards minorities.
Providing Youth Mental Health Services in Challenging Times – Youth Resource Centre (YRC)
The Youth Resource Centre provides youth with a variety of mental health services during difficult times.
Providing Youth Mental Health Services in Challenging Times – Foundry
Youth mental health services during the pandemic were provided through virtual sessions at Foundry.
Providing Youth Mental Health Services in Challenging Times – Basic Life Skills Training (BLT)
BLT mental health services were provided during the pandemic through various outdoor visits.
How Community Partnerships are Helping Local Youth Thrive
Partnerships through the community allow youth to thrive by assuring them that the community cares.
Social Prescribing Program Links Vulnerable Seniors to Health Supports
The social prescribing program is able to support seniors who are needing access to available heath supports.
Stories from Male Survivors of Sexual Assault
Male survivors of sexual assault share their stories and bring awareness to the impact of sexual abuse.
How Archway Continues to Pivot to Meet Community Needs
Archway is now focusing its services and programs on four different types of areas that meet community needs.
A Year in a Pandemic: Reflecting on COVID-19’s Impact
Reflecting on the impact the pandemic has had on services and programs at Archway.
ITS: Translating the Essentials During a Global Pandemic
ITS overcame challenges with Covid, ensuring individuals still had access to services in languages they understand.
Behind the Scenes at Archway
Staff at Archway took precautions to ensure programs and facilities would continue to run during the pandemic.
Abbotsford Youth Health Centre: Partners in Wellness
How the AYHC has transitioned from a part-time clinic to a instrumental part of Foundry Abbotsford.
Right Now It’s Like This: Counselling Services During a Global Pandemic
The pandemic increased the demand for counselling, leading to a variety of services now being offered.
Family Connections & Family Education: Support and Education During Unprecedented Times
Family Connections and Family Education have provided vital services to clients during the pandemic.
Legal Advocacy: No Adjournment of Services During COVID-19
Archway’s legal advocacy programs found innovative ways to serve clients during the pandemic.
Archway Food Bank: Open in Tough Times
The Archway food bank adopted new ways to meet the increased demand during the pandemic.
Fraser Valley Human Dignity Coalition: 20 Years of Responding to Hate and Honouring Diversity
The FVHDC is marking 20 years of responding to discrimination within the community.
Rod Santiago Marks 10 Years as Archway Executive Director
Executive Director, Rod Santiago, marks 10 years at Archway Community Services.
Abby Dads: 10 Years of Supporting Fathers in Active Parenting
Abby Dads has supported fathers for over 10 years, helping create healthy relationships with their families.
STRIDE: Stepping into a New Program During a Global Pandemic
During the pandemic, STRIDE has continued to help people over the age of 55 gain employability skills.
LINC: A Celebration of Learning Online and Overcoming Obstacles
The LINC program made a successful transition to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Career Paths Helps Mansi Fulfill Graphic Design Dream
Career Paths for Skilled Immigrants helps a client get a full-time job at a local design company.
Discovery Staff ‘Parade’ for Participants
Discovery staff paraded through participants neighborhoods after activities were suspended.
Supporting Victims of Abuse
How the Specialized Victims Assistance Program is able to support those dealing with abuse.
Meet Runjan: Archway Recruitment & Engagement Specialist
How newcomer, Runjan used the employment services available at Archway to support her career goals.
Banking on a New Life in Canada: Gurdas’ Story
Gurdas’ story of how Archway’s programs for newcomers helped him find career success at Prospera.
Darlene’s Story: Love and Boundaries
Darlene’s story of how Archway provided her with resources, learning opportunities, and emotional support.
Program Helps Skilled Immigrants Find Related Employment
Careers Paths for Skilled Immigrants has allowed newcomers to enter the job market in their former careers.
A Journey Through the History of Recycling
Lear how Archway’s recycling program has become a staple within the community of Abbotsford.
Overcoming Addiction and Homelessness
Kal’s story of overcoming addiction and homelessness to now becoming a food bank volunteer.
Keeping Busy and Being Helpful at Discovery: Betty Lou’s Story
Betty Lou is a long time participant of the discovery program and takes pride in volunteering at Archway.
Fun and Friendship at Discovery: Donna’s Story
Donna’s reflects on the fun and friendships she has created attending Discovery for the past 15-20 years.
Creative Pursuits at Discovery: Martin’s Story
Martin reflects on the creative pursuits he has been able to take part in while attending the Discovery program.
Share Your Thanks
Megan is thankful she found Archway’s Family Centre and received support when she found out she was pregnant.
Walter’s Story: Starting and Growing Community Services
Walter Paetkau started Archway Community Services after identifying multiple community needs.
30 Years of Serving the Community
Over time, Manpreet Grewal has helped grow the Multicultural and Immigrant Integration Department.
Leslie’s Story – Adjusting to a New Reality
Leslie’s story of gaining support and finding employment through the EPIC program.
Three Friends Join Forces To Make A Difference
Three Community Connections volunteers share how they make a difference in the community.
A Mother’s Struggle to Save Her Son from Gang Life
A mother’s story of how the In It Together program helped save her son from gang life.
Danielle Miller shares Brave Story
Danielle Miller story of overcoming post-traumatic stress disorder through the support of counseling and CVAP.
Claudia – From a Mexican Circus to Living in Canada
Claudia’s life has been full of challenges. At age 12 she was kicked out of her home in Mexico and lived on the streets for over a year before finding a welcoming family in a traveling circus. At the circus, Claudia did everything from selling popcorn and cleaning...
From Abuse and Addiction to New Career Opportunities
John* was nine-years-old when he first used hard drugs and started his decades-long struggle with addiction. ‘Shooting up’ was a way to deal with his horrific childhood, which included sexual abuse by his father. He ran away at age 11 and after trying to shoot his...
Pairing Her Loves of Teaching and Children
Before immigrating to Canada in 2012, Amandeep had worked as an elementary school teacher in India. Despite having a Master’s Degree in English, she found it difficult to find a suitable job here, since her teaching credentials were not transferrable. She ended up...
A Career in Caring
Elizabeth was always on the “lucky end” of lay-offs until that luck ran out in 2017. While she enjoyed her work at production companies the industry wasn’t always stable and didn’t provide additional training or opportunities for advancement.As a single mother in her...
There in Crisis
Bridges The Bridges program seeks to bridge youth services to clients that have aged out of government care. "We had a 22 year old girl who was fleeing domestic abuse, couch surfing, unemployed and very distraught from the traumatic experience of being alone through...
Hope Restored
Like many of us, Navor wants nothing more than to provide for his family. That’s why, in 2010, he started coming to Canada—first for five to six months at a time, then for eight. “I came because I wanted to help my family,” he tells us. “I have a daughter, sister, and...
From Volunteer Match to Lifelong Friends and Co-workers
Perfect Strangers In her homeland of Colombia, Claudia was a lawyer with a busy career and family life. Everything changed when she immigrated to Canada with her husband and young son in 2009. Unable to speak English and without her family and friends, she found...
Seeking a New Identity in Music
Harley loves performing hip-hop on stage. But there is one song that he can’t bring himself to perform in public. While he can sometimes write and record a song in less than half an hour, this particular song took months to write and record. Once recorded, he waited a...
Hevin’s Story: A Tale of Perseverance
In less than two years, Hevin has made great strides. From a young refugee starting school in a new country and a new language to a dedicated student receiving a major Award of Excellence at her Abbotsford secondary school, she’s risen above the challenges life has...