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.
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...
Breaking the Cycle: A Young Father’s Story
Abused, addicted, abandoned. Daniel’s young life has been full of challenges, though you wouldn’t know it immediately by looking at his cheerful smile. As a child, he experienced physical abuse at the hands of his father. When he began to fear for his life, he...
Saying ‘Yes’ to a Great Opportunity: Nicholas’ Story
Twelve-year-old Nicholas was bright – and bored. Despite his abilities, the nature of an average school day at Abby Middle just wasn’t working for him. His Vice Principal, Ian Levings, saw Nicholas’ potential and connected him with the Youth Education Support (YES)...
“Friendship, not just Lessons” – Sharon’s and Sophie’s Story
When Sharon, an RN and nursing instructor, retired after 40 years in healthcare, she knew that she wanted to keep busy doing something that would help others and the community. She was always particularly interested in working with people learning English. Sharon...
Outstanding Volunteers: Dawn
Dawn is a dedicated volunteer with our Community Connections program and through her volunteering, she's developed a friendship with Jolin, a newcomer to Canada. They have now been friends for over the 8 years and Dawn remarks, “there are times when I think I get more...
Volunteering is a Shared Learning Experience for Don
As a surgeon and GP for 40 years, Don was used to a full schedule. When he retired and moved from Terrace to Abbotsford, he knew he wanted to keep busy. After searching online for local volunteer opportunities, he got in touch with Abbotsford Community Services.For...
Helen Offers a Helping Hand for the Family Centre
Helen Meyers has been an invaluable asset to Abbotsford Community Services over her last 18 years as a volunteer. Originally, she lent her time to our Lunch with the Bunch program, but since 2001 she's dedicated herself to the Family Centre. Twice a week Helen helps...
Outstanding Employment Mentor
With a passion for the community and an eagerness to both share with and learn from others, Sieglinde is a volunteer with a true desire to help others succeed. An Executive Recruiter with Valley Personnel Ltd and an Adult Educator with years of experience in Human...
Outstanding Volunteers: Patricia
When we requested stories of amazing volunteers to feature, LINC instructor Rosanna was quick to mention Patricia, who volunteers as a teacher's assistant in the LINC program to newcomers learning the English language. She has volunteered in this role with several...
Outstanding Volunteers: Joshlyn
Joshlyn is an outstanding volunteer at our AbbotsfordWORKS employment office. She regularly volunteers because she likes having the opportunity to give back to the community. She also gains valuable work experience in the social services field through her involvement...
Answering the Call to Volunteer
Sandy Strowbridge was thinking about how he could give back to his community, and the idea of driving people to their medical appointments kept popping up. He wasn’t sure how to get started, but after a conversation with a friend, he was directed to the Seniors...
The Cost of Loneliness
Loneliness is impacting the lives of seniors in Abbotsford. According to Simon Fraser University, one in five is lonely. Loneliness is now shown to be just as detrimental to life expectancy as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Currently, 17% of Abbotsford’s population are...
Living wage, livable future: Tenacity and community support help Abbotsford woman build new life free from violence
Isolated. Miserable. Thousands of kilometres away from her friends and family. It wasn’t how Kiran pictured marriage. “I was told they had a real home for me, that we could have a good family life,” Kiran says through a translator. “It wasn’t true.” Held prisoner in...
Living wage, livable future: Abbotsford mother carves a path out of poverty with a living wage
Krystal nearly lost her son Nollan every year for the first four years of his young life. “Nollan has stage four chronic kidney disease with polyuria. His current kidney function is only 34%,” she explained. For years, while watching her child suffer through chronic...
The Incredible Journey: Ryan’s Story
Just before Ryan’s 21st birthday, he became the father of a baby girl “I was a very young dad,” recalls Ryan. “It’s kind of a lonely life when you’re that young. None of my friends had kids, so not a lot of people understood what it was like.” Feeling alone and...
Meet a Few Amazing Ladies
Left: Jie (China) - currently working towards her Hydraulic Engineering certification in Canada Middle: Precious (Philippines) - secured a job as a casual as a Behaviour Interventionist Right: Mireia (Spain) – administrative support for a wealth management company...