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Archway honours those who make Abbotsford ‘a better place to live’

Community Builders’ Awards presented to 3 individuals and 2 businesses
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Walter Paetkau (second from right), founder of Archway Community Services, presents a Community Builders’ Award to staff of The Abbotsford News. From left are Jack Neufeld, Barb Duncan, publisher Carly Ferguson and Kimberley MacLeod. (John Morrow/Abbotsford News)

Three individuals and two businesses were presented with the Archway Community Builders’ Awards last Thursday.

The awards were presented to Harold Janzen, Pieter and Fran Vanderpol, Vancity Credit Union and the Abbotsford News during a ceremony at The Reach Gallery Museum.

Archway Community Services (formerly Abbotsford Community Services) presents the awards annually to recognize outstanding individuals and organizations who work tirelessly, passionately and collaboratively to make Abbotsford a better place in which to live, work and raise a family.

Harold Janzen is a long-term Archway volunteer who contributes around 90 hours a month in helping seniors and low-income individuals complete income tax returns and other forms.

He also volunteers at other organizations and “supports all people without prejudice and a fierce sense of duty,” according to nominator Meredith Lee Sperling.

RELATED: 2018 Community Builders Awards

RELATED: 2017 Community Builders Awards

The Vanderpols were nominated for their various efforts in embracing new and improved ways to respond to issues.

They helped lead the charge to develop the Peace and Conflict Studies program at the University of the Fraser Valley, established their Oikodome Foundation to give out scholarships for post-secondary education and are founding members of the Character Council of Abbotsford.

The Vanderpols played a major role in helping support and champion Foundry Abbotsford, one of the over 90 programs at Archway, before it even opened.

Manpreet Grewal, the director of Multicultural and Immigrant Integration Services at Archway, presented the award to Vancity for being leaders in investing in communities.

Vancity offers accounts and loans to newcomers with no financial history in Canada and was one of the first sponsors of the Fraser Valley Cultural Diversity Awards.

In the Fraser Valley, the credit union has actively worked with Indigenous communities, newcomers, and other marginalized groups.

Archway founder Walter Paetkau nominated the Abbotsford News for their support of the organization over the past 50 years.

In their early days, back when Archway was known as MSA Community Services, they were unable to afford the $400 cost of printing their first information directory.

The News volunteered to help in exchange for the non-profit promising to pay for the printing “when they could.”

Paetkau reminisced about how the Abbotsford News helped spread the word and support the Food Bank and Christmas Bureau over the years.

He also thanked them for the help their coverage provided when he wrote a book about the history of the first 50 years of Abbotsford Community Services.

Many of their articles had been collected into scrapbooks and their photos were archived at The Reach.

Publisher Carly Ferguson accepted the award on behalf of the Abbotsford News and talked about how they feel it’s more important than ever for communities to have local newspapers that can be counted on.

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Harold Janzen was nominated for the Community Builders’ Award by Meredith Lee Sperling. Photo by Dale Klippenstein
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Manpreet Grewal (far right) of Archway Community Services presents staff of Vancity with the Community Builders’ Award. (Photo by Dale Klippenstein)
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Pieter and Fran Vanderpol were among the recipients of the Community Builders’ Awards. (Photo by Dale Klippenstein)