The Abbotsford Community Foundation (ACF) has a new board chair.
Andrea Senft was elected at the foundation’s 41st annual general meeting. Lorna Hart, formerly of Cascade Aerospace, completed her two-year term as chair and expressed her support of Senft.
“ACF is in good hands with this change in leadership,” said Hart, who has served on the ACF board for more than nine years, dedicating countless volunteer hours.
Senft has been a resident of Abbotsford for over 20 years. She has spent the past 12 years working for the Abbotsford School District as the manager of community partnerships and was the executive director of the Abbotsford Early Childhood Committee before then.
She currently sits on numerous community boards, including the Fraser Valley Child Development Centre and Kidsport Abbotsford.
She graduated with a degree in law and justice from Laurentian University, and also has a certificate in not-for-profit management.
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Senft said she firmly believes that children are the future of the community, and that attention must be paid to their health and resiliency.
“What inspires me most about ACF is the investment we make in partnering with local charities that help our most vulnerable citizens, as well as being able to support students as they move on to the next stage of their lives with scholarships for post-secondary education,” she said.
In addition to the change in leadership, the ACF added one new board director, Denise Thandi, staff member at the Abbotsford Division of Family Practice.
ACF executive director Wendy Neufeld said the work of the ACF would not be possible without the more than 50 volunteers who participate on the various committees and on the board.
“Abbotsford has a population that believes in giving back to their community. The ACF is grateful to have the support of community leaders to advance our strategic priorities,” she said.
Neufeld said that the ACF’s current pool of invested capital is over $13 million and, since inception, the foundation has invested more than $11 million in grants and student awards.
These grants have been made to many charitable organizations for programs and projects in Abbotsford related to education, culture, arts, sports, agriculture enhancement, recreation and social issues such as homelessness and poverty.
Visit abbotsfordcf.org or phone 604-850-3755 for more information, including on how to support ACF’s Smart and Caring Community Initiative.
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