A new chair has been elected to the board of the Abbotsford Community Foundation (ACF).
Marcus Janzen takes over from Andrea Senft, who has completed her two-year term and will continue to serve as past chair. He was elected at the ACF’s 43rd annual general meeting on April 21.
Senft has spent more than eight years on the ACF board, investing countless volunteer hours.
Janzen is the president of Calais Farms Ltd., a 20-acre pepper greenhouse operation in Abbotsford. Prior to that, Janzen operated a hog farm with his father on Matsqui Prairie.
He has been an active member of the agriculture sector in Abbotsford since 1991.
Janzen has also sat on the City of Abbotsford’s agriculture, dyking, drainage and irrigation advisory committee; is a former chair of the BC Greenhouse Growers’ Association; previously sat as a member of the BC Agriculture Council; and is a past president of the Canadian Horticultural Council.
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Janzen has chaired the agricultural enhancement grants committee of the ACF since 2018.
“Against the backdrop of floods, COVID, and exceptionally high prices for housing, I think the citizens of Abbotsford face some difficult challenges going forward,” he said.
“I believe the ACF is uniquely positioned to assist with helping people recover and rebuild through initiatives like the Abbotsford Disaster Relief Fund, the Student Awards Program and the Agriculture Enhancement Fund. I consider it a privilege to be given the opportunity to serve as chair of the ACF board for the next two years.”
Also joining the team is new board director Emily Anderson, a lawyer with Linley Welwood, focusing on wills, estates and trusts.
The ACF also announced that Lorna Hart has retired from the board of directors after more than a dozen years.
ACF executive director Wendy Neufeld said the work of the ACF would not be possible without the almost 60 volunteers who participate on the various committees, including the 14-member board of directors.
“Abbotsford has a population that believes in giving back to their community and our residents prove that time and time again. Our volunteers are extremely generous with their time and talents and we are truly grateful for the support they lend in the advancement of our strategic priorities,” she said.
Neufeld also noted that the ACF’s current pool of invested capital has grown to more than $15 million. Since its inception, the ACF has invested more than $13 million in grants and student awards into the community.
“These grants have helped local charitable organizations provide services to some of Abbotsford’s most vulnerable citizens. I am very proud of the work we have accomplished,” she said.
Visit abbotsfordcf.org for more information and to read the 2021 annual report or the biographies of ACF board members.
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