Events

We plan to host a discussion about vocational service with club members sharing their occupation and why it is important.

Mirela works at Archway Community Services in the Multicultural department. One of her roles is the Digital Navigator in which she helps permanent residents with digital literacy skills and helps staff facilitate online and hybrid programming. Her other role is the Regional Integration Liaison of the Fraser Valley. This entails building service capacity for settlement service providers serving provincially funded newcomers across the Fraser Valley. The primary role of Archway's Diversity Education Program is promoting cross-cultural understanding and learning with our community.

Abbotsford Restorative Justice and Advocacy Association (ARJAA) has been a part of the fabric of the Abbotsford community for over 20 years. A non-profit organization that engages community conflict outside of the traditional court system, ARJAA is vitally concerned with finding innovative ways to impart restorative values and practices to our community. Actively applying the restorative justice lens of crime viewed as harm done to people and relationships, rather than the breaking of laws, ARJAA strives to repair harm, restore relationships, rebuild trust and, in doing so, transform the community of Abbotsford. In this presentation, Stanley and Taylor will share about the philosophy of restorative justice, their collective experience as facilitators, and the peacebuilding work ARJAA is doing in the community.

Both Taylor and Stanley have extensive experience facilitating restorative justice processes for a diversity of criminal justice matters with Abbotsford Restorative Justice and Advocacy.

Abbotsford Restorative Justice and Advocacy Association (ARJAA) has been a part of the fabric of the Abbotsford community for over 20 years. A non-profit organization that engages community conflict outside of the traditional court system, ARJAA is vitally concerned with finding innovative ways to impart restorative values and practices to our community. ARJAA is a volunteer-driven organization that encourages participation from people who are interested in making a difference in their communities, and especially in the lives of young people. We are always in need of volunteers for our youth mentoring program and restorative justice program.

The first of its kind in British Columbia, the Peace and Reconciliation Centre (PARC), operates out of UFVs Chilliwack campus. The dominant approach of the Centre to date has been to collaborate with stakeholders and to conduct research to facilitate constructive dialogue that supports conflict transformation and reconciliation. The scale of conflict ranges from the nation state to individuals and across a vast breadth of collision sources including but not limited to domestic violence, access to resources, territory, ethnicity, faith, and colonialism. Research and engagement activities that focus on peace and reconciliation are supported, regardless of geographic, social, or temporal context.

Leanne Jarrett, PARC Coordinator, and Alexis Klassen, PARC Research Coordinator, have both been with PARC for a year. They work under director Keith Thor Carlson and are responsible for supervising research projects, supporting student researchers, event planning and administration. Leanne's background is in Event Management and Alexis's is in Anthropology and Peace and Conflict Studies. 

Join us for a compelling presentation on an ambitious new peacebuilding initiative in Myanmar led by the Conflict and Resilience Research Institute Canada (CRRIC), with support from Smartsettle Resolutions Inc. The project builds on a grant from Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and aims to foster Track II diplomacy and long-term stability through innovative tools and collaborative engagement.

Presenting live will be our own Dr. Ernest Thiessen, founder of Smartsettle, with online support from Dr. Kawser Ahmed and David Newman, KC, Rotarians from Winnipeg and key leaders of the project. They’ll introduce the concept of a Myanmar “Mini-Marshall Plan” and share how Smartsettle’s technology is being used to simulate a multi-stakeholder peace negotiation involving ethnic groups, the military, civil society, and the international community.

The Myanmar team is seeking to supplement the GAC funding with a Rotary Global Grant in order to amplify their impact. 

Don’t miss this opportunity to see how Rotary can play a meaningful role in advancing peace through innovation and global collaboration.

Cherry Tam is Regional Manager for the Fraser Valley for the Fraser Basin Council. She originally joined FBC in 2018 as part of the Youth Program and has worked on multiple initiatives over the years for youth (aged 16-30) across the province. She recently transitioned to the Fraser Valley portfolio and is excited to continue working on projects that advance sustainability and bring people with diverse viewpoints together on solutions.

Cherry will be providing a brief overview of the Fraser Basin Council’s work to bring people together to advance sustainability solutions in BC. FBC’s vision is for “Social well-being supported by a vibrant economy and sustained by a healthy environment.” Cherry will also touch on some recent projects that have happened in the Fraser Valley region, including youth initiatives, and would love to have a casual discussion with Rotary members about ideas for collaboration.

Growing up in beautiful BC, Joanne has been passionate about environmental stewardship her entire life.  She joined the FVC as the Executive Director in 2013. In this role she brings over two decades of experience in the not-for-profit sector administration as well as field work on a wide range of conservation initiatives throughout the province. She guides the daily management of our organization, drawing on her knowledge of the local ecosystems and strong conservation ethic. She also oversees the acquisition and management of our conservation properties, builds partnerships with other like-minded organizations, and develops projects that contribute to our mandate. She loves that every day, through her work, she can promote and put into practice stewardship solutions that to make a difference for our special valley home.

Tricia Schmuland is the Program Director for the Care For Women Foundation.  Tricia has over 15 years of Marketing experience in the Real Estate industry and turned her passion to supporting her community.  Care For Women started in 2020 and supports mothers in the complex and challenging first weeks of postpartum to bridge the gap of support to at-risk mothers who have no village or support around them.

The Honourable Ed Fast, PC, KC is a lawyer (University of British Columbia 1982) and spent 24 years practicing corporate and commercial law in Abbotsford, with a particular focus on real estate development.

In 2006, Ed was elected to Canada’s House of Commons as Member of Parliament for Abbotsford. He was re-elected in 2008, 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2021. He had previously served two terms as an Abbotsford School Trustee and three terms as a member of Abbotsford City Council, three of those years as Deputy Mayor. In 2011, he was appointed Queen’s Counsel (now King’s Counsel) in recognition of his distinguished service and leadership in the legal profession. He has also been awarded both the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and King’s Coronation Medal for service to his community and country.

 Among other responsibilities in Parliament, Ed served for 3 years as Chair of the parliamentary Standing Committee on Justice & Human Rights.

On May 18, 2011, former Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed Ed to his cabinet to serve as Minister of International Trade and for the Asia-Pacific Gateway. For almost 5 years he led Canada’s most ambitious trade agenda ever, leading negotiations on free trade agreements with the European Union (CETA), South Korea, Ukraine and the original Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries.

Ed was also in the room with Prime Minister Harper when he travelled abroad and met with world leaders like Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Benjamin Netanyahu, Shinzo Abe, Narendra Modi, Angela Merkel and David Cameron. Over his many years in public office, Ed has developed an extensive network of contacts within the global trade and investment community and within Canada’s community of political and business decision-makers.

Since the 2015 federal election, Ed has served variously as the Conservative Shadow Minister for Environment, Industry and Finance. He recently retired from federal politics and is committed to sharing his knowledge and experience with trade-oriented organizations.

Ed and his wife Annette have lived in Abbotsford, BC for 43 years. They have four daughters and their spouses, and fifteen lively grandchildren.

Carolynn is an Environmental Services Coordinator at the Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD), where she specializes in solid waste project management, public education and policy analysis. She has been with the FVRD for over a decade and holds a degree in Environmental Studies from the from the University of Northern British Columbia.

Jamie Austin is the Director of Utility Operations overseeing the water, sewer and drainage systems for the City of Abbotsford. He has worked in municipal water and sewer operations for 25 years, with the last 8 for the City of Abbotsford and prior 17 in Ontario working for the Region of Waterloo and City of Cambridge. As a public servant, he enjoys the challenges and personal satisfaction that come with field operations and customer service and is thankful for the opportunity to share what he does with you.

Casey will share his experiences from his trip to Rwanda with Columbia Bible College earlier this year. 

Susanne Bossley is the newly appointed Group Event and Fundraiser Coordinator at our very own Castle Fun Park.

Castle Fun Park is evolving and is now offering some dynamic and engaging fundraising packages. These initiatives are designed to empower our local organizations with fun and creative avenues to support their vital programs!

Beyond fundraising opportunities, Susanne will also be presenting Castle Fun Park's group packages. These offer an excellent opportunity for team-building, client appreciation events, or simply a fun outing for larger groups, providing both an enjoyable experience and cost-effective benefits.

For those who may associate Castle Fun Park solely with children's activities, Susanne will also highlight its broader appeal as a destination where individuals of all ages can connect and enjoy themselves.

Gideon is a third-year UFV student, completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a Pre-Med concentration. His career goal is to attend medical school to study neuroscience and engage in the research surrounding neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. His academic journey and professional experiences, including research with BirdLife International and supervisory roles in food manufacturing, have strengthened his analytical and leadership abilities. Aside from academics, Gideon enjoys volunteering at various local organizations to give back to the community.