Events

Brent is a veteran of 31 years of police experience and extensive emergency background in disaster preparation, response, mitigation, planning, and training. Brent is President of Strategic Emergency Management. 

Raj was born in the south of India.  He has a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree and Masters in Hydraulic Engineering (India) and a Masters in Mechanics and Hydraulics (USA).  He came to Canada in 1973 and now lives in White Rock. He is retired but still provides worldwide assistance in subjects of his expertise.

Raj has extensive experience at senior levels in the World Bank, United Nations Specialized Agencies, and private sector. Raj is a Director of the Sources Foundation in White Rock which operates various facilities to meet the needs of the community. He is a Director of New Bridge Academy, helping to build bridges between the incoming Chinese immigrant community and area residents.

Raj is a multiple Paul Harris fellow and a major donor to the Rotary Foundation. He is Chair of the Canada-Tunisia Inter Country Cultural Committee of the Rotary International.  He is also a member of three Rotary Action Groups: Water and Sanitation, Environmental Sustainability, and Honouring Indigenous People as well as a member of the Whisky Dram Rotary Fellowship Group. 

Christina has worked in the community social services sector for 43 years, providing services and programming to older adults, persons with disabilities, low-income & and their families.  Along with a retired pastor, doctor, and teacher, she was involved in starting Abbotsford Association for Healthy Aging in 1989. The primary goal is to enhance the lives of our older adult community and ensure that senior individuals can retain their dignity and independence during the latter stages of life.  We strive to be aware of the needs of our older adults and address this by creating programs that are thoughtful, engaging, and fulfilling to support our older community.

Mary was born and raised in Abbotsford and has strong connections to the community. She has been involved in numerous organizations over the years and has sat as a member of the Smart & Caring Community Grants Committee for the past five years. Mary was the recipient of the Community Builder of the Year in Abbotsford (2017) and was a two-time recipient of the Abbotsford Arts Council – Arty Awards for her passion in theatre. She was the founder of Business in Black which entertained audiences for the Business Excellence Awards for 15 years; the Director of the Abbotsford Heat ‘Fever’ Dance Team; and the Director of Ceremonies for the BC Summer Games in 2016. She is thrilled to be taking the role as President for the 55+ BC Summer Games to be hosted by Abbotsford this summer!

Heart and Soul was founded in late 2015 by two like-minded people whose love for animals was like no other. We started as a small group and have now grown to the point where we are able to help 100’s of animals in need every year. Our main focus is educating on spaying and neutering so that we can help reduce the number of animals in need of help. Last year alone, we were able to find loving homes for 846 dogs and cats, as well as spay and neuter many more through our program. 

Jo Holland is a career Firefighter for the City of Abbotsford and is also the Chairperson for Harvest Fest, an annual event hosted by the Abbotsford Firefighters Charitable Society. The presentation is aimed at promoting the event to a wider audience, thereby improving the effectiveness of this fun and worthy fundraising event.