Andrea Senft Elected as Board Chair of the Abbotsford Community Foundation

The Abbotsford Community Foundation (ACF) is pleased to announce the election of Andrea Senft to Chair of the Board at their 41st Annual General Meeting held in April. Lorna Hart, formerly of Cascade Aerospace, has completed her two-year term as Board Chair and expressed her support of the change in leadership.
“We are pleased to have Andrea assume the role of Board Chair,” said, Hart. “ACF is in good hands with this change in leadership. I am honoured to have served in the capacity of Board Chair for the past two years and we have seen significant impact and growth during my tenure”. Hart has served on the ACF Board for more than nine years, dedicating countless volunteer hours to the ACF.
Andrea 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 prior to moving to the school district. 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.
“I firmly believe that our children are the future of our community, and we must pay attention to the health and resiliency of our youngest citizens” says Senft. “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. I look forward to serving as the Chair of the ACF Board for the next two years”.
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. You can find her full biography, along with all of the ACF Board by clicking here.
Wendy Neufeld, Executive Director, remarked that 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 also notes that “the current pool of invested capital is over $13 million and since inception the ACF has invested more than $11 million in grants and student awards back to the Abbotsford community. 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 like homelessness and poverty.
For more information about our various granting programs, click here.