Marcus Janzen Elected as ACF’s Board Chair Following 43rd Annual General Meeting

We are happy to announce the election of Marcus Janzen as the Chair of the Board following our 43rd Annual General Meeting held on April 21, 2022. Andrea Senft has completed her two-year term as Board Chair and expressed her support for the change in leadership. 
“We are pleased to have Marcus assume the role of Board Chair,” said Senft. “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”. Senft will continue to serve as Past Chair and has dedicated more than eight years on our Board, investing countless volunteer hours to further our strategic goals. 
Janzen is the President of Calais Farms Ltd., a pepper greenhouse operation located in Abbotsford with 20 acres under glass. Prior to that, he 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 Grower’s Association, previously sat as a member of the BC Agriculture Council and is a past President of the Canadian Horticultural Council. Janzen has chaired our Agricultural Enhancement Grants committee 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” says Janzen. “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 this established team of community leaders is new board director, Emily Anderson. Emily is a lawyer with Linley Welwood, focusing on wills, estates and trusts. You can find her full biography, along with all the other ACF Board members here.

Janzen continues, “As we welcome new faces, we say goodbye to others.” Following more than a dozen years of dedicated service, Lorna Hart has retired from our Board of Directors. “We wish to thank Lorna for her invaluable contributions to the Abbotsford Community Foundation” says Janzen.  
Wendy Neufeld, Executive Director, commented that the work of the Abbotsford Community Foundation would not be possible without the almost 60 volunteers who participate on the various committees, including the fourteen-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.” Neufeld also notes that “the current pool of invested capital has grown to more than $15 million. Since our inception, the ACF has invested more than $13 million in grants and student awards into our 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.” 
For more information on how you can support our initiatives and to read our 2021 Annual Report, please click here.