Abbotsford is known as the most generous community in Canada, but our residents don’t only donate their money to great causes, they also donate their time.
Last year more than 6,000 volunteers contributed approximately 65,000 hours to City of Abbotsford programs and events. We estimate the value of that volunteer time at more than $1.6 million. To show our gratitude for our hard-working volunteers, on May 8 the City held its annual Volunteer Appreciation Night at AgRec Centre.
Volunteering is a great way to give back to your community while also getting to meet likeminded people who want to see Abbotsford be the best it can be. We encourage residents to visit the City of Abbotsford’s volunteering page on our website to learn more about the many ways you can donate your time. There are plenty of opportunities for residents 14 and up, and there are self-directed options that allow our volunteers, once they receive orientation, to choose where and when to volunteer.
If you want to help keep our parks, streets and trails beautiful, you can volunteer to help pick up litter, remove invasive plants, or report on vandalism or maintenance problems. We also have tree planting and cemetery marker maintenance events, and you can even adopt a length of roadway you want to keep clean and trash-free.
Taking care of the environment also involves educating members of the public. Our Storm Drain Troopers help protect our rivers and streams by painting fish near storm drains to remind residents to be mindful of what goes down the drain.
If you like seeing our community fit and active, you can volunteer to help with programming at our recreation centres. You can apply to support skating and swimming lessons, fitness, day camps and a variety of art, recreation and sport programs.
You can also be a part of the special events that the City holds throughout the year, like our popular Canada Day celebration. We’re looking for volunteers to help us set up and pack up those events, and to support activities, crafts, registration and food handling. We also need Traffic Control Personnel to help with parades and to direct people when events take place near roads.
There are also volunteers we call on in the case of an emergency. Our Emergency Support Services (ESS) Program is looking for volunteers to become trained to support our first responders and provide to the immediate needs of people effected by disasters. These volunteers are on-call 24-7 year-round in all weather conditions. Every year on average ESS volunteers are active for more than 1,500 hours, respond to 23 emergencies, and support more than 500 people.
We are fortunate to live in a community with a strong tradition of volunteerism. We are thankful to all City volunteers, and those who give of their time to local charities and service organizations. Abbotsford is a stronger, safer and cleaner community thanks to your hard work and tireless dedication.
Abbotsford City Council