Exceptional Volunteer

The Abby News FRIDAY! Magazine supplement recently profiled someone we know very well at Abbotsford Community Services.

Willa Mann has been a very loyal volunteer with ACS Meals on Wheels and Lunch with the Bunch since she moved to Abbotsford in 2002. “The thing I appreciate most about Willa is her dedication. She is here four days a week. She really cares about the people (Meals on Wheels and Lunch with the Bunch clients) and she makes a connection with them.” ACS Seniors Meal Coordinator Nancy Deba says, “Willa is worth her weight in gold – she is willing to do anything for us.” Willa also volunteers with Abbotsford Hospice Society and she makes two trips up to Winfield, BC each year to help the local food bank there.

Thanks for everything you do Willa!

You really are one of Abbotsford’s ‘people helping people.’

Volunteering at ACS

Volunteering with Lunch with the Bunch program

The Volunteer Office at Abbotsford Community Services connects people looking to volunteer with positions that match their interest or skill area. Yearly, over 1000 people help out in the diverse programs at ACS. Some are short term special occasions/events while others require the dependability and dedication of committed people to provide continuity of service.

In whatever capacity you seek to volunteer: whether you are new to the community, recently retired, seeking an opportunity to brush up on some skills for employment, a student, a practicum/intern seeking placement or you find yourself wanting to connect to and give to the community, we value your gift of giving. In return, you can expect to receive: orientation, a supervisor to report to, a job description, training where needed, progress reports, and, if applicable, quarterly reviews.

There are many opportunities for volunteering through ACS, from working in offices on computers or other duties to group activities such as serving food to senior participants at Lunch with the Bunch or helping with children.

To find out about our programs that offer volunteer opportunities, please call Abbotsford Community Services at 604-859-7681 and book an appointment with the Volunteer Coordinator on Tuesdays only. If we can’t find a placement for you with this agency, we’ll gladly provide you with a resource list of other Abbotsford organization’s volunteer opportunities.


Volunteer helping with mail out	Helping to clean up

The following list are some of the programs here at ACS that utilize volunteers:

Program	Volunteers needed	Duties	Time commitment
Resource Development Office	Occasional	Office work, Special Events, Mail Campaigns	none
Volunteer Connections Office	Occasional	Office work, Mail outs, large events	none
Accounting Office	Occasional	Filing, organizing, envelope stuffing	none
Employing People in Community	Occasional	One on one work with clients that have developmental disabilities	none
Life Challenge	On going	Assist in activity time with developmental disability adults, i.e. crafts, bingo, games, bowling, seasonal outings, etc.	none
STAR Club	Ongoing	Assist developmental disability children and teens in a recreational and social environment	Sept. – June Summer
Custodial/Maintenance	Ongoing	Janitorial duties, gardening, maintenance, painting, sweeping,	none
Recycling	Ongoing	Plant work: Sorting, Baling, Cleaning , Sweeping Office Work: Filing. Photocopying, shipping/receiving	none
Seniors: Office	Ongoing	Filing, message taking, typing,	Long term
Seniors: Form filling	Seasonal Feb - May	Income tax filing, filling in related forms and applications	4 months
Seniors- Meals On Wheels	Ongoing	Pick up meals from ACS and deliver to clients homes. Return containers to ACS	3 months
Seniors – Lunch With the Bunch	Ongoing	Pick up 2 – 3 clients and deliver them to and from ACS. Assist with lunch, clean up and interact with clients.	3 months
MOW and LWB Office Helper	Ongoing - two days per week	Computer work: Data entry, other duties as needed.	none
English Language Services for Adults (ELSA)	Sept. - June	Tutoring students, monitoring students, assisting teachers, special events	6 months
Multicultural Family Services	Seasonal	Office help, i.e. telephone answering, interpretation/translation for clients and in developing brochures in the Punjabi language.	none
Immigrant Settlement Counselling Program	2 – 3 people at different times per year.	Particular office duties training will be provided), assisting clients, special events	3 – 6 months
Youth Buddy Program	Sept.- June	Meet with newcomer weekly. Introduce newcomer to Canadian culture and practices. Provide transportation, offer information on education , shopping and health systems.	6 months (school year)
Special Events	Seasonal	Possibly the following: Telephoning, Mail Out Campaigns, Creating posters, Coordinating teams, Decorating, participation in Community Fairs,	none
Food Bank	Mornings - weekly	Sorting food, Packing hampers, driving, receiving, Distributing hampers, clean up, reception duties.	none
Best For Babies	Ongoing	Childminding, transportation of clients, office work, food prep.	none
Youth Resource Centre	Varies	Work with youth, answer phone, filling, faxing , photocopying, computer work	3 months
Family Centre	Ongoing	Set up/Clean up classrooms, Assist class instructor, Miscellaneous office tasks Assist with special events and tasks, office and phone work	Seasonal

For other volunteer opportunities in our community:

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