Do you know an unsung hero? You know the type: they work hard making our community a better place through their volunteerism, with little or no recognition. And they’re not expecting any. But wouldn’t it be nice to give them some? Consider nominating them for the UFV Betty Urquhart Community Service award. Every year, the…

Two women who have made a difference in their communities through volunteer work and leadership were recognized by the University of the Fraser Valley with a Betty Urquhart Community Service award recently. Betty Urquhart was one of the first employees of the university and believed strongly in volunteering and giving back to the community. While…

Do you know an unsung hero? You know the type: they work hard making our community a better place through their volunteerism, with little or no recognition. And they’re not expecting any. But wouldn’t it be nice to give them some? Consider nominating them for the UFV Betty Urquhart Community Service award. Every year, the…

Joan Goosen believes that everyone deserves the chance to live a life of dignity. And she knows that when a woman wants to leave a life on the streets and/or as a sex-trade worker, it can be very difficult. So she helped found an organization, PEARL (which stands for prostituted women exiting and renewing life),…

Nerlap Sidhu is a teacher who believes her role extends beyond the classroom. She’s a dedicated volunteer, community engager, and change-maker, whose commitment to improving society has earned her the Betty Urquhart Community Service Award. Sidhu, who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at UFV in 2004, teaches at Eugene Reimer Middle School in Abbotsford.…

Dr. John H. Redekop of Abbotsford doesn’t believe in doing things in half measures. If you ask for his help and he agrees to assist, he gives his all. And in the matter of raising funds for Stillwood Camp and Conference Centre, that meant more than 20 years of volunteer work garnering support and funding…

We’re not at our best when we’re hungry. It’s hard to concentrate on what the teacher is saying when your stomach is growling from hunger pangs. After 30 years working in Corrections, Mike Csoka knows from experience that the best way to keep people out of the prison system is to help them have a…

Some people say volunteering is for the birds — as in it’s not worth doing. But for Elizabeth Melnick, volunteering is literally for the thousands of birds and other wild animals that she and her helpers have saved and attempt to rehabilitated over the years. Melnick has been taking in injured birds and animals at…

Call it kitchen-table philanthropy. Fundraising without the frills. Every year, the women of the Crystal Gala Foundation put on a breathtakingly fancy and painstakingly planned gala fundraiser. Their goal? Raising money to support women undergoing breast cancer treatment in the Fraser Valley. Since inception in 1999 the group has raised $1.8 million in support of…

It’s Kusum Soni’s inclusive embrace that earned her this year’s Betty Urquhart community service award from the University of the Fraser Valley. In 1995, UFV renamed its community service award in honour of Betty Urquhart, who passed away that year. One of UFV’s first employees, Urquhart was commitment to building a strong relationship between UFV…

Two young women striving to make their communities better in very different ways are UFV’s latest Betty Urquhart community service award recipients. Among the first employees of Fraser Valley College (now UFV), Betty believed strongly in the values of volunteering and giving back to the community. While she passed away in 1995, UFV keeps her…

Betty Urquhart was one of UFV’s first employees, and her commitment to building a strong relationship between UFV and the Fraser Valley community is one that lasts to this day. In 1995, UFV introduced the Betty Urquhart community service award to honour community members or groups that are committed to the same cause. This year…