Character Abbotsford

We are thrilled to welcome GURMEEN BANIPAL to the CHARACTER ABBOTSFORD COUNCIL! Gurmeen is a university student and a journalist with a local newspaper. She was born and brought up in Abbotsford, and is passionate about serving her community. Outside of work and school, Gurmeen sits on the board of the Fraser Valley Healthcare Foundation, and the Fraser Valley Indo Canadian Business Association. She is also the Vice President on the Abbotsford Youth Commission board. Gurmeen was previously involved with the Character Council as an executive member of her high school's council. She is excited to be a part of Character Abbotsford, and looking forward to serving her community.

The Character Council visited the newest school in #abbotsford named after the first indigenous teacher in British Columbia - Irene Kelleher. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn about an amazing woman and the ways her legacy has been honoured in the planning and running of the school.  Many thanks to Trustee Shirley Wilson, Assistant Superintendent Carla Danielsson, and Principal Shelley Portas for leading and teaching us. #respect #characterinabby  

We are thrilled to welcome Fire Chief Erick Peterson to the Character Abbotsford Council. Please see the chief’s bio below. Chief Erick Peterson worked with the City of Delta for 15 years before taking on the Chief for the City of Williams Lake in 2018. After four years working in Williams Lake Erick is excited to bring his family back to the lower mainland and work with the City of Abbotsford. Erick strongly believes that by working together we can develop a safer community and a more integrated approach to community wellbeing. Abbotsford Fire Chief Erick Peterson

We are thrilled to welcome Mayor Ross Siemens to the Character Abbotsford Council! See below to learn more about out newest member! 👇🏽  ~~ Ross Siemens was elected Mayor of the City of Abbotsford on October 15, 2022 after serving on Abbotsford City Council as a Councillor from 2014 – 2022. Ross was born and raised in Abbotsford. His maternal great-great grandparents were the Smith and Adams families who were some of the original settlers of the Ridgedale area of Matsqui Prairie. His grandparents on his father's side were Mennonite immigrants from Russia who came to Canada in the 1920's and eventually settled in Abbotsford in 1951. Ross previously served on the District of Abbotsford Council from 1986 to 1990. While serving on the District Council, he helped initiate the Business Improvement Area legislation that established the Abbotsford Downtown Business Association. He left politics in 1991 to work with Youth with a Mission (YWAM) in Hong Kong. Along the way he had the opp...

  Left - Right: Bev Olfert (ED of AYC), Erick Peterson (Fire Chief), Carla Danielsson (Assistant Superintendent of SD34), Julius Siebenga (ED of ACS), Mike Serr (Police Chief), Wendy Neufeld (ED of ACF), Jory Smallenberg, Henry Braun, Shairose Jinnah (Director at Archway), Ross Siemens (Mayor), Vijay Manuel (HOS of MEI) The Character Council honoured Henry Braun today for his exemplary service to our community as mayor. Each council member shared some words of thanks and encouragement and presented the former mayor with gifts. The final two comments were made by Mayor Ross Siemens and Police Chief Mike Serr after which Chief Serr presented Mr. Braun with a plaque, gift, and card on behalf of Character Abbotsford. For more information on Character Abbotsford, visit characterabbotsford.com and follow @characterabby on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .

Conference Report & Press Release For Media and other inquires: character.abby@gmail.com > Click here for photos of Conference 2022 > AbbyNews article here The Character Abbotsford Council was proud to host Conference 2022 on the theme of Homelessness. The conference was well attended with 247 registered guests including student leaders from local public and independent high schools. The conference was kicked off by Vijay Manuel, Chair of the Character Abbotsford Board of Directors. Manuel thanked the conference sponsors: Abbotsford School District , MEI Schools , Prospera Credit Union , The University of the Fraser Valley , and The Abbotsford News . He then reminded attendees that Character Abbotsford is a non-religious and non-political group.  “Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Empathy, Courage and Service have the potential to be felt at the core of every human being, no matter who you are or what your background is” Dr. Gwendolyn Point was introduced to offer a lan...

L - R: Vijay Manuel, Jory Smallenberg, Sir James Barlow, Shelly Avram, Bev Olfert, Julius Siebenga Not pictured: Wendy Neufeld, Mike Serr PRESS RELEASE: CHARACTER ABBOTSFORD BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR 2022/2023 Web / Instagram / Twitter / Facebook September 22, 2022 Character Abbotsford Society is proud to announce the election of its Board of Directors for the coming year. Returning to serve on the board are Shelly Avram, Sir James Barlow, Vijay Manuel, Wendy Neufeld, Bev Olfert, and Jory Smallenberg.  New additions this year are Mike Serr and Julius Siebenga. Serr, who is also Abbotsford’s Police Chief, has been a member of the council for 4 years, and Siebenga, Executive Director of Abbotsford Christian School, is returning to the board after a brief hiatus. Manuel, who is also the Head of MEI Schools, says that the momentum in this movement continues to build over time. “The movement has been growing since its inception in 2011, and now we are excited to offer our 4th conferenc...