Staff & Board Members

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Bev Olfert, Executive Director

Bev Olfert has been involved with the AYC for many years. She started at the AYC as a volunteer, later she worked as a program coordinator and eventually she was hired as the Executive Director. Before coming to the AYC, Bev worked in various programs serving children, youth and families at Abbotsford Community Services. These days Bev spends most of her time writing emails, going to meetings and generally looking after the day to day functioning of the AYC.

Bev is always looking for suggestions about programs and services that could be useful in the community. Come on in and have a chat . . . bring coffee – she likes that ;)

Bev may be reached by email at:
bev@abbyyouth.com


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Niki is a bundle of energy in the office!

She loves meeting new people, experiencing new cultures, and discovering new places. She’s an avid traveller and has visited 35 countries and counting! She is passionate about youth empowerment and is excited to lead and support the AYC staff & volunteers in creating and implementing creative, fun, and purposeful programming for the beautifully diverse youth in Abbotsford!

Niki may be reached by email at:
niki@abbyyouth.com


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Sasha is our Program Coordinator! You can usually find her at the AYC office, but when she's at ARC or MRC she loves to play Monopoly Deal with the youth there! She loves baking, travelling, and strawberry lemonade. Her ideal weekend includes reading a good book, drinking tea, getting brunch, and watching a movie! 

Sasha may be reached by email at:
sasha@abbyyouth.com


Bradley Nguyen, Administrative and Marketing Assistantstaff pictures for website (1).png

Bradley is our Admin & Marketing Assistant. He's usually at the AYC office, answering the phone, posting on social media, and making promo materials. He enjoys dancing to Kpop, listening to 80s' music, watching comedy series, exploring the nature, and playing video games (Nintendo & PC games).

Bradley can be reached by email at:
bradley@abbyyouth.com


Danaye Reinhardt, Youth Centre CoordinatorUntitled (Circle Sticker).png

Danaye is one of our Youth Centre Coordinators! You can usually find her at the AYC office or MRC, where she loves hanging out with the youth. She loves playing board games, being forced to go on hikes around the Fraser Valley, and buying books (she’ll read them eventually). One of her goals in life is to adopt a cat.

Danaye can be reached by email at:
danaye@abbyyouth.com


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Chantel is your Youth Centre Coordinator at the ARC Youth Centre! In her role, she has the privilege of working with the ARC (and occasionally MRC) youth daily! She has always loved working with youth and students; therefore, she's SUPER ECSTATIC to get to know every one of you!

Shrimp is Chantel's favourite food! She also grew up playing soccer her whole life, so if you ever see her at ARC during Open Gym time, grab some friends to challenge Chantel to a soccer challenge - She'd love it!

Chantel can be reached by email at:
chantel@abbyyouth.com


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Aaron loves working with youth and hearing about their life experiences. He loves to play basketball and pool at the youth centres. Aaron is team Tim Hortons, not Starbucks, and his favourite chocolate bar is Coffee Crisp. He loves butter chicken, Skyrim, and pineapple on pizza.

Aaron may be reached by email at: 
info@abbyyouth.com


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Jas is one of our youth leaders at the AYC. His role is to ensure youth feel safe and sociable while enjoying the companionships! Jas is a champion in his community as he enjoys volunteering with different organizations, such as Abby PD in the Victim Services Unit, Big Brothers & Big Sisters as a mentor, and the Special Olympics as a soccer & track coach. Despite being a community champion, he’s quite clumsy as he tends to spill something on himself every fifth (5th) meal. (Relatable!) ⁠During his free time, you can find Jas staying active, watching anime and/or Marvel movies, or playing chess

Jas may be reached by email at: 
info@abbyyouth.com


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Meenakshi (or Meenu) is a down-to-earth youth leader who loves caring for youth and hearing their stories! You can find her at either ARC or MRC, playing games with youth and making connections!

Outside of work, Meenu is an adventurous cat lover who enjoys grooving to K-pop and trying exciting new things, though it can sometimes be scary. But it is definitely worth it in the end!

Meenakshi may be reached by email at: 
info@abbyyouth.com


Josilyn Hughes, Youth Program LeaderUntitled (Circle Sticker) (2).png

Josilyn is one of our youth leaders at AYC. Her role is to provide a warm, welcoming environment where all youth can enjoy spending their time. She loves working with youth and hearing about anything and everything the youth have to say. You can find her at the ARC and MRC, usually challenging youth to pool games, UNO or card house-building contests. During her free time, Josilyn enjoys camping, hiking, or watching scary movies with friends.

Josilyn may be reached by email at: 
info@abbyyouth.com


Maddie Huey, Youth Program Leaderstaff pictures for website (2).png

Maddie is a recent Psychology graduate passionate about cultivating positive youth development. In this position as a youth leader, she aims to create an uplifting environment that contributes to the well-being and growth of every individual at AYC. In this rewarding experience, the students also positively impact Maddie, assisting her in her future goal of becoming a school psychologist. 

On her days off, Maddie often enjoys channelling her creative side through various art forms, such as sewing and painting. She believes in embracing self-expression and our interests, as these make us all unique!

Maddie may be reached by email at: 
info@abbyyouth.com


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Shelby is one of our Youth Program Leaders! Her favourite activity to do with the youth is play pool. She loves interacting with the youth and being silly and having fun together!⁠ Shelby's from Alberta and loves swimming and watching movies! She likes pineapple on pizza and enjoys time outside.⁠

Shelby may be reached by email at:
info@abbyyouth.com


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Meet The Board of Directors

Teresa Pippus,

President

Manager- Information, Training & Self Employment Community Futures

Stan Petersen,

Past President

Abbotsford School Trustee

Gurmeen Banipal,

Vice President

Journalist, The Patrika

Preet Dhaliwal,

Secretary

Lawyer, Fraserwest Law Group LLP


Harleen Bhandal,

Treasurer

Accounting Team Lead, TuGo Insurance 

Cindy Rammage,

Director

Associate Professor, Child and Youth Care - University of the Fraser Valley

Inder Rai,

Director

Local Business Owner

Rupi Kanda-Rajwan,

Liaison

Trustee - Abbotsford School District


Nimrat Aulakh,

Director

Registered Nurse, Abbotsford Regional Hospital

Jenn Cusick,

Director

Owner of Luminate Wellness

Karl Gecalao,

Director

Youth Council Representative

Nola Stenstrom Moser,

Director

Youth Council Representative


Interested in becoming a board member? Download the AYC Board of Directors Application or Call for Nominations to apply.