Abbotsford (with files from Serene Mumford , Bruce Banman) – On Friday May 3, 2024, Abbotsford Ccouncil had the honour of hosting Minister of Housing, Ravi Kahlon, MLA Pamela Alexis, and Mayor Ross Siemens, announcing the opening of the new 60 unit, Men’s Transitional Housing Program at Kinghaven. The new housing is in addition to the already 38 units Kinghaven have in operation.
The project started in April 2022.
On June 21, 2024, Bruce Banman MLA Abbotsford South attended the naming ceremony of the Bob Sutton Centre (Kinghaven for men). Said Banman: This state-of-the-art, 60-unit Second Stage Housing centre for men is a beacon of hope and stability in our community. Grateful to the Kinghaven Peardonville House Society and everyone who made this project possible.
For Peardonville (for women) They named their new building after Dr Sherry Mumford, recognized for all of her contributions to the mental health and addictions field.
Those in attendance included assistant deputy mayor of Abbotsford, Dave Sidhu, Pam Alexis, an MLA from Abbotsford/Mission, and Gerry Palmer (Kinghaven Peardonville House Society board chair) and Dan Marks (KHPH society ED) Co emceed; and former (retired) ED Milt Walker.
From Gerry Palmer :
Acknowledgements and Uncut Ribbons
Friday, June 21, 2024 was one of the hottest days of the year in the Abbotsford area and I chose to go home and put a suit on before attending at Kinghaven Treatment Centre on King Road in Abbotsford to take part in a ceremony to acknowledge several individuals in the history of the Kinghaven Peardonville House Society and the naming of facilities after those individuals. Wearing a suit on such a hot and sweaty day was an inept choice on my part matched only by my later inept attempt to cut the ceremonial ribbon with dull scissors.
Our society has just completed the construction of a 60 unit supportive housing apartment building on our Kinghaven site beside an earlier constructed 30 unit supportive housing apartment building and across from our Kinghaven addiction treatment center which treats over 60 men at one time during a 70 day program. The new building allows some of our graduates to stay on site with subsidized rent as they continue to reestablish their lives and employment..
This June 21 event was about naming this beautiful building that was built with financing from BC Housing. The building is dedicated as the Bob Sutton Centre. Bob Sutton was a wonderful man who died in his 90s about nine years ago but left a legacy of commitment to the AA community.
Bob had been a realtor in the Quesnel British Columbia area and during that time had suffered alcoholism and recovered through his commitment to the alcoholics anonymous program. Upon retirement in Abbotsford he was instrumental in the development of the Alano club and was a board member of the Kinghaven Peardonville House Society for at least 13 years. During that time, he acted as a general contractor to build a residence for a program that we call Molly’s place on our Peardonville House site which is our addiction treatment center for women who are able to bring small children there for daycare. That and attending Peardonville House for over 25 years once a week to provide counseling to women in treatment establishes Bob as a saint in the eyes of our society. During his years in recovery he helped many people get reestablished and is extremely well-known in the recovery community in the Abbotsford area.
During the ceremony which was attended by MP Ed Fast, MLA and agriculture minister Pam Alexis, MLA Bruce Banman and City Of Abbotsford councillors Sidhu, Loewen, and Chahal, our society announced the naming of the administrative building at Peardonville House as the Sherry Mumford Centre. Sherry had acted in many roles in our society, including being a board member and filling in as the executive Director of the Society when we had an unexpected resignation. She has decades of helping Peardonville House and its women’s program and has been instrumental in our efforts to obtain funding to build supportive housing apartments for women in the Chilliwack area.
The clients lounge in the Kinghaven treatment facility was named after the society’s first long-term executive Director Larry Gorman, who faithfully performed that role for 25 years.
The lounge in the Peardonville House women’s treatment centre was named after well known local doctor Elizabeth Watt who provided medical services to the women in the women’s treatment center for almost two decades.
The dining room of the new Bob Sutton Centre was named after local philanthropist Vivian Trethewey, in honor of a significant financial donation that she had made to our organization.
Equally importantly were the many people who attended who have played important roles in the history of our society, whether as board members, staff or supporters. I have been on this board for approximately 40 years and president for about 25 years and the number of people that I saw from the past warmed my heart and my heart doesn’t warm easily. It gave me great joy to be able to be part of a ceremony in which we expressed gratitude to so many people who are deserving.
When it came to the ribbon-cutting, I was given a pair of scissors (with a warning not to run with them) as was BC Agriculture Minister and Abbotsford Mission MLA Pamela Alexis, and Abbotsford deputy mayor Dave Sidhu. They successfully cut the ribbon. I did not. I’m sure it’s because my scissors were dull, and I did call for my wife to help me as I do in most other matters.
To all that attended and took part, a big thank you. Thanks as well to the board of directors and our executive Director Dan Marks.
With the celebration over the society can go back to its goal and role of changing lives. Next, hopefully Chilliwack.
