 As Seniors First BC marks 32 years since its incorporation as a non-profit society, this is an opportunity to reflect on our history and enduring commitment to promote the dignity of older adults in British Columbia. As we have also entered National Volunteer Week, we should recognize and celebrate the volunteers whose dedication have helped shape and sustain our work. Much of the early recognition about seniors’ legal issues was documented by Senior Citizen Counsellors. These retired people volunteered with a program which, at that time, was managed by the provincial Ministry of Human Resources. They went into people’s homes in communities around the province, helping to make applications for benefits and complete income tax returns to prove eligibility for much needed financial and housing help. In doing this work they often learned about more serious problems like financial, physical and sexual abuse. In the 1980s some of these Senior Citizen volunteers were working with Pearl McKenzie, a legal information counsellor at North Shore Community Services. Together, they set out to learn more about the legal issues and identify ways to protect the rights of old persons, eventually sharing information around the province through meetings and a newsletter called the “Shared Concern”. Pearl McKenzie created a manual called “Legal Issues in Elder Abuse Intervention”. The first Elder Abuse Conference, was organized in 1985 by the BC Association of Social Workers. Linda Tod was largely responsible for this initiative and later became one of the volunteer founders of our organization. Following the conference, representatives of the various groups – people doing the community legal work on the North Shore, social and health care workers and government – came together out of concern for the wellbeing of vulnerable seniors and formed the committee with the Social Planning and Research Council (SPARC), which began publishing bulletins on elder abuse prevention and resource lists. SPARC partnered with Douglas College and the BC Old Age Pensioner’s organization to create “sound definitions around elder abuse”, prepare toolkits and organize information-sharing events. In 1991, the Justice Institute of BC, working with the North Shore group, hosted a conference titled “Elder Abuse: A Shared Problem”, which brought together people from around the province to focus on coordinating services to help seniors experiencing abuse. Members of the SPARC grouped collaborated with North Shore Community Services (now North Shore Community Resources), on creating elder abuse prevention response and training in eight communities: Powell River, Kamloops, Peace River, Langley, Vancouver, Vernon and Sto:Lo Tribal Council. The work of these communities informed the development of community response networks under the Adult Guardianship legislation, which later led to the creation of the BC Association of Community Response Networks, one of our longest standing partners, which currently has 95 Community Response Networks in BC (and counting)! By 1994, representatives from those eight communities and members of the BC Coalition on the Prevention of Elder Abuse and Neglect joined together and incorporated the BC Coalition to Eliminate Abuse of Seniors (BC CEAS), which later turned into Seniors First BC. Volunteers have always been at the heart of our organization. Their passion and commitment were instrumental in launching our work and continue to drive elder abuse prevention efforts today. Many long-standing members and friends remember Joyce Schmalz, who memorably portrayed a widow in Finding a Future for Ellen, a timeless video. Joyce volunteered with our organization for more than 20 years as a speaker, storyteller, event planner, and past President of the Board. She retired in 2007 at the age of 86 and was honoured as our first lifetime members.  Joyce Schmalz, past President of SFBC and first Honorary Lifetime Member Pearl McKenzie, also from the North Shore, generously volunteered her time to be our first executive director. She served on a joint government–community working committee that drafted recommendations for new adult guardianship legislation in BC, and today she continues to provide invaluable institutional knowledge and support as needed. We also fondly remember Terry Wright, a dedicated senior volunteer presenter for many years on elder abuse and advance planning, and our primary presenter on frauds and scams until his passing. Today, we are fortunate to count thirty employees who staff our province-wide Seniors Abuse and information Line, Education and Outreach Program, Victim Services and Legal program, but we still rely on volunteers to meet the increasing demand for learning events, facilitate foreign language interpretation at events, or witness legal documents.  Mandeep Kalan (volunteer lawyer), via zoom, for Vancouver Coastal Health seminar series with 28 attendees in person in Squamish, one on zoom (April 2024) We thank all past and present volunteers, who currently include Kepler Rotheisler, lawyer with Cedar Coast Law Group, who shares his legal expertise on wills, powers of attorney and representation agreements; Sarah Beddoes, past Board member and now presenter on government benefits, as well as of the volunteer witnesses at legal clinics and presenters; and our dedicated volunteer Board members, including Edward Macaulay, Sam Zeitoun, Kenneth Armstrong, KC, Andrea Rolls, Nicole Kridge, Pam Clavier, Christabelle Zhang, Tom Yoo, Curt Van Ardenne, Abdul Sana, Ali Etezad, Shawn Hasselaar, and Kelly Acker.  Kepler Rotheisler, volunteer lawyer, with Kim Wong interpreting As always, we also thank the Law Foundation of BC and the Province of BC for supporting our work, our donors and community partners. Sincerely, Marie-Noel Campbell, Executive Director of Seniors First BC with generous input from Pearl McKenzie We respectfully acknowledge that our office is located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples – the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, and Musqueam Nations. Messages from Our PartnersIn honour of our anniversary, we received messages from some of our partners. Watch them below or on our Youtube channel. Dan Levitt, BC Seniors AdvocateDaisy Au, Coordinator, Seniors Club at MOSAICGallery of Seniors First BC Events & Presentations Over the Years Linda Yauk at Surrey Tech Forum, Feb. 2024  Nighat Afsar (SFBC Seniors Legal Advocate) explains Government Benefits to Chinese-English speakers at Chimo Community Services in Richmond, Sept. 2023  Ryan Erwin (SFBC lawyer) gives a presentation on Wills, Power of Attorney and Representation Agreements at Burnaby Public Library, July. 2025  PEO Volunteer Charlie Mance at the Wilson Seniors Resource Fair inPort Coquitlam, Jun. 2024, along with Kathryn McCart (People’s Law School). Seniors First BC is a charitable, non-profit society that provides information, legal advocacy, and support to older adults across BC with issues affecting their well-being. Our services are delivered through our Seniors Abuse and Information Line, Victim Services, Elder Law Clinic, Advance Planning Clinics, Legal Advocacy Program, and Public Education and Outreach Program. Contact UsOur province-wide confidential Seniors Abuse and Information Line (SAIL) is a safe place for older adults and those who care about them to talk to a professional intake worker about issues that affect their well-being, receive information, or learn about our programs. Call 604-437-1940 or Toll-Free at 1-866-437-1940 weekdays 8am to 8pm. Language interpretation is available. For individuals who cannot call SAIL due to disability or accessibility reasons, email us at info@seniorsfirstbc.ca or use the contact form on our website. |
