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Learn more about John and his philanthropic work by visiting the
John Volken Foundation website. |
Our Founder John Volken is the founder of Welcome Home. During his youth John spent time living in an orphanage. But he views this as one of the most positive influences in his life. In fact it was the seed that grew to become Welcome Home. At the age of 18 John immigrated to Canada from Germany with less than $100, but with great enthusiasm for his new country. He started to climb from rags to riches as a dishwasher, farm laborer, and construction worker. When he became comfortable with the English language, John found his niche in sales and business. Without any experience in retailing, he opened a small second-hand furniture store in 1981. He eventually built this into one of the largest retail furniture chains in North America. His business, United Furniture Warehouse, eventually operated 148 locations, with annual sales in excess of $200 million. For his accomplishments, John has received many awards, including “Entrepreneur of the Year” for Canada’s Pacific Region in 1995. Having achieved his financial goals, John remembered his time in the orphanage and his dream to one day make a difference in the lives of those in need. He searched for areas of social neglect, and in 1995 began meeting with advocates of the disenfranchised community. All voiced the need for long-term, residential treatment facilities, which would teach life and job skills to addicts and alcoholics. During the next 8 years John visited and researched such facilities in the United States and Europe. In 2004 he sold his furniture business to direct his wealth and talent to become a social entrepreneur. Within a year he established residential treatment facilities in Seattle, WA and in Vancouver, B.C., which he named “Welcome Home”. John is often asked why he has undertaken this philanthropic mission. This is one
of his typical answers:
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