John Volken: Committed to Giving Back
John Volken grew up in East Germany. He lost his father in World War II and lived for a number of years in an orphanage. At that time he had no way of knowing that one day he would be in a position to help others. While those times were often tough, he now views those days as an extremely positive influence in his life. They were the seed for Welcome Home.
At the age of 18, John immigrated to Canada with no money, but with great enthusiasm. He started his climb from rags to riches as a dishwasher, farm labourer, and construction worker. When John became comfortable with the English language, he turned to sales and business and soon realized that he had found his niche. In 1981, he opened a small second-hand furniture store. He built this enterprise into one of the largest furniture retail chains in North America. United Furniture Warehouse operated 151 locations and earned over $200 million in annual sales. For his accomplishments, John received many awards, including “Entrepreneur of the Year” for Canada’s Pacific Region.
Upon achieving financial success, John remembered his days in the orphanage and his dream to one day help those in need. He studied various areas of social neglect and in 1995 began meeting with advocates of the disenfranchised community. Those he spoke to consistently stressed the need for long-term, residential treatment facilities that would teach life and job skills to addicts and alcoholics. During the next 8 years John visited and studied numerous addiction treatment facilities in the United States and Europe.
In 2004, John sold his furniture business to direct his time and energy to help fulfill this societal need. In 2005 he established residential treatment facilities in Seattle, WA and Vancouver, BC, which he named “Welcome Home”.
“I believe that once we have provided for our families, we should then work for the good of all. Welcome Home has brought me tremendous joy and satisfaction.”
John is often asked why he has embarked on this charitable mission. A typical answer is:
“The other day one of the students made a rather serious mistake… but that’s expected. The nice thing is that it gave me an opportunity to spend some time with him. After our “heart to heart” we hugged and I told him that I loved him. He responded with tears and said, “My father never said that to me… and how can you love me after all the stupid things I have done?” I re-assured him that his mistakes were behind him, and that he was now on his way to a new life.
That is what Welcome Home is all about. Similar events happen all the time. There are tears, there are laughs, there is hope, there is struggle, there is change… incredible changes followed by a whole new life with the ability to handle challenges and obstacles, to have a career, a home, a family. The transformations are unbelievable! Everyday I am grateful to God for the opportunity to be part of this immense, but gratifying, struggle nurturing successful and happy lives. It’s all worth it!”
Learn more about John’s philanthropic work by visiting the John Volken Foundation website.
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