Introduction [Sarah Fung]: “It takes raindrops to fill a lake.” (Mumbai woman) This quote is also an analogy we can apply to so much of life. It could be the small steps we take towards a large goal. It could be those small acts of love, that builds one’s partner up, who has only ever faced hardships in relationships. While we can put numerous meanings to the metaphor, for one person in particular it meant the beginning of a new era. Walter Paetkauw is the founder and former executive director of Abbotsford Community Services. For him, this quote began the development of his organization that originally worked to serve immigrant families and has since developed into a multi-program organization.
Over the last couple of weeks, I have had the pleasure of conversing with Walter about his work. Eventually, with two steaming cups of coffee on the table in front of us, we were able to converse more about the work he’s done. Below is some of our conversation:
Fung: In the prologue of your book, you shared the impacting quote “it takes raindrops to fill a lake”, from which you got the title for this book. You mentioned how this quote was from a book you were reading about a mother from Mumbai, India, who was struggling to make a life for her and her daughters. Was this the sole, catalyst moment for you to begin Abbotsford Community Services? Or, was there another moment that spurred action? If so, what was that moment?
Walter: I selected the title of the book, “It Takes Raindrops to Fill a Lake," after I read the story of the Mumbai slum about three years ago. This was the catalyst for the title of the book. What spurred the action to write the book was a stimulating conversation I had some four to five years ago with Roop Seebaren, a former professor at the UBC School of social work, now living in Mission. We became colleagues over the years as he brought his social work students to Community Services to become familiar with what we were doing. Roop and I also sat on common boards and did workshops together in various parts of the province. As we were talking over a long coffee and reminiscing about the early and the developing years, Roop said, “Walter, you need to write the history of Community Services.” The seed was planted and took root and so the three-year-plus project began.
Fung: What was one of the most impactful moments for you shortly after you opened ACS’s doors for the first time? (A moment that confirmed for you that you were doing the right thing and going about it the right way.)
Walter: There were no individual impactful moments that indicated we were on the right track. I believe it was a gradual realization that the service areas we were getting into in the late sixties were attracting involvement from many and that people were wanting to commit to what could be. This energized me and others to put the case before National Health and Welfare, saying that something unique was going on here and that we would like to engage in a three-year demonstration project to verify our instincts. We were on the right track and never looked back. The three-year demonstration project proved a great success and affirmation on which we build the ensuing decades.
Fung: What would you say kept you going for so many years?
Walter: What kept me going for so many years was the awareness that I was in the right place at the right time. Canada, the Province and the community were ready for engagement and building caring, just communities. Volunteers, staff and the community were energized by the potential and the challenges. Staff and volunteers bought into the culture of developing caring, just services with integrity, respect, dedication and effectiveness. This culture, this climate kept me going year after year. Even after my retirement at age 65 in 2000, my heart was at home with Community Services and I retained long-standing connections with some of the staff and the agency. It was what made the writing of the book a reality.
Fung: What are 3 of the most important lessons you’ve learned over the years?
Walter: Three of the most important lessons I learned took place in the first decades.
1. One had to do with the concept of ‘letting the pickle soak’. In the development of community services where there are so many forces at play, it is important to listen, to take your time, to reflect and let folk catch up with where you are at. “Letting the pickle soak’, assures that the voices that come to the table are heard and respected and that they feel part of the decision-making process.
2. A second lesson was one confirmed by a practicum student who spent two weeks talking with staff to determine what made Community services tick. Her conclusion was that there was ‘soul in the workplace’. We kept this in front of us, being aware that the human touch had greater impact on clients and the workplace than organizational correctness.
3. A third lesson was one that applied to me personally. In the eighties, as we developed our recycling program, we had over 80 bins distributed in the community to collect newspapers. As I drove by the various collection routes I would notice bins that were overflowing and somewhat unkempt. I would draw this to the attention of the recycling manager. One day he said to me, “Walter, you notice the overflowing bins, what about all of the bins that are not overflowing?” I was brought up short. I was reminded politely that expressing gratitude for all that works well is not to taken for granted but also needs to be affirmed. I became more conscious of being grateful in all circumstances before placing judgment and then placing judgment in its proper perspective.
Fung: What advice do you have for future generations?
Walter: What advice do I have for future generations? The following is a random list. It can easily be longer or shorter, and each can be more detailed.
1. Know and cultivate the values that determine who you are: integrity, love, gentleness, compassion, justice, kindness, curiosity, creativity, courage, inventiveness, humility, perseverance, patience.
2. Let these values be a part of you whether at work, home, family and in whatever circumstance you find yourself in.
3. Let these values guide your day to day decisions and actions in regard to clients and your co-workers.
4. Tend to be on the side of optimism and hope in how you face life challenges.
5. Let gratefulness be a part of your lifestyle as it is a benefit for you personally and socially and undergirds your health and emotions and nourishes the workplace.
6. Live and serve in the moment but let your service be also filled with dreams and vision.
7. Strive for excellence in all things knowing you have lived your day well both for yourself, your clients, and those in your family and social circles.
8. It's okay to be vulnerable. Not all will go well. Cope with the mistakes you make. There are few perfect days either for you or for those around you.
Summary [Sarah Fung]: The concept of fighting for equality often leaves people in a severely activist state. While that is good and needed in many circumstances, there is a time and a place for it. Abbotsford Community Services conducts its work from a collaborative perspective, and they work hard to better serve the people who walk through their doors. A strong theme that held our conversation about Abbotsford Community Services was around the idea of collaborating without compromising. Walter shared about how in accessing funding, they would often approach the funder saying “We feel that you are asking ______. We can offer this _______. Is there somewhere in the middle?” (Walter Paetkau, 2019) More often than not, they were able to meet in the middle and meet the requirements for both parties. It usually worked for them, but in some situations, it didn’t. If ideologies and expectations didn’t fully align, there were moments where they had to find new supports. However, generally, they have been able to work well collaboratively with the community.
While this is only a snapshot of the work they do, there is a full and thorough picture painted in Walter’s book, It Takes Raindrop to Fill a Lake. If you haven’t yet, definitely pick up a copy and give it a read!
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