Careers
Maintaining a Career of Care
Arny Froese began his career as a maintenance man at age 4. It was a beginning that was nearly cut short – literally.
“I got a hold of my dad’s hand saw and ended up cutting my thumb,” he says, proudly. “I have the scar to prove it.”
His father would remark that Arny could bang a nail into wood with a rock straighter than he himself could hit a nail with a hammer. It’s clear that working with wood has been central to his life for 7 decades but Arny is not your typical carpenter. Arny’s life has been as much about serving people as it has been about maintaining things.
While his high school education at Mission Senior Secondary School and his subsequent experience with various builders prepared Arny for a job as a carpenter, his faith compelled him to learn to care for others as well. Arny studied at Bethel Bible Institute (where he met his wife, Erna) and Columbia Bible College (CBC) in Abbotsford, Western Washington University, and Regent College in Vancouver, where he earned a masters of divinity degree.
Along the way, he did a variety of jobs, including working as Dean of Men and librarian at CBC, as a camp counsellor and summer program director at Camp Squeah (where he also served on the board,) and with Mennonite Central Committee in Akron, Pennsylvania where he and Erna served for two years. In between these experiences, Arny worked with carpenters and builders, picking up odd jobs here and there. He built his own home and for a time owned his own nursery. Every opportunity, good or challenging, was a learning experience that developed his skills as well as his character. Eventually, this journey brought him to Communitas, where he has served in the maintenance department for 14 years.
“I always tell people I trained for 40 years for this job,” Arny says with his characteristic sense of humour.
Arny’s work experience with Communitas actually began decades earlier when he was hired to build a greenhouse that would be the first social enterprise for the organization.
“They asked if I would be interested in building the greenhouse and my wife said yes, I would,” he says. “I ended up building two greenhouses.”
Arny would also contract to remodel, refurbish, and repair several Communitas homes before coming on staff full time in 2011. Since then, every property where Communitas has a presence, whether in the Fraser Valley, Lower Mainland, or Vancouver Island has had Arny’s handiwork brought to it.
This May, Arny will retire as the maintenance coordinator at Communitas. It has been rich and satisfying work.
“I wouldn’t trade these last 14 years for anything,” Arny says.
For him, this has never been a job, it has been a calling and the difference, he says, is the people.
“The culture here is so different. There is no sniping, no one-upmanship. The dedication of the staff is tremendous,” Arny says, adding that their dedication inspires him to do his best for them. “I love making things better for our staff.”
Arny has also enjoyed having the opportunity to get to know the people served by Communitas. Nick lives in one of the homes where Arny planted a garden. Nick remembers that Arny planted tomatoes and cucumbers. He says Arny did important work at the home.
“I like Arny. He comes here when things break and he fixes them,” Nick says. “I think we should have a big party for Arny and give him a present.”
Vallen Mah is the director of operations for Communitas and has worked closely with Arny over the years. Vallen says that Arny’s servant-heartedness has been evident throughout his time at Communitas.
“He has an amazing heart for people. He knows them by name and what their needs might be and because of that, he installs or renovates items to make life easier for them or our staff,” Vallen says.
Along with Arny’s diversity of skills – from woodworking to landscaping to appliance repair – Vallen appreciated the opportunities that he has had to talk theology with Arny.
“Our conversations were such an amazing glimpse into a man who was called to serve at Communitas and contribute to our community in such a unique and special way,” Vallen says.
Arny will retire at the end of May and is grateful to be leaving the work in good hands. A new maintenance coordinator, Brad Russell, has been hired and an assistant, Marissa Landholt, will begin later in May. There has been opportunity to overlap so that Arny can pass on his knowledge and advice.
What will retirement look like? It will start with a road trip to attend the graduation ceremonies of two of his grandchildren. He will continue to volunteer at Camp Squeah, hosting retreats as he and Erna have done for years already. He is looking at other volunteer opportunities and may do some odd jobs here and there.
“It’s taken me a while, but I think I’m ready to retire,” he says.
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