The Arboretum and Botanical Society of Langley (ABSL) is a group of dedicated volunteers who meet monthly to assist the Township of Langley with the design, development, and maintenance of the Derek Doubleday Arboretum as a horticulture center for the enjoyment and education of visitors. 

To name some of the fun and engaging tasks the Volunteers of ABSL get to do:

• Weeding
• Edging
• Cultivating Garden Beds
• Planting New Perennials and Shrubs
• Assisting at the Derek Doubleday Arboretum

• Facebook

What will you be doing?

Get engaged in these fun gardening tasks and learn new skills, all the while being surrounded by flowers and trees!

Become a gardener:

• The ABSL needs energetic people who are willing to get their hands a little dirty for this position!

• Tasks include weeding, edging, and cultivating the garden beds as well as planting new perennials and shrubs at Derek Doubleday Arboretum.

• Gloves and supplies will be provided by the team.

Where will you be Volunteering?

Earn Volunteer hours by assisting the ABSL team in keeping these stunning gardens beautiful and healthy!

• Langley Demonstration Garden
• Willow Garden
• Dyer’s Garden
• Beverly Anne Clay Rose Garden
• David’s Bird Garden
• Les Clay Rhododendron Garden

“We hope to continue to develop the Arboretum into a destination site for people from all over Canada to come to visit to enjoy and learn about the unique trees, flowers, and gardens found at the Arboretum and to walk and reflect in a beautiful natural setting about Canadians who have fallen in their service to Canada.

As a non-profit run by volunteers, 100% of your contributions go towards these efforts.”

– Arboretum and Botanical Society of Langley

Born and raised in the Lower Fraser Valley, Rudy Storteboom has made Langley City his home since 1984. 

“This is my home, and these are my people.”

Rudy’s always been a volunteer: at toy giveaways, in Sunday School, at youth drop-ins, in prison ministry, community food drives, events and fundraisers. Rudy has filled his life by serving as a volunteer in his profession, at agencies throughout the region and in his community, including eleven years on Langley City Council.  

“I find myself when I give myself away”. 

Currently Rudy volunteers as:

“The purpose of life is found in serving others.”

For Shruti, supporting LVB was not a coincidence. Since moving to Canada in 2013, she has always been consciously employed with organizations that have a corporate social focus, be it transit accessibility, community engagement, sustainable housing, education or climate action and change. 

Having volunteered within the organizations she worked for and several non-profits, she quickly realized that her heart was in nonprofits. In 2020, she embarked on her academic journey, to take up an exhaustive course from Oxford University (Department of Continuing Education) on Social Entrepreneurship to understand various aspects of social impact, fundraising management, stakeholder relations and member liaison. She is also fortunate to be part of the 2^nd cohort of a volunteer board governance course (SCOPE) from MOSAIC that paved her way into non-profit board positions.  Currently, she supports the Langley Local Immigration Partnership (LLIP) as an Advisory Council Member. 

Shruti brings 20 years of professional experience in Human Resources with a specialization in Total Rewards (Compensation, Benefits, Performance Management, Well-being) and has always ensured that she creates a tangible impact via her roles to create pay equity, gender diversity, belonging and inclusion.  

From being actively involved as a DEI Committee member who created the Anti-racism framework at BCIT to volunteering with School PAC, Big Brother and Big Sister Langley, and advocating to minimize child hunger in BC, she is passionate to create positive social impact and see her local community thrive and grow.  

She strongly believes that “one person can make a difference, and everyone should try” ~ JF Kennedy. 

Lynda is a local business owner of Quest Admin Analytics. She volunteered for many years in the Parent Advisory Committee, as Chairperson and member-at-large, when her children were young along with canvasing for The Canadian Cancer Society and Heart and Stroke Foundation. More recently, she was the “Doer of what needs to be done” for the senior entertainment group The Vaudevillians who perform throughout the lower mainland, mostly at care facilities. She also did finances and general support, including volunteer coordination, for the Fort Langley Jazz and Arts Festival for five years.

Lynda became involved with the Langley Volunteer Bureau through the Jazz Festival and became the Cards for Seniors program coordinator in 2022. Born and raised in the Lower Mainland, she currently lives in Langley with her husband and has 3 grown kids and 5 grandchildren.

She believes involvement in one’s community creates a better place to live for all involved and looks forward to increasing awareness about the impact volunteering can have on personal, business and community growth and development. 

Rosemary is excited to be part of the Langley Volunteer Bureau board. She has worked and played in Langley for over 25 years and knows the community well. She brings extensive finance, administration and organizational experience to our team.

Acting in a number of roles on her strata council, including as President, she appreciates the importance of volunteering, being involved in her community and giving back.

Her favourite thing to do is spend time creating memories with family and friends – particularly her grandchildren.