Sunday, February 13, 2011

MLA Hon. Rich Coleman Fort Langley-Aldergrove Minister of Public Safety and Solictor General Minister Responsible for Housing

Lord Jesus, we thank You for the heart that You have given Hon. Rich Coleman, which is to provide protection and safety for the citizens of this province.  We ask for creative ideas to be released from within his ranks that generate ways that to effectively use resources.  That crime and social injustice would continue to fall as trust levels within neighbourhoods continue to rise.  We ask that restorative programs would be increasingly effective, and that our future generation would continue to be blessed with the peace that we now enjoy.  We thank You for the many sacrifices Rich has made in representing this province, and we pray that he and his family would be blessed.

Rich Coleman has been British Columbia’s Minister of Housing and Social Development since 2008. Under his leadership, the provincial government has launched efforts to curb homelessness, including programs like Housing Matters, family and seniors rental assistance programs, and buying, renovating, and managing single-room occupancy apartments.

Before entering public life, Rich was governor of the BC Kinsmen, president of the Aldergrove Chamber of Commerce, Langley’s 1988 Volunteer of the Year, and a director on several volunteer boards. As a member of the Aldergrove Kinsmen Club in the 1980s, Rich oversaw the volunteer fundraising and construction efforts that built the Aldergrove Kinsmen Community Centre, a vital community facility which houses a preschool, library, workout area, and meeting space. The Club was also involved in building a successful housing project in Aldergrove. Rich is a life member of the Kinsmen.

In recognition of his tireless and long-term work in the community, Rich has been awarded both Rotary’s top honour, the Paul Harris Fellowship, and the Kinsmen’s highest honour, the Hal Rogers Fellowship. Rich was the second person ever honoured with the Hal Rogers—the first being Kin founder Hal Rogers himself.

Rich has been elected four times (1996, 2001, 2005, and 2009) as MLA for Fort Langley-Aldergrove. He has previously served as Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, and Minister of Forests and Range. He and his wife Michele live in the Fraser Valley.

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