W.J.VanDusen Community Service Award

They call him the Ambassador of Goodwill

Albert Battistoni has discovered the secret of a long and successful life. It’s simple, actually. You’ve got to keep moving and you have to stay connected to people. There’s also a magic ingredient: laughter.

They call him the Ambassador of Goodwill at Vancouver’s Collingwood Neighbourhood House. Well into his 80s now, Albert is there daily, greeting people as they come and go. Young families from all corners of the world, seniors from the surrounding Collingwood-Renfrew neighbourhood, all walks of life pass through the busy community hub.

He has a gift for making people of all ages feel at ease. Albert is this year’s recipient of the United Way W.J. VanDusen Community Service Award. The W.J. VanDusen Community Service Award recognizes an individual for remarkable commitment and dedication to volunteerism at a United Way funded organization.

Says Albert, “It’s a pleasure to come here every day. In fact it’s even helped my health. I feel a lot better.”

He started volunteering at the neighbourhood house about 17 years ago when he retired. He’s been doing it ever since. “Most of the time, I’m greeting the people, especially the little kids. Some of them are so cute. I get a good word from some of the parents, like, ‘My child doesn’t say very much but when he sees Albert, the child does real good.’ That makes me feel kind of proud,” he says.

Albert lives in the neighbourhood. His parents came to Vancouver in 1910 from Italy. They started Venice Bakery, famous for its Italian breads. Albert worked in the family business. “I couldn’t work inside on account of the flour dust, but I did drive the bread trucks,” he says. “When I used to work at the bakery, people would ask, ‘Do you make a lot of money working at the bakery?’ I’d say, ‘No, but I’ve made a lot of dough.’”

He’s the king of puns at Collingwood. Whether you feel like it not, he’ll eventually make you laugh, and you both feel good. People may come up to him and ask, “Hi Albert, how do you feel today?” Albert says, “Well yesterday I was fine but today I’m coarse.” Or people might ask him how he feels today and he’ll say, “Like the bottom of a furnace … grate!”

Albert is a golden thread in the fabric of daily life at Collingwood Neighbourhood House.

Says Paula Carr, Executive Director of Collingwood Neighbourhood House, “Congratulations Albert. We are so happy you’ve won the VanDusen Award. This is a very special honour to you and all of the work that you do in our community and to the wonderful influence and inspiration you have provided to us all.”