About Us
Who We Are
We Are
John Volken Academy Thrift
Academy Thrift is a high-end, second-hand store that gives second chances to the items that come in, just like our students. We offer gently-used furniture, vintage and brand-name clothing, household goods, surplus and overstock goods, and more!
Academy Thrift is run and managed by students and graduates of John Volken Academy. Our goal is to provide the best shopping experience for all of our customers!
- Hands-on training in customer service and teamwork
- Experience in sales, merchandising, and inventory management
- Opportunities to build communication and people skills
- Learning adaptability in a fast-paced retail setting
- Developing responsibility through processing and organizing donations
- Contributing to the community by giving items a second life for families in need
Our Vision
To break the cycle of addiction, crime, and homelessness by empowering men to live honest, hard-working, accountable, and meaningful lives.
Our Mission
At Academy Thrift, we believe everything deserves a second chance, including our students.
Our Values
Honesty, accountability, integrity, hard work, second chances, community, compassion, and self-sufficiency.
What is
John Volken Academy?
The John Volken Academy is an effective, long-term residential program focused on life skills training and behavioral modification for men.
John Volken Academy is a self-sustaining nonprofit that helps men overcome homelessness, criminal behavior, and long-term addiction. Our 24+ month residential program focuses on life skills and vocational training, giving students the tools to build a new way of life. Students pay nothing to attend, and the Academy operates without government funding. By working in our social enterprises and living in a peer-led, accountability-driven community, our men grow into responsible, hard-working, and caring individuals.
About our founder
John Volken was born in Germany during WWII. He lost his father in the war and spent part of his youth in an orphanage in East Germany. This may well have been the seed of his current endeavors. At 18, John immigrated to Canada with no money, but with plenty of enthusiasm. He started his climb from rags to riches as a dishwasher, farm laborer, and construction worker. As he became comfortable with the English language he turned to sales and business and finally found his niche…in 1981, he opened a small second-hand furniture store. He built this enterprise into one of the largest furniture retail chains in North America, with over 150 locations and more than $200 million in annual sales. For his accomplishments, John received many awards, including “Entrepreneur of the Year” for Canada’s Pacific Region.
Having achieved financial success, John often reflected on his days in the orphanage and his desire to one day help those in need. He counseled with various disenfranchised communities. They consistently stressed the need for long-term, residential treatment facilities that incorporated teaching life and job skills. During the next eight years, John visited and studied numerous recovery facilities worldwide.
In 2004, John sold his furniture business and put the proceeds in a foundation which today supports the John Volken Academy and other charities.