The South Fork Valley Community Association (SFVCA) is a small but mighty 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to building community in the Nooksack River’s South Fork Valley and the Mt. Baker Foothills. The Association manages, maintains and improves the Van Zandt Community Hall, and hosts a wide variety of community events and programs. In addition, the SFVCA distributes a monthly email newsletter, the South Fork Scoop, and provides a home for our beloved community radio station, KAVZ-LP 102.5 FM, your “Voice of the Valley.”
The SFVCA Board of Directors meets monthly on the first Wednesday of every month at the Van Zandt Community Hall. All are welcome.
Things We’ve done
Hosted numerous community events and programs
Created space for community sales and trade fairs
Built, maintained and improved the Josh Vander Yacht Memorial Park and gazebo
Made extensive improvements to building and grounds
Launched a community radio station
Created a monthly email newsletter
Established community memorials
Things We Plan to do
Renovate the interior of the Hall and upgrade the kitchen
Expand the KAVZ community radio studio and broadcast range
Host more youth and senior programs
Expand collaboration with other Foothills organizations
SFVCA Policies
Adult, Youth and Child Safety Policy link goes here.
Meet The Board Members
Jeff Margolis - Chair
Jeff Margolis, has been involved in the growth of the Van Zandt Community for over half a century. He left Brooklyn, New York in his youth and went on to be educated in politics and philosophy which he subsequently taught at the college level. In 1970 he and his wife opened the region’s first and most famous organic and exotic grocery, Everybody’s Store. Both he and Amy were veteran performers in local symphonic, choral and theater groups. Both were active participants in civic groups and cultural boards and for a decade Jeff volunteered as a Firefighter and First Responder on Whatcom County FD #16.
At the turn of the century Jeff spearheaded the creation of the Josh VanderYacht Park. Shortly thereafter he and Amy founded KAVZ-LP FM, the Voice of the South Fork Valley. Jeff recently retired as Chair of the Whatcom County Parks Commission.
The Margolis’s retired Everybody’s Store in 2019 and Amy passed on in the following year. Currently Jeff spends much of his time gardening and cherishing the progress of his family including: daughters Beth, an artist, and Elea, a musician and wife to Andy, a physician and parent of grandkids Zach and Natalie, both engineers.
Jim Abernathy - Finance
Jim has been a resident of Whatcom County since January of 2009, fulfilling a dream that began in the late 1980’s when he and his fabulous wife, Laura, discovered the beauty of the South Fork Valley and the wonderful, socially responsible nature and friendliness of the people of Van Zandt and broader area
Jim was born in San Francisco in 1942, lived in the Bay Area through high school and community college, then Texas for 4 years, then back to California for more than 4 decades. Along the way, he worked in IT for 41 years, retiring in 2005. Jim makes numerous and varied contributions to the South Fork Valley Community Association and other local organizations throughout Whatcom County.
Breanna Anderson - Secretary
Breanna Anderson has been a Van Zandt resident and a member of the South Fork Valley Community Association Board since 2017. She is a software engineer and pioneering technology entrepreneur known for founding MSNBC in 1995. Breanna is enthusiastic about the potential for grass roots community building in rural Whatcom County and is grateful for the steadfast work of SFVCA over the years in creating a place and space for folks to come together and build community. Breanna teaches a technology class for local youth through SFVCA and focuses on infrastructure and technology for the organization.
Maggie Metcalfe - Director
Maggie Metcalfe has been a Van Zandt resident and member of the South Fork Valley Community Association Board since 2017. She is a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for Washington State and has a private counseling practice. She appreciates communities built with respect and democratic processes to create strength and resilience among neighbors. She wants to maintain a space where people can have potlucks, dances, movies, parties, poetry and studies, where community members can create a class or demonstrate a skill. Where we can learn about each other.
Will Radecki - Director
Will Radecki attended a New Year’s party at the Van Zandt Community Hall in 2010. He was greeted by a very old woman with a cane in one hand, and a box of wine in the other. “My kinda people,” he thought, and moved to the Valley soon after. On the SFVCA board, Will is a “utility player” who has written grants, managed projects, MC’d events, and built the free library/community exchange in front of the Hall. He is a consistent voice for moving things along, and a reliable provider of libations at board meetings.
Ben Townsend - Treasurer
After many years working in tech in Seattle, Ben is now semi-retired here in the South Fork Valley. He has a keen interest in the intersection of technology, renewable energy, and permaculture. One of his big interests is in building community strength by learning and sharing with each other. Ben has been involved in both local volunteerism, such as helping at food banks, and in volunteer work abroad, such as building village roads in Greece.
Ed Kaufman - Director
Biography forthcoming.
Jessica Bee - Director
Biography forthcoming.
Bruce Myers - Director
Biography forthcoming.