The more than 46,000 volunteers of Langley's almost 900 community groups contribute a whopping 7.3 million hours of their time annually.

That's a lot of people working hard to make Langley a better place to live and why the Chamber of Community Service wants to help them.

With extensive experience in the volunteer sector, Dave Stark started the community group to provide local non-profit and volunteer organizations a way to come together. It's modelled on how a chamber of commerce acts as an umbrella group for the business sector.

"With the population of the Township projected to increase by 29 per cent over the next 10 years, and funding becoming even more restricted, a grassroots 'chamber-like' initiative for the non-profit sector has begun to engage residents and groups in the simple, and low-cost act of sharing information and resources," Stark said.

The next step for the group is a com-munity meeting on Tuesday, May 28 starting at 6: 30 p.m. in the Murrayville Community Hall.

Stark explained that the meeting is the next opportunity for non-profits and volunteer groups to meet representatives from a cross-section of the community, including the arts, faith, sports, First Nations, social, and education.

Stark's group had previously hosted 'speed dating' for community groups so they could learn more about each other and the work each does.

Tuesday's meeting will be to chart the course forward for this unique initiative.

"Residents and groups will be able to more efficiently and effectively do what they already do well," he said.

The group was initially dubbed the Chamber of Community Service as a working title but to avoid any confusion with the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce, the group is changing its name for the future.

The Murrayville Hall is at 21628 48th Ave. For more information, contact Stark at dave_stark@shaw.ca.

hcolpitts@langleyadvance.com