John Volken

John Volken was born in 1941 in Potsdam, a city that soon thereafter became part of communist East Germany. His father, a medical doctor, died near the end of the Second World War when John was only three years old. Due to her poor health, John's mother was forced to put John in an orphanage for a short while. At 14, he went from East Germany to West Germany as a refugee and started working during the day and going to school at night.

Business entrepreneur

In 1981, he started United Furniture Warehouse and built it from one small store into one of the largest furniture retail chains in North America, with over 150 locations.

Social entrepreneur

In 2004, having achieved financial success, Volken sold his furniture business to follow his heart and become a full time social entrepreneur. He transferred all the proceeds and assets of the business into charitable foundations in Canada and the US, at a combined value of over $150 million, with the sole purpose of helping those in need.

John Volken Academy

Back home, Volken researched areas of social neglect where he could make a lasting difference in North America. The result was the founding of the John Volken Academy- a long term residential drug and alcohol addiction recovery program for young men and women. The program is free of charge to those who are committed to change their lives and helps students advance their education and develop the life-skills needed to stay sober and become contributing members of society. The academy currently has campuses in Arizona, Utah, and Washington.

Lift the Children

At this time, Volken travelled to Africa with the goal of helping the continent's destitute children. After seeing first-hand the terrible plight of so many orphans, he formed Lift the Children, a registered charitable organization whose mission is to help the most destitute by providing them with food, housing, and education- with the ultimate goal that they become fully self-sufficient. Currently, Lift the Children sponsors over 70 orphanages.