Ali’s first volunteer position was at Burnaby Multicultural Society (BMS) where he served as a member of the board of directors from 2000 to 2003. During that time, he participated in all board meetings when a variety of discussions were on the table and decisions were made in that society. BMS was and still plays a great role in the life of the Burnaby residences. As an extra service to the community, Ali translated the “Welcome to Burnaby School District 41” booklet to Farsi in a way that both Iranian and Afghan families with enrolled children at SD41 could benefit from it. Ali was a board member until he moved out to Coquitlam.

In 2002, Ali was invited to the Burnaby Ethnocultural Advisory Council (BEAC) to serve as one of its steering committee members. During that year of service, the council met the Scandinavian, Eastern Indian, and Afghan communities of Burnaby to hear their city-wide concerns and needs, prepare reports, and share them with the Burnaby City Council and the Mayor. The main commitment was to transform the language of citizens to those of the authorities so a bridge between the two sides is made to understand each other better and more effectively. Ali was a board member until he moved out to Coquitlam.

In 2007, Ali registered Echo Tricity, a non-for-profit organization in Tricities, to engage Iranian citizens in a dialogue for future leadership in this fast-growing region and community. Echo Tricity soon became a place for Iranians who were interested to serve the society from different perspectives. Those who were looking for organizing cultural events, joined and established Tricity Iranian Cultural Society (TCICS), an organization that still serves Tricities’s residences. Those who were interested in educating people about their pathway of success and education, established Farhangian Educators Association (FEA), an that organization still serves the community. Echo Tricity met its goal of inviting Iranians to work with each other.

In 2012, Ali accepted the responsibility of leading TCICS for the short term of 6 months and brought a systematic working environment to the table. He shared his vision that professional, effective projects should be delivered beyond individual taste and agenda, and leading a community requires and demands skills, time, attention, and dedication. With 12 actions in his plan, Ali moved the society from low energy and motivation level to a living and updated condition that a new board could continue serving the community purposefully.

In 2013, Ali established the Farhangian Educators Association (FEA), a not-for-profit organization concerning the K-12 education of Canadians. Several projects were in hand; however, there were priorities based on society’s demands. Ali invited and led a group of professional educators to prepare and publish Farsi as second language books and textbooks contributing to this heritage language. These learning objects are made based on the British Columbia curriculum and core competencies. FEA has published Farsi-1 to Farsi-4 textbooks and practice books and has published a bilingual short tale so far. FEA authors work under Ali’s leadership on the technicalities, compatibility of the books with the second language programs of British Columbia, and the products’ cost-effectiveness. These materials have helped both Farsi instructors and Farsi learners. Toronto’s York region school district is one of the organizations which use FEA books in its language programs. FEA under Ali’s leadership also provides educational and interactive workshops such as “Bullying at Schools” for families and students, “Classroom Management and Discipline” for tutors, and “Parenting of Post-Millennials” for parents of British Columbia in both English and Farsi. Ali also provides volunteer opportunities for students to grow stronger and more skilled. Student volunteers have contributed to many cultural and civic events and projects at Tricities and North Vancouver. Several organizations have received these services with planning and organizations that Ali offers in his spare time after his full-time work at school.

Since 2016, Ali is officially one of the directors of the CIVIC Association of Iranian Canadians (CIVIC IC). educating the community about their civic responsibilities, including their practical and meaningful participation in Canadian elections at all levels. However, his service under this organization started in 2014 when CIVIC IC held all-candidate meetings at the public libraries. CIVIC IC invites candidates to meet the citizens of their ridings in a professional, safe environment. These events have been vital components of the participation of new citizens in elections and have been well-received by the community. Ali, as the director of the Tricity section of CIVIC IC, has been in charge of the organization and quality of all-candidate meetings including those held in Zoom application during the pandemic.

The quality of services CIVIC IC offers to the community is exemplary so the president of this NGO, Mr. Keighobad Esmaielpur, has received the Service Medallion of British Columbia because of his contributions to the Canadian citizens.

Since 2018, Ali represents FEA in Tricity Local Immigrant Partnership, a Coquitlam-based organization that brings efforts together to serve the new immigrants. FEA’s volunteers have participated in the TCLIP’s projects, and Ali is looking forward to be more active in this group.