Articles tagged "OC Foundation"
Paddle fundraiser raises over $29,000 for Sunflower Childcare Centre
July 25, 2024
On July 20th, Kristin (Postill) Holomis and her team paddled the length of Kalamalka Lake (18km) in support of the ʪƵ Foundation’s Sunflower childcare campaign, raising more than $29,000 in just a few weeks.“Stand Up For” is an annual local fundraising effort by Kristin Holomis and Brittney Page where they paddleboard the length of Kalamalka Lake in support of a chosen charity. This year they paddled for OC’s new Sunflower Childcare Centre, located on the Vernon campus. Scheduled to open in September, The Sunflower Childcare C...
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Community leader shares personal story of how sport transformed her life
July 23, 2024
Paula Quinn was only seven years old when she first stepped onto a running track but that experience with athletics dramatically changed her life.Quinn is the former Executive Director of the KF Aerospace Centre for Excellence and is active in the Kelowna community sitting on four volunteer boards including the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce, Regional District of Central Okanagan, B.C. Cancer Foundation and the Airport Advisory Committee.Quinn is now among a growing number of local residents putting their support behind the Thrive Here campaig...
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ʪƵ celebrates ‘construction kick off’ for Recreation and Wellness Centre
June 20, 2024
There was jumping, cartwheels and a full crowd of cheering spectators on Thursday at ʪƵ to mark an exciting milestone that will transform student life at OC for years to come.Kelowna Cheer Athletics was on hand to help the ʪƵ Foundation celebrate a major fundraising achievement - they’ve raised $10 million for the Thrive Here campaign, and construction can kick off for the future home of the College’s Recreation and Wellness Centre. “Today is a very meaningful day,” remarked Helen Jackman, executive di...
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Recsky gift to Recreation and Wellness Centre honours family passion
May 7, 2024
If there was anyone who would understand the need for a Recreation and Wellness Centre at ʪƵ (OC), it would be Alex Recsky.Recsky was hired as OC’s first recreation and intramurals programmer in 1986. It was a job he loved and pursued with passion until his retirement 10 years later, introducing thousands of students to sports and recreational opportunities.Now, Alex’s family are honoring him and his wife Ruth, who are both in their 90s, with a $30,000 donation to the Thrive Here campaign for the Recreation and Wellness Centre...
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Major gift from BMO to support community progress is worth smiling about
April 9, 2024
A major gift from BMO will support community dental care while making it easier for more people to train to become in-demand Certified Dental Assistants (CDAs).BMO is giving $250,000 to ʪƵ’s (OC) Our Students, Your Health campaign in support of the CDA program. OC’s state-of-the-art dental suite, used for training and as a community clinic, will receive $150,000. An additional $100,000 will be used to kickstart a hands-on learning pilot program that will enable people to become CDAs while they continue to work.In recogni...
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Thrive Here video celebrates lessons learned in a 'classroom like no other'
March 8, 2024
For 20-year-old AJ Nguoth, playing basketball is about more than jump shots and free throws.On the court, Nguoth says he works through real life struggles as he's putting his energy into the game. Playing basketball is also a reminder that he is on the right path. The sport has been his north star since he was 11, keeping him focused on school and inspiring him to dream big for his life.Nguoth, an ʪƵ Coyotes Basketball player and first-year OC student, is one of several student athletes featured in a new video by the Okanagan ...
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Highstreet champions careers in Trades with $1-million gift to ʪƵ to benefit students
February 28, 2024
Are you considering post-secondary? Kelowna-based real estate and development company, Highstreet, wants you to know that pursuing a skilled trade can lead to a rewarding career, full of growth, success and leadership opportunities.It is this message and a desire to support students that has motivated Highstreet to donate an astounding $1 million dollars to ʪƵ’s Trades and Apprenticeship programs.Their gift will focus on providing financial support to students starting an entry-level trades program. Thirteen annual bursaries o...
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Serwa Spirit Match to raise $1M for Thrive Here campaign for a Recreation and Wellness Centre
February 7, 2024
Cliff Serwa describes himself and his wife Lois as just ‘ordinary people with a fair bit of determination working to make things happen.’ That may be true, but the results and impact of their determination on the community, the province and beyond are far reaching and forever lasting. And now they are leading the way to a better future for students at ʪƵ (OC).When approached to support the Thrive Here campaign to build a much-needed Recreation and Wellness Centre at the College’s Kelowna campus, not only did Cliff and Loi...
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THRIVE HERE campaign kicks off with record-level support
October 25, 2023
ʪƵ Foundation launches campaign to build a new Recreation and Wellness Centre at its Kelowna campus; Folk family makes record-setting gift KELOWNA - It’s ‘Game Day’ at ʪƵ! Today, OC students, donors, leaders, staff and community members came together to celebrate the launch of the Thrive Here campaign to build a new Recreation and Wellness Centre on the Kelowna campus. Making the announcement to the approximately 100 people in attendance, including members from the OC Coyotes basketball and baseball teams, Okan...
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OC fundraiser to light way for new childcare centre
October 18, 2023
Dress up with your kids, enjoy a matinee, then parade downtown Vernon with glow up lanterns and a stilt walker. An upcoming event aims to cast a glow on children’s faces while also lighting a path for a new childcare centre at ʪƵ’s Vernon campus. The ʪƵ Foundation is hosting Glow UP: A Matinee, Masquerade and Lantern Light Up Saturday, Oct. 28. Participants can make their own lanterns at an upcoming workshop hosted by local artists at ʪƵ Saturday, Oct. 21 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.&nb...
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Empowering Tomorrow: Rick and Yasmin Thorpe and Friends Scholarship Celebrates Future Leaders
October 4, 2023
The Rick and Yasmin Thorpe and Friends Scholarship continues to be a launchpad for South Okanagan high school graduates as they begin their educational journey at ʪƵ. This year, Mackenzie Lucier and Kendall Pennington from Princess Margaret Secondary, Eva Braam from Summerland Secondary and Ollie Jaques from Penticton Secondary have each been awarded $2,500. The scholarship annually champions students who combine academic achievement with community involvement. "These young individuals are ou...
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Plant a Seed Day fundraiser sprouts an impressive $66,000 in gifts for the new Sunflower Childcare Centre on OC's Vernon Campus
May 17, 2023
ʪƵ Foundation is thrilled to announce the success of Plant a Seed Day, a fun-filled, family-friendly fundraiser that, thanks to generous community support, raised $66,000 for the Sunflower Childcare Centre. The funds will be put towards equipment, furnishings, supplies, and a creative outdoor space where kids can learn and play. Event guests had the opportunity to experience child-led yoga, sunflower-themed art classes, country line dancing, and a delicious lemonade crawl – all made possible thanks to generous sponsors: Kal T...
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New ʪƵ student housing, childcare centre on target to open in 2024 in Vernon
April 21, 2023
When she decided to attend ʪƵ, student-parent Sarina Parsons was faced with the challenge of finding childcare while balancing her course schedule. She says it added stress at a time where she wished she could have been more focused on her learning. In just over a year, students like Sarina will have access to childcare and on-campus living options at ʪƵ’s Vernon campus, when doors open at a new mass-timber student housing building currently under construction. The 100-bed student housing project and Sunflo...
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New ʪƵ student housing centre on target to open in 2024 in Salmon Arm
April 21, 2023
Finding affordable housing isn’t just a challenge in the big city – it can be difficult in smaller, more rural communities as well. For students like Dylan Taylor, who are also focused on completing post-secondary education and entering the workforce, access to housing is transformational. “There are many pressures on students already right now, so having a way to access a place to live on-campus takes away a huge amount of stress and makes it possible to focus on my education,” says Taylor, an Arts student at the Salmon Arm c...
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Bridging the way to success: Emil Anderson Construction gives $75,000 to modernize ʪƵ’s Civil Engineering Technology Program
April 17, 2023
If you walk past ʪƵ’s Kelowna campus on a weekday afternoon, you’re sure to see Civil Engineering Technology students spread out across the grounds, gathering environmental data using surveying equipment. This skill is essential to their education and will one day help them shape our built environments. Thanks to a generous $75,000 gift from Emil Anderson Construction, students will have increased access to state-of-the-art surveying equipment to train on by fall of 2023. “We are proud to support ʪƵ’s Civil Engi...
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OC Foundation chair’s book launch supports students in need
March 27, 2023
Honouring the past and supporting the future: Connie Denesiuk’s new book has ambitious goals. The Chair of the ʪƵ Foundation Board is launching a book next month about a story close to her heart, with the hope it will benefit the community around her. ‘Til Papa Returns; Surviving as a child refugee in WWII is the true story of Alfred Columbus, the youngest of eight children and father to Denesiuk. Alfred was learning how to farm the land their family had worked for more than 200 years, following advice and guidance from h...
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