Community Support
![Westbank First Nation Chief Christopher Derickson posing for haircuts for health campaign](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2020-05/Christopher-Derickson.jpg?h=48d3f3df&itok=JQljIUDU)
Haircuts fundraiser grows new support
May 12, 2020
Kelowna Mayor and WFN Chief shaving their heads for a cause In dire need of a haircut and wanting to support the training of future health care professionals, some big names are joining the ʪƵ Foundation’s Haircuts for Health Care initiative. Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran and Westbank First Nation Chief Christopher Derickson are committing to dealing with their unruly self-isolation hair by shaving their heads, and in doing so, raising vital funds to help open the doors to a state-of-the-art new Health Sciences Centre at Okanag...
Read more...![Bannock is a staple during potlucks at the Gathering Place](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2019-12/Gathering%20Place%20potluck.jpg?h=86abcd5f&itok=SRbhZPmN)
The Gathering Place
April 30, 2020
The moment you walk through the doors to the Gathering Place, everything seems to change: the light softens, the noise of the day fades away, and you are most likely greeted by a friendly face. Caroline Chartier is the Indigenous Transitions Planner at the Salmon Arm campus, and OC Life caught up with her to get the scoop on what makes the Gathering Place so special. Q: What was intent behind the Gathering Place when it was created? A: To provide a space for Indigenous students...
Read more...![Ken Stober and Keith Brewster](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2020-05/Keith%20and%20Ken%20Web.jpg?h=3873714b&itok=Pbb5XVhm)
Stober family invests in the future of health care in the Okanagan
April 29, 2020
The ʪƵ Foundation has received a landmark gift to the Our Students, Your Health campaign, which will help support the training of the Okanagan’s frontline health care professionals for generations to come. The Stober Foundation is committing $500,000 over the next five years to support the development of a state-of-the-art Health Sciences Centre at ʪƵ’s Kelowna campus, which will train 450 students per year over the next 40 years. In recognition of this leadership gift, ʪƵ Foundation is establis...
Read more...![Katie Maryschuk with the Postcard Project](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2020-04/Postcard%20Project.jpg?h=7f412c8f&itok=cjHtBYo6)
Postcard Project raises funds and connects others by mail
April 28, 2020
A new initiative from an ʪƵ staff member is not only stamping out quarantine blues, but raising funds for much-needed mental health resources. Katie Maryschuk works in the Public Affairs department, tasked with updating the Okanagan community about news and events happening at the College. In her spare time, she collaborates on creative projects with two friends, and the trio had been discussing earlier this year new ways of sharing their work with the online community. That’s when the idea struck of how she could marry a fe...
Read more...Haircuts for Health Care launches
April 24, 2020
College president steps up with 5k incentive Shaggy beards and untamed locks are an inevitable consequence of almost six weeks of physical distancing and the closure of all non-essential businesses, including our community’s beloved salons. However, as people take the necessary steps to flatten the curve, many will be tempted (required!) to take their unkempt hair into their own hands. A new community fundraiser launched by the ʪƵ Foundation is encouraging those who want to take matters into their own hands, to do so for a ...
Read more...![Continuing Studies Professional Development](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2020-04/CS%20PD1.jpg?h=a1e1a043&itok=kmHSv4ba)
College responds with free professional development offerings during COVID-19
April 17, 2020
With organizations of all sizes in our communities facing uncertainty and disruption or adaptation to the way they conduct business in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, ʪƵ is stepping up with resources to help individuals and employers tap into professional development offerings. The College’s Continuing Studies and Corporate Training department has published a new online Professional Development Resource page on its website to help people tap into free OC courses, webinars and panels. It will also point them in the directio...
Read more...![Drew Vincent](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2020-04/Drew%20Vincent.jpg?h=21880704&itok=CbwOL0IO)
Million dollar idea: OC alumnus creates a charitable gala in time of need
April 14, 2020
OC alumnus, Drew Vincent knew he wanted to bring the community together during a global quarantine. His challenge: how to hold an in-person online and still generate the kind of participation needed. His ingenuity and the community’s generosity yielded results that surpassed expectations. In just five days, his idea turned into a $20,000 donation to help the Okanagan community during COVID-19. The event also laid the groundwork for an even bigger charitable effort on May 2. A graduate of the College’s Bachelor of Business Administration p...
Read more...![Enactus GreenScreen team](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2020-04/EnactusGreenScreenTeam.jpg?h=6660d6c8&itok=SD4GinnK)
Families and community at the heart of Enactus GreenScreen technology initiative
April 9, 2020
GreenScreen is bigger than just a technology recycling program. It’s about people and helping build connections. An initiative launched by ʪƵ’s Enactus team in 2019, the project works to repurpose technology such as phones, laptops and tablets, saving them from the landfill and connecting them with families in need. The team consists of students Isaac Hossmann, Emily Pilon, Rachel Wehrmann and Maya Samaddar, and aided by College professor Devin Rubadeau. Working alongside Kelowna Cell Repair, Columbia Bottle Depot and Go ReC...
Read more...![Jodi Kemp, OC Practical Nursing student](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2020-04/Jodi%20Kemp2.jpg?h=5e06b616&itok=Y5fnOCkx)
Nurses inspire nurses: OC health care students step up during time of crisis
April 8, 2020
“The community needs us.” It’s a statement that has become a rallying cry for a class of ʪƵ practical nursing students who are only weeks away from completing their studies and joining their teachers on the front line. And like many other OC health care students and grads, their actions are speaking even louder than their words in the face of COVID-19. Jodi Kemp is one of those students who is stepping up in a big way to support her community, her profession and the nurses she is training alongside at Kelowna General Hospi...
Read more...![Snap Printing Banner](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2020-04/Snap%20Delivery_Page_1.jpg?h=3d43c187&itok=V32dORpp)
OC student and printshop owner supports business community
March 26, 2020
People helping others is a sign of the times, especially if ʪƵ student Bryan Carlton has anything to say about it. In addition to studying part-time for his BBA, Carlton owns Snap Printing in Kelowna. Since the pandemic landed in North America, he found his clients in education, event management and business have either reduced hours, put projects on hold or cancelled events. “I have a few clients who let me know how slow it was and wanted to see If I can do anything to possibly help them out. I figured banners were a quick...
Read more...Tom Budd sponsors health care tuition
March 26, 2020
Local businessman and philanthropist Tom Budd is giving residents an opportunity to win free tuition toward a health care career at ʪƵ. Budd, along with local radio stations Virgin Radio and Sun FM, are offering the contest called Wishin for Tuition across the Valley until April 12. Residents can win up to $5,000 toward their tuition to one of any 10 Health Sciences programs at ʪƵ. The programs offered range from nursing to Early Childhood Education and Pharmacy Technician. The prize money is coming from a n...
Read more...College Culinary Arts program drops off donation to food bank
March 24, 2020
See a need, fill a need. This is exactly what ʪƵ’s Culinary Arts department did earlier this week as culinary classes came to an unexpected halt in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tallying the vast amount of ingredients that would have been utilized in student labs and cafeteria plates, instructors gathered as much as they could and delivered it to the Central Okanagan Community Food Bank. Initiated by Ross Derrick, interim Culinary Arts instructor and chef at Cod Fathers Market and Kelsey Oudendag, Culinary Arts in...
Read more...Campus-to-Campus half marathon cancelled
March 15, 2020
Sunday, March 15 – Today, ʪƵ and the University of British Columbia Okanagan announce that the campus-to-campus half marathon and celebration scheduled for Saturday, April 4 has been cancelled. This decision follows the recommendations made by the B.C. Ministry of Health on March 12, which advise event organizers to cancel all events and gatherings of 250 people or more, in order to help curb the spread of COVID-19 in the province. “While we are saddened to have to delay the resurgence of the run, it’s absolutely paramount ...
Read more...![Certified Dental Assistant student practicing her skills](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2020-04/CDA%202.jpg?h=a141e9ea&itok=kIKgUJnO)
Redmond family inspires future dental assistants
March 11, 2020
After spending more than 40 years working as a Certified Dental Assistant (CDA), Jean Redmond knows first-hand it is a rewarding career. Now, she and her husband Bill are choosing to inspire the next generation of CDAs by pledging $40,000 toward the construction of a new Health Sciences Centre at ʪƵ’s Kelowna campus. The new Centre will feature a modern dental clinic to train CDAs, which are in-demand locally and across the province. The clinic will mirror a modern dental office, with a reception room, state-of-the-art opera...
Read more...![John Sokolowski holding a picture of his mother, Janina](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2020-04/John%20Sokolowski.jpg?h=d9f0d757&itok=RpiphoJZ)
Mother's values recognized with large gift to College
February 24, 2020
A $50,000 donation to the Our Students, Your Health campaign will recognize a mother who survived and found lessons in the horrors of Germany's concentration camps. John Sokolowski has donated $50,000 towards an Early Childhood Education classroom in the College’s new Health Sciences Centre, currently under construction on its Kelowna campus. The donation is made in memory of his mother, Janina Sokolowski. “My mom was a champion of education for as long as I can recall,” says John. “The gift to the College will help educate future Early C...
Read more...![BSN student Alley Corrado and Campaign Ambassador Maxine DeHart](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2020-04/MaxineDeHart.jpg?h=b4f07023&itok=Kf6ZC8sj)
Councillor gives from the heart
February 12, 2020
Kelowna City Councillor and local community champion Maxine DeHart is giving a gift from the heart this Valentine’s Day. DeHart is donating to the Our Students, Your Health campaign, which is raising funds to build a new Health Sciences Centre at ʪƵ and create scholarships and bursaries for health care students. DeHart is the Campaign Ambassador for the fundraising campaign and is spearheading the media campaign encouraging others to get involved. She says the project’s goals touched her heartstrings and inspired her to give...
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