Community Support
Long connection inspires major gift by Friesen family
March 22, 2021
A decades-long connection to Okanagan College and a desire to give back to community is inspiring a $150,000 donation by the Friesen family to the Okanagan College Foundation. The family gift will support the Our Students, Your Health campaign to complete and equip the College’s new Health Sciences Centre on the Kelowna campus. The gift reflects a strong connection to the College. Dianne Friesen worked at Okanagan College in the mid-1970s. In 1984, her husband Rod started Voyager RV and their son Jason who is running the business ...
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Retired nurse donates $50k to Health Sciences Centre
March 11, 2021
Many things have changed since Delphine Stone went to nursing school more than 60 years ago, but she’s sure one element still holds true: the positive role education plays in one’s life. In honour of the value of education, Stone is donating $50,000 to the Our Students, Your Health campaign for a new Health Sciences Centre on the Kelowna campus. “Education really changed my life,” recalls Stone, who was the youngest of 11 children and grew up on a farm near Battleford, Saskatchewan. Stone remembers receiving a $100 award from ...
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şÚÁĎĚěĚĂoffers up weekend Trades courses for DIYers and hobbyists
March 10, 2021
DIYers, hobbyists and makers: mark your calendars. Okanagan College is offering up a series of safe, distanced but still hands-on courses to help you build some new skills this spring. The College’s Trades and Apprenticeship department is launching two new short courses this month. Auto Master – Women is happening on Sat., March 27. This one-day, all-female workshop introduces the basics of car maintenance. Practical lessons will include learning how to change a tire, the purpose of coolant, oil changes, and what to touch and not ...
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Enactus OC’s CANsave program celebrates remarkable reach, new financial literacy resources for youth with diverse needs
March 9, 2021
Okanagan College’s Enactus team is marking a memorable milestone this month, having mentored more than 50,000 Canadian children through its CANsave financial literacy program – and the program’s latest focus may be its most inspiring yet. Developed entirely by Okanagan College students, CANsave teaches youth important financial literacy skills like saving for tomorrow, differences between good and bad debt, and the importance of saving to help others in need. CANsave launched in 2016 with a focus on teaching students in Gr...
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CFUW Kelowna celebrates 60 years of empowering women
February 26, 2021
Before there was Okanagan College or the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO), a small group of women met to discuss how they could contribute to their community and promote higher education for women. Today, that group, known as the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) Kelowna chapter, are celebrating 60 years of community impact and support for female students. More than $175,000 has been donated to female students at Okanagan College over the last 30 years including eight awards for students this year alone....
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A date with OC: A Valentine’s dinner surprise
February 9, 2021
Last minute Valentine’s day plans aren’t always the most memorable, but Okanagan College’s restaurant, Infusions, has a solution for you this Saturday that offers an unforgettable dining twist – everything is a surprise. What do we know about this surprise evening? Infusions Restaurant is opening its doors this Saturday, Feb. 13, to offer diners a Valentine’s culinary adventure to remember, where they won’t know what dish is coming out next. Diners will sit down for a five-course dinner menu created by şÚÁĎĚěĚĂPastry Arts chef Danny C...
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Giving to the health of the community
January 29, 2021
A retired Kelowna couple are donating $30,000 to Okanagan College’s Health Sciences Centre to support the health of the community. Jim Hodgson and Joy Bianco are supporting the Our Students and Your Health Campaign with a gift they say recognizes their passion for the Okanagan. “Kelowna is a beautiful place. We’ve seen so many changes here for the positive, and it’s feels good to support the community,” says Bianco, who was born in Kelowna but spent her formative years in Vancouver. Bianco adds education has always been central ...
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Order up: şÚÁĎĚěĚĂdebuts new take-away cookbook menu
January 19, 2021
Okanagan College’s restaurant, Infusions, is offering a unique way to get a taste of its popular collaborative cookbook, What We Cooked: A Compilation of Recipes During COVID Times, with a special take-away menu featuring dinners for two from the cookbook. Following the success of the sold-out cookbook – now in it’s second print run – the College’s Culinary and Pastry Arts program selected five delicious dinner and five delectable dessert recipes from the cookbook to bring to life at Infusions with a special take-away initiative fr...
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Empowering Employment: College to host virtual employment fair in Feb
January 18, 2021
Okanagan College is powering up a new virtual employment fair next month to help connect students, alumni, job seekers in the community and employers from across the region. Empowering Employment is a virtual career fair to be held on Thursday, Feb. 4 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Anyone interested in attending as a job seeker or showcasing their business as an exhibitor can learn more at www.okanagan.bc.ca/empowering. Exhibitor space, although virtual, is still limited and so interested organizations should plan to register soon to ensure...
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şÚÁĎĚěĚĂEnactus helps young females navigate the future
January 15, 2021
Okanagan College’s nationally recognized Enactus team is kicking off the new year with new community-initiatives, including a program preparing local young females to navigate their future with confidence, positive self-image and the know-how to tackle the world of job hunting. The project, Ivy Collective, is a free skills development program that supports females aged 15-18 through a series of one-hour online training workshops. Topics include public speaking, job application skills and confidence-building strategies. The first ...
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Loved nurse honoured with a major gift to the College
December 23, 2020
She was the type of nurse who was working even when she was off. If the phone rang in the middle of the night, Mary Miller would go to the hospital to help her colleagues. In celebration of all the love she gave her patients and especially those closest to her, the Miller family are making a $150,000 donation to Okanagan College’s new Health Sciences Centre. The gift honours Mary, who passed away in October at age 83. “My Mary would be so pleased and so honoured that we’re doing this for her,” says Dean Miller, her husband of 62 y...
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Zahra Salon takes a cut for College fundraiser
December 18, 2020
Experience in – and experience of – health care services has led management of Zahra Salon and Spa to turn their attention until the end of January to supporting the education of health care professionals at şÚÁĎĚěĚĂ Zahra Salon will be inviting its customers to make a holiday or New Year donation to the College’s Our Students Your Health campaign, along with selling raffle tickets for a gift basket valued at $1,000. The salon’s medical spa will also be donating 10 per cent of all laser treatments services to the campaign ...
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Collegial effort cooks up a recipe book for student support
December 16, 2020
After compiling recipes into a delectable read, the What We Cooked: A Compilation of Recipes During COVID Times cookbook is available for purchase. The idea for the book started when a team of College library staff members noticed their online daily conversations constantly reverted to food. With a hunger to support the community in a time of isolation and invite others to connect on a relatable subject, What We Cooked was born. All proceeds raised from book sales will go towards the Okanagan College Students’ Union and the Vern...
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Season’s Eatings fundraiser surpasses fundraising goal
December 10, 2020
An evening celebrating festive cooking virtually is resulting in a very real-world impact for Okanagan College health care students. Season’s Eatings, a virtual cooking class and wine tasting fundraiser hosted by the Okanagan College Foundation, raised $315,000 on the evening of Dec. 3, surpassing its $250,000 goal. The virtual cooking and wine tasting class featured Okanagan College Culinary and Pastry Arts instructors and their students who walked participants through how to cook a gourmet dinner consisting of mouth-watering stu...
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Enactus’ FruitSnaps transitions into social enterprise
December 8, 2020
The award-winning Enactus initiative FruitSnaps is now running as a social enterprise after the student-run team recently launched apple juice boxes. The direct result of an abundant number of apples over the fall semester, the five-litre boxes of fresh apple juice are now available locally and online for purchase. All proceeds go back into the program and help to keep it sustainable. şÚÁĎĚěĚĂalumni, staff and community members were among the first people who showed up to help the Enactus team pick the approximately 13,000 pounds of app...
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Inaugural Student Chef Dinner and Pie Fundraiser winter highlights for Culinary Arts program
December 4, 2020
Okanagan College’s Culinary Arts program is serving up good cheer during the last month of 2020, with two new events that will showcase student creations and support the community simultaneously. On Dec. 10, Infusions Restaurant at the Kelowna campus will open its doors to welcome a limited number of guests for the inaugural Student Chef Dinner, a seven-course tasting experience. The evening gives students an opportunity to showcase their skills and the very best of Okanagan region cuisine. “The Student Chef Dinner is a fantastic...
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